"The War Within"

I stumbled upon John Piper's site yesternight as I was wandering the web aimlessly, looking for a good read. He's got all his sermons archived on his site for your reading or listening pleasure. It's a good resource for someone like me, who likes to read and learn on his own rather than in a classroom. Anyway, click the title for a link to read one of his sermons on Flesh vs Spirit.

Most of the time (though not always, see below) it does not simply refer to the physical part of you. (Paul does not regard the body as evil in itself.) The flesh is the ego which feels an emptiness and uses the resources in its own power to try to fill it. Flesh is the "I" who tries to satisfy me with anything but God's mercy.

I've always liked Piper's style. There's something about the way he words and phrases things that just make it easy for me to grasp. Anyway, go check out the sermon and the rest of the site. Definitely good spiritual food.

Come thou fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing thy grace.
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above!
I'll praise the mount -- I'm fixed upon it --
Mount of thy redeeming love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer,
Hither by thy help I come.
And I hope, by thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God.
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.

O to Grace, how great a debtor,
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to thee!
Prone to wander -- Lord I feel it --
Prone to leave the God I love.
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for thy courts above.

O that day, when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face:
Clothed then in blood, washed linen,
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign Grace!
Come my Lord -- no longer tarry --
Take my ransomed soul away.
Send thine angels, now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.
- Come Thou Fount

This hymn has always been my favourite (though I don't exactly know a plethora of the). Read the words carefully and take some time to think and whatnot. I'd bold the good parts as I do normally, but I'd just end up bolding the whole thing. Enjoy (click here for track).

Note: The version I uploaded to Zshare is an adaptation by David Crowder Band; it does not have the fourth verse. Go figure.