"The Roots of Endurance" in the life of John Newton

I am reading a book right now by John Piper entitled The Roots of Endurance: Invincible Perseverance in the Lives of John Newton, Charles Simeon, and William Wilberforce. The book, in my own words, is a biography about the three men mentioned above, written by Pastor John Piper in order to encourage men and women to see and know and love Jesus, and to encourage the saints to "...not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises" (Hebrews 6:12).

Therefore, in my hope that whoever reads this blog will be encouraged unto Jesus, and that they will be supplied with the grace to say "Because Your love is better than life Lord, my lips will glorify You," I thought it profitable to share what is written in the pages of this book, adding my own thoughts as I pray the Spirit leads me.

"John Newton: The Tough Roots of His Habitual Tenderness" (p.41)

According to this biography, John Newton, the writer of the famous hymn "Amazing Grace," was known to be a man who glorified God with his tenderness (which God undoubtedly supplied him with). John Piper writes about what he believes to be the "roots of John Newton's habitual tenderness" (69). These roots are made of the following:

(1) Realism About the Limits of This Life (70)

• "Few things will tend to make you more tender than to be much in the presence of suffering and death. 'My course of study,' Newton said, 'like that of a surgeon, has principally consisted in walking the hospital.'" (70).

• "In other words, his tender patience and persistence in caring for difficult people came, in part, from a very sober and realistic view of what to expect from this world. Life is hard, and God is good" (70).

• A quote from the works of Newton:

"The day is now breaking: how beautiful its appearance! how welcome the expectation of the approaching sun! It is this thought makes the dawn agreeable, that it is the *presage of a brighter light; otherwise, if we expect no more day than it is this minute, we should rather complain of darkness, than rejoice in the early beauties of the morning. Thus the Life of grace is the dawn of immortality: beautiful beyond expression, if compared with the night and thick darkness which formerly covered us; yet faint, indistinct, and unsatisfying, in comparison of the glory which shall be revealed"(71).(*added)

*presage - "something that foreshadows or portends a future event" or "an intuition or feeling of what is going to happen in the future" (Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary)

(2) All - Pervasive Humility and Gratitude at Having Been Saved (71)

• "Till the day he died, he never ceased to be amazed that, as he said at age seventy-two, 'such a wretch should not only be spared and pardoned, but reserved to the honor of preaching thy Gospel, which he had blasphemed and renounced...this is wonderful indeed! The more thou hast exalted me, the more I ought to abase myself'"(71-72).

• A quote from the works of Newton:

"[The 'wretch' who has been saved by grace] believes and feels his own weakness and unworthiness, and lives upon the grace and pardoning love of his Lord. This gives him an habitual tenderness and gentleness of spirit. Humble under a sense of much forgiveness to himself, he finds it easy to forgive others"(73).

(3) Peaceful Confidence in the Pervasive, Loving Providence of God (73)

• "In order to maintain love and tenderness that thinks more about the other person's need than our own comforts, we must have an unshakable hope that the sadness of our lives will work for our everlasting good"(73).

• Another quote from Newton, describing the follower of Jesus:

"And his faith upholds him under all trials, by assuring him that every dispensation is under the direction of his Lord; that chastisements are a token of his love; that the season, measure, and continuance of his sufferings, are appointed by Infinite Wisdom, and designed to work for his everlasting good; and that grace and strength shall be afforded him, according to his day" (74).

• "He..." (Newton), "...approved of Samuel Rutherford's comment that 'there is no temptation like being without temptation'"(74). Rutherford was a 17th century Scottish minister.

"Amazing grace! - how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me,

I once was lost, but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

John Newton" (40)

My God grant us to imitate our brother who has gone before us, in order that we may shine brightly the grace that God has shown us through Jesus Christ, and that "others may see our good deeds and praise our Father who is in heaven."

Questions, Waiting

I was thinking recently, "what is going on?" I mean in life; what is going on? Do you ever feel like life seems so random? Have you travelled that same valley - laying in your bed crying out to God, "Where are you?!" Has something ever torn, no, clawed at your heart for years? You know that it should not be that big of a deal, but your heart rebels against all practicalities. Have your dreams ever haunted you? Yeah, me too. I know life is not always "that intense," but sometimes we look around and it seems like we are buried deep within the sand with only our fingertips reaching the surface. What is going on? The funny thing to me is that God does not promise that life will be easy, so what do I really desire? I have to confess that a deep desire of my heart is to know that God is working; that He is moving; that there is purpose. Honestly, if I was left to my own effort, there would be no hope. I would screw everything up. I might be able to look good for a while, but my attempts at perfection will eventually crash. So I turn to Jesus. Do I turn to Him just because I want Him to make my life into a "success story?" I might do that, but it's not right. What do I want? God, are You in control? Are you working all things together for good to those who love You, who are called according to Your purpose? Will I know Your presence and love even in the deepest pain and loneliness? O God, I am a little child and I know it. No, I am a baby, and truly I will perish if You do not feed me. I look to You; I cry out to You. Abba, are you working? Do you love me?...

" I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning." - Psalm 130:5-6

Sorrow Over Sin

As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. - Psalm 103:13-14

For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it -- though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. - 2 Corinthians 7:8-10


I walked over to a table full of giggling girls, all simultaneously hitting the table, playing some sort of game. I was on "lunch duty." I had already told them that I thought they should stop banging on the table, and after confirming my judgment with another teacher, I walked back to the table to tell them to stop. When I arrived, I asked them to stop, and one of the girls hit the table one last time. Disrespect being clearly the offense, I told the girl to come and seem me in my classroom after school so that I could give her a demerit (essentially a "punishment" for bad behavior, which the students must show to their parents, and which will go on their school record). The student pleaded with me not to give her one, and said how sorry she was, but I knew that sometimes the most loving thing I can do for a student is to punish bad behavior.

The day went on, and I was undecided on whether or not to give her a demerit. When the bell rang to end school, I found her and told her to come to my class to discuss her actions at lunch. I had decided in my heart at this point not to give her a demerit, but I wanted to discuss with her the seriousness of her actions, the seriousness of disrespect. She was coming to my class room with the belief that she was receiving a demerit. When I sat her down, and began to talk to her about her behavior, she began to cry, even sob. I instantly felt compassion for her.

To some, her crying may have been simply an attempt to escape punishment (you girls know what I am talking about), but in my heart, I could see that she was intensely sorry for her actions. I told her that I was not giving her a demerit, but I made sure that she understood that her actions were wrong and that they deserved a punishment. Even after I made it clear that she would not be punished, she continued to sob. The compassion in my heart swelled, and I told her that God was pouring out His awesome grace to her through me. Eventually she left and went home, and only Jesus knows what was going on in her heart, but that moment made a lasting impression on me.

I thought about God and how He mercifully has compassion on us. But then I thought about how different my response may have been had she been cold and unrepentant for her actions. How God must love those who come to His throne of grace, sobbing over the wrong they have done. How His heart must melt with compassion when His children see their sin and are broken over it. I am not saying that God does not punish us after we come to Him sorry for our wrongs, for that is most often the best thing for us. Nonetheless, how God's heart must swell with compassion when His children turn to Him and are genuinely sorry. Perhaps we should pray for broken hearts. Pray for hearts that are so in love with our Heavenly Father that when we turn from Him, we are filled with "godly grieve" for having offended Him by our utter disrespect for His love, His truth, His guidance, and His mercy.


The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. - Psalm 51:17

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. - Psalm 34:18

But [God] gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." - James 4:6

This Thanksgiving

"Be joyful always; Pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

As I stood singing praises to our God, my emotions were filled with desperation. Another emotional "ransacking" has recently entered my heart and my thoughts. I mean, let's call it what it is: "a ransacking," a plundering of my emotions. Yet, as I stood praising God, this glorious thought flooded my mind: I have Jesus. I have lost something dear to me in my life, yet I can never lose Jesus. I cannot lose Him!

Have you ever thought for one minute about the weight of time in your life? This life will end. Let's not ponder when that will be. God knows. It will be perfect timing. But ponder this: life is fleeting. "Things" are perishing. Yet the only being that will never be taken from us is Christ. If you have put your faith in Jesus, He is always with you. Always! And you cannot lose Him.

So as I sang a song that I cannot remember at this moment, I do remember this glorious thought: "Clay, you may think that you have lost something of value, and it is valuable, but you can never lose that which is of infinite value - My love, My presence, My protection, My hand."

This Thanksgiving, I praise God, singing, "Thank You Father for Your Son. Thank You for giving us that which never perishes, or leaves, or lacks love. Thank You for Jesus!"

"Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." - Psalm 73:25-26

The Ultimate Constant

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. - Hebrews 13:8



How beautiful it is to have a savior, lover, friend, and God Who is never changing. He will never change, never end, and never reduce in any way.

I have lately been involved in many changing circumstances. That is hard for me. Basically an emotional "roller coaster." No pity needed. But it is truthfully what is going on with me. I honestly do not even feel like writing this blog, but I will do it anyway. Why? Because my Jesus is unchanging. So, no matter the circumstances, no matter my sin, no matter my feelings or my social status, my Redeemer has never changed in His control of my life, His control of the whole world, nor in His love for me! He is the ultimate Constant.

Are you struggling with consistency in your friendships? ...relationships? Have you suffered from a lack of loyalty from friends, a spouse, or a child? Are you feeling the sadness of the reality that your flesh and your heart are corrupt, full of inconsistencies? Turn to the ultimate Constant. Find joy in the everlasting love of Jesus; the Unchanging, the Alpha and the Omega. He is the same today as He was 10 billion years ago; the same as He was 2000 years ago; the same as He will always be.

A Misdiagnosis

"They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace." -Jeremiah 8:11


God's people have a mighty gash in their side. Sin is protruding from the wound of God's Beloved. Does the Church today see the sin-wound, wrap it with a dressing, and declare the wound as "minor," sending a child of God on his or her way only to die later from internal bleeding? By grace, let us not be like God's people during Jeremiah's day. He has redeemed us; let us not turn from His loving embrace. But when we do, when a member of our Body shifts his focus to the created, let us not say, "Peace! This is nothing serious!"

O The Love of Christ

If you are anything like me, you have trouble "picturing" or "comprehending" what Jesus truly did when He laid down is life for us. Perhaps we will never be able to comprehend it on this earth with these fallen bodies and minds. But as I wrestled through my lack of power to see and love and appreciate what Jesus did for the Redeemed, I "received" a picture in my head that helped me more fully and emotionally connect with the triumph of our Savior on the cross. I say "received" with quotes because I am not claiming that this is a direct revelation from the Father, but I like to assume that He was answering my cries for a better understanding and love for what Jesus did for me on the cross.

So I pictured a tangible person in my life who has clearly exhibited the love of God to me every day of my life, by the power of Christ. For me, it is my mother. Though our long relationship has not been all "roses," she has reflected the love of Jesus for me in a way that no one else ever has. Needless to say, I have developed a deep love for her. Then I pictured my deepest, darkest sin. One that, though I am truly forgiven of, I am deeply ashamed of. It was my fault. I chose to rebel against God. I said, "I want my own way, I want self-gratification, I know what is best!"

Then I pictured my lovely, tender mother saying, "I will take Clay's sin on me so that he does not have to suffer God's wrath, for I love him. I will take on God's wrath so that Clay can be free." She did not deserve my sin! I sinned! But O how she loves me! Then I saw, O the love of Christ!

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." -John 10:11