On My Way To Heaven

Chapter 6. Marks of the Smoking Flax

“Life in the winter is hid in the root”, says Sibbes, as he encourages us not to be disappointed with our present situation, where sometimes we only see “nothing but smoke or distrustful thoughts”

And this is where I was today.

As I see my children growing and changing, sometimes I judge myself to severely on how I am doing my job as a Mom. I  just see smoke; and suddenly I forget what I learned last week: He delights to lit fires from tiny sparks.

Sibbes writes again, with words that reach my soul and he reminds me what I believe so dearly and so easily forget when the rushing of a busy morning comes and I cannot find the words to say and just spit words that I know well may hurt those whom I love so dearly; he says: “God knows we have nothing of ourselves therefore in the Covenant of Grace he requires no more than He gives, but gives what He requires, and accepts what He gives”

When did I forget that by grace I was called, and that I am “brought to Heaven under the Covenant of Grace by a way of love and mercy”?

When did I forget that I am truly journeying daily on my way to heaven?

Sibbes’ words again like a warm shawl bring comfort, “we must therefore, walk by his light, not the blaze of our own fire”, and I remember the words in the book my little one loves to hear, some people are scared of light. And so this morning, when my flesh arouse, I was afraid of the Light, because I had loved the blaze of my own fire.

But He calls me, and I come, and again, I found Grace.

Chapter 7. Help for the Weak

In this chapter Sibbes, reminds us that we are indeed vulnerable to fall into temptations when we allow our thoughts to run wild and away from the word of God,on Sibbes’s own words,  “all scandalous actions are only thoughts at first. Thoughts are as little thieves, which creeping in at the window, open the door to greater”.

But, the Word of God gives us hope. We are not slaves to sin, and “our chief Comfort  is that our blessed  Saviour, as he bade Satan depart from Him…so He will command him [Satan] to be gone from us, when it shall be good to us”

I like the simile that Sibbes uses when he says that “dust particles are in the room before the sun shines, but they only appear then”; and I saw this clearly when in my not-so-beautiful morning, I saw His light shining over me and pointing out things that I did not were there still; and as the day passed by, I saw it in nature as well, and captured it with my camera; a spider web, which can be seen only when the light was shining on it.

Sibbes ends this chapter by encouraging us, to work on our sanctification. Even if we are weak, we must keep on going. Prayer is the meeting place where we can find Grace, or should I say be found by Grace?

“Let us not be cruel to ourselves when Christ is thus gracious”, this I had never thought, and this now I keep in my heart.

Tim Challies, invited us to read this great classic together
and I am truly enjoying it as I also read what others are sharing about it.
May our walk be full of sparks from Heaven.

Tomorrow, come and read the last post by Sister on 
How to Teach the Word to our Children.

The Bruised Reed, by Richard Sibbes @ Reading a Classic Together with Tim Challies.

Chapter 4, Christ Will Not Quench the Smoking Flax

What a joy it is for me to be reassured of this great truth, salvation is by grace and never by works; and this truth is taught so clearly on this chapter, that I cannot but rejoice and glorify my Savior, for His “spark” as Sibbes says is “a spark that is from heaven: it is his own, it is kindled by His own Spirit”

I also see, even from the first paragraph, the doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints; it is God who lights the spark, and it is also He, who “preserves light in the midst of darkness, a spark in the midst of the swelling waters of corruption”

When I see His love, His work in me, I see but His hands covering the little flame, protecting it from the strong winds which want to quench it. He is merciful, He knows, He remembers my weaknesses and He promised that He would not let my light die.

But as always, how He deals with me teaches me a lot on how He wants me to deal with others.

Many questions arouse in my heart regarding my condition:

Am I merciful to my neighbor? to my son? to my husband?

Am I full of patience with the one I am sharing the gospel?

Am I denying myself some liberties for the sake of the weaker ones?

Am I being “severe to myself, but tender over others”?

What about the gifts God has given my friends, am I honoring them?

Now I know that you cannot read Sibbes without asking yourself this kind of questions. The Puritan author challenges us to live as Christ, showing grace in all weakness.

Chapter 5, The spirit of Mercy Should Move Us

May your spirit of mercy move me to use the right keys to open those doors that you want me to open , O Lord; and do not let me force open those others that you meant to be closed.

How I long to have the spirit of mercy governing me as I preach the gospel to my own children, so many treasures are in the Word of God, and Sibbes urges the preacher (in my case I am a preacher to my own children) to “take heed that they hide not their meaning in dark speeches, speaking in clouds. Truth fears nothing so much as concealment, and desires nothing so much as clearly to be laid open to the view of all” Only God can give us the wisdom as we preach to our own children, to come down, and meet their eyes, and speak to their souls.

Sibbes, teaches on sound judgement, and it is so clearly that we will only be able to make a sound judgement when we start seeing ourselves as bruised reeds. And again, I cannot but think of my role as a mom. How many times I am quick to judge severely a sin in my children’s heart, without first considering my own sinful, broken heart.  If I would only remember these words, “The Holy Ghost is content to dwell in smoky, offensive souls. Oh, that that Spirit would breathe into our spirits the same merciful disposition!”

I chose the pictures above because they remind me of the day we turned on this fire. It was so windy, and a storm hit us hard, but we tended a little spark and after a while, it turned into a beautiful fire.