The Payton Family: January 2010

This is a recent post from the girltalk blog. Very, very good.

by Carolyn Mahaney

Do not sit at Jesus’ feet…

…as a way to earn God’s approval. It can’t be done. No string of quiet times in a row can meet the standard of a holy God. No amount of Scripture reading or prayer can earn His forgiveness.

Jesus Christ is the only person who ever met with God’s approval. He lived a perfect life and died in our place, receiving the wrath of God that we deserved. He rose again, and stands “before the throne of God above”—the perfect, spotless righteousness of those who trust in Him.

As believers we are justified—declared righteous, forgiven, and accepted by God—through grace alone, by faith alone, in Christ alone. We do not earn or forfeit our justification before God based on our performance.

Our good works, our faithfulness to sit and listen, our diligence to seek the Lord through prayer and Scripture do not add to Christ’s finished work.

Ephesians 2:8-9 sets the record straight: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

We must keep this truth ever before us as we resolve to sit at the Savior’s feet. It is necessary and beneficial; but it is never, never, never a means to earn God’s forgiveness or acceptance.

B.B. Warfield empathically hammered home this point when he said:

“There is nothing in us or done by us, at any stage of our earthly development, because of which we are acceptable to God. We must always be accepted for Christ’s sake, or we cannot be accepted at all. This is not true of us only when we believe. It is just as true after we have believed. It will continue to be true as long as we live…It is always on His ‘blood and righteousness’ alone that we can rest.”

Are you discouraged or condemned by your failure to sit and listen?

Then revel in this truth: We have a Savior who died for our sins. His blood and righteousness alone makes us acceptable to God.

Born Dec. 30th, 2009 (12:20am)
8 lbs. 12 oz, 21 inches long

Condensed birth story: I was induced at 11am on Dec. 29th. They broke my water at 5pm that evening and finally things started happening! The rest is just breathing and pushing (ah, if only it was really as simple as that just sounded!). Enjoy the pictures...

Born! He came out face up, as he had turned over right before he finished his journey (ouch!).

First bath. It was about 2:30am at this time. After bath time the nurse did his footprints. She was tired too as we discovered she did his left foot twice, when my post-partum nurse was reviewing paper work for our discharge!

Mommy, Titus and Evan. No wonder Evan seems so incredibly little. What was my littlest last week (who is a solid 30 lbs.) dwarfs his 8lb. little brother.

Daddy and Evan. I have to say that my hubby is a wonderful coach, who works just as hard emotionally as I do physically in the labor/delivery process. I am so thankful for him and couldn't have made it without him.