God Will Sustain You a Day at a Time

God Will Sustain You a Day at a Time – “Some days he will do far more abundantly than all I can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). And other days, he will sustain me in the storm.”

The Matchless, Scandalous, Awesomeness of the Gospel

The Matchless, Scandalous, Awesomeness of the Gospel – We come to the Lord this day with great thanks for the Gospel.

What the Book of Job Teaches Us About Unexplainable Suffering

What the Book of Job Teaches Us About Unexplainable Suffering – “This is where the book of Job enters the scene: Right as the reader is questioning God’s wisdom and justice.”

Justice: Between Certainty and Doubt

Justice: Between Certainty and Doubt – Kyle Borg makes some helpful observations regarding the Senate hearings of the last few days.

Understanding Genres of the Bible Point Us to Accurate Interpretation

Understanding Genres of the Bible Point Us to Accurate Interpretation – A key to accurately interpreting Scripture is to consider what kind of genre the particular book or passage is written in. The link includes a helpful, simple five-minute video too.

The Lesser Known Joseph

The Lesser Known Joseph – “Joseph of Arimathea walks on stage during the grand redemptive narrative immediately following the death of Jesus. There could be no higher drama than the drama of this moment.”

Why Our Spiritual Formation Isn’t Just for Us

Why Our Spiritual Formation Isn’t Just for Us – As we reflect and discover our Story of Now, we recognize the message of love and hope that God has given us to share with others.

We’re Exiles, Not Expatriates

We’re Exiles, Not Expatriates – “James 3-4 seems all to real as tongues (via Twitter) are setting ablaze fires that are burning bridges among believers. Ungodly wisdom fills Facebook posts and selfish ambition and bitter jealousy keeps quarrels and fighting among us alive.”

Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh Testify

Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh Testify – With so much division in our nation, I appreciated this commentary from Jim Denison.

The Only Way You Can Do God's Will

The Only Way You Can Do God's Will – Only “in Christ Jesus.”

How Does Your Social Media Presence Reflect Your Faith?

How Does Your Social Media Presence Reflect Your Faith? – “As a Christ-follower, you have to think about how you engage online. Next time your Facebook feed becomes one long dialogue on the latest social issue, think through these three steps before you join the conversation.”

Living in These Last Days

Living in These Last Days – “The holiness of our lives may be one of the means God uses to bring about the final end. The promise of end-time holiness doesn’t quench our desire to be like Christ but stirs up our passion to live in a way that pleases God.”

The Sins Forbidden by the Ninth Commandment in a Social Media World

The Sins Forbidden by the Ninth Commandment in a Social Media World – “The ninth commandment is not the only commandment, so we do not obey it at the expense of what is required or forbidden by the other nine and, of course, by the rest of the Bible.”

Fighting for Hope

Fighting for Hope – “Perhaps you’ve been in that place where hope seemed like a mirage, where happiness seemed so distant that you doubted you’d ever feel it again, where loneliness or grief descended upon you like a cloud. 

Understanding Who God Is, and Who We Are, Makes Pride Unthinkable

Understanding Who God Is, and Who We Are, Makes Pride Unthinkable – “Since God says He opposes the proud, anytime we’re proud we may as well hang a sign around our necks that says, “Take me down, God.” Because the Bible clearly says that’s exactly what He will do. And we will be powerless against Him.”

We Won’t Miss Anything in the New Creation

We Won’t Miss Anything in the New Creation – “Most of our questions about what the eternal state will be like must await its arrival for answers. But of this we can be assured: In the presence of our risen Savior and Lord, there will be no looking back longingly to the present order and whatever pleasures about which we might now be tempted to think, ‘It doesn’t get any better than this!'”

Verses to Memorize for the Hospital

Verses to Memorize for the Hospital – “We need verses to which we can cling when the waves of pain seize us and hope shrinks away. We need the power of God’s word to uplift our souls, in doses our disease-crippled minds can retain.”

Tips for Teaching Kids About Marriage

Tips for Teaching Kids About Marriage – “But our children need to understand that marriage isn’t what we think it should be. Marriage is what God says it is, because God made us, and God made marriage for his own good reasons.”

What Church Would Say Of You, “We Know You Love Us”?

What Church Would Say Of You, “We Know You Love Us”? – “The New Testament repeatedly indicates that anyone who does not love the church does not belong to the church, that is, the body of Christ. In other words, anyone who does not love the church that Jesus loves is not a follower of Christ.”

The Doctrine of Holiness

The Doctrine of Holiness – “Imagination is not the ability to conjure up what is unreal, but the capacity to see what is real but unseen.”

Self-Esteem Is Ruining Your Kids

Self-Esteem Is Ruining Your Kids – “Kids who have learned to nurture their self-esteem run from the cross, but those who are self-aware run to it.”

Rebuilding Parental Authority

Rebuilding Parental Authority – “So, to fulfill our parental responsibilities, we need to prioritize building devoted relationships with our children that display care, sacrificial giving, genuine compassion, and being for them. The more gracious and godly authority we exhibit, the more our children will desire to follow and submit to it.”

Supernatural Comfort When the Days are Dark

Supernatural Comfort When the Days are Dark – “This is perhaps the chief way the Holy Spirit comforts us in our afflictions. He reminds us of what Christ has done for us. And this is not because the Spirit is at a loss as to how to encourage us.”

How Christian Leaders Should, and Should Not, Speak in This Kavanaugh Moment

How Christian Leaders Should, and Should Not, Speak in This Kavanaugh Moment – “How can we spiritually lead our people struggling to respond in a culture charged by political polarization and fed a diet of cable news and social media?”

10 Lessons I Learned from Preaching Revelation

10 Lessons I Learned from Preaching Revelation – “In June I concluded a series of 38 sermons in the book of Revelation. As I reflect on my time in this remarkable book, 10 truths stand out. Spoiler: the things that had the greatest effect on me had nothing to do with numerical symbolism or 666 or the Beast or the Great Prostitute or the millennium.”

Dumbed Down? Why Reading the Bible Is so Elusive—Yet so Vitally Important

Dumbed Down? Why Reading the Bible Is so Elusive—Yet so Vitally Important – Three reasons we need to engage Scripture both intentionally and frequently

Why Do Christians Fast? What the Bible Really Says

Why Do Christians Fast? What the Bible Really Says – “Faithful fasting, whatever the conditions of its origin, is rooted in human lack and need — for God. We need his help, his favor, his guidance. We need his rescue and comfort in trouble. We need his forgiveness and grace because we have sinned. We need God.”

The Duties Required by the Ninth Commandment in a Social Media World

The Duties Required by the Ninth Commandment in a Social Media World – “Think not only of what you say, but also what you read or listen to; the ninth commandment is not just meant to govern your mouth, but also your eyes, your ears, your heart, and your mind.”

3 Promises God Wants You to Trust

3 Promises God Wants You to Trust – Jeremiah 32 has three powerful promises.

7 Facts About Christianity and the Transgender Debate

7 Facts About Christianity and the Transgender Debate – “When Christians meet a person with gender dysphoria, our primary aim is to love them.”

Discernment in Marriage

Discernment in Marriage – “Areas that need to change will vary in every marriage. When it comes to our spouse, we must remember that there are things to let go of and things we can not let go of. There are things to be overlooked and things that must not be overlooked. We need wisdom and discernment from God to know the difference.”

Mediated Holiness in Holy Matrimony

Mediated Holiness in Holy Matrimony – “What is marriage for? Marriage is a means of taming and setting apart every point of latitude and longitude for the glory of God. Marriage is a declaration of war against the wilderness chaos.”

5 (New) Character Rules Every Leader Should Follow

5 (New) Character Rules Every Leader Should Follow – “Character has always been important, but it seems like it’s never been as important as it is now.”

The Better Question Believers Should Ask about God’s Will

The Better Question Believers Should Ask about God’s Will – “If I do not conceal my will from my earthly children, how much more our heavenly Father? His will does not need discovering. It is in plain sight.”

What You Should Know About Women and Pornography

What You Should Know About Women and Pornography – “Pornography is a growing epidemic with men our society, yet the women who battle pornography are largely invisible.”

Why We Don’t Need to Be Anxious and Worry

Why We Don’t Need to Be Anxious and Worry – “Worry is the product of high stakes and low control, coupled with expecting the worst. There’s no greater enemy of happiness.”

The End of Worry

The End of Worry – Here’s a summary of key point of a new book on the topic.

Mommy Drinking Is No Joke

Mommy Drinking Is No Joke – “Here are three good reasons to think before speaking (or sharing) that “mommy juice” joke.”

Let’s Bring Back the Sabbath as a Radical Act Against the Always-On Economy

Let’s Bring Back the Sabbath as a Radical Act Against the Always-On Economy – “The fourth commandment presents a god who, rather than demanding ever more work, insists on rest. The weekly Sabbath placed a hard limit on how much work could be done and suggested that this was perfectly all right; enough work was done on the other six days.”

Supernatural Comfort When the Days are Dark

Supernatural Comfort When the Days are Dark – “The Holy Spirit comes to us in our moments of suffering and reminds us of the sufferings of Christ for us, that we are not alone nor or ever, because of the great and eternal love of God given to us through Jesus.”

You Won’t Make It Alone

You Won’t Make It Alone – Five reasons you need good friends.

How Suffering Reveals Your True Self

How Suffering Reveals Your True Self – “Suffering draws out the true thoughts, attitudes, assumptions, and desires of your heart.”

15 Scriptures for Your Kids When Dealing with Racism

15 Scriptures for Your Kids When Dealing with Racism – “If your kids have come home in tears after being bullied for their race, here are 15 truths to talk about as a family.”

God Parted the Seas for You

God Parted the Seas for You – “If only we could see the seas God held back to deliver us from sin, how much more prone might we be to stop and sing about his majesty?”

Why Christians Need to Support Women’s Rights and Religious Freedom in the Muslim World

Why Christians Need to Support Women’s Rights and Religious Freedom in the Muslim World – “Women’s rights and religious freedom are not commonly associated with one another in the world of the 1.6 billion Muslims, there is a correlation that must be uncovered.”

Thank God for the IMB

Thank God for the IMB – Here’s a good testimony from a non-Southern Baptist world traveler.

Don’t Assume That Your Assumptions are True

Don’t Assume That Your Assumptions are True – “Assumptions lead to darkness and the devil always thrives in darkness rather than the light. It would be really good to stop assuming and start asking people to verify that what you assume to be true is actually…true.”

What to Do While You Wait

What to Do While You Wait – Waiting forces us to answer the question, “Where is your chief delight?”

3 (Evangelistic) Reasons to Quit Complaining

3 (Evangelistic) Reasons to Quit Complaining – “God wants us to stop complaining for the sake of evangelism.”

This Is Why the Valley Is So Painful

This Is Why the Valley Is So Painful – “Most of us want to avoid the valley. It’s a place of shadows, a place where less of the sky is visible. But there is perspective to be gained in the valley that can’t be gained elsewhere.”

9 Things You Should Know About Christian Hymns

9 Things You Should Know About Christian Hymns – “A hymn then contains these three things, song, and praise, and that of God. Praise then of God in song is called a hymn.”

What’s So Great About Total Depravity?

What’s So Great About Total Depravity? – “The only way to see the greatness of the gospel is to see how bad is our plight. Or to put it differently, unless we know what we are being saved from, we really don’t grasp the glory of our salvation.”

4 Ways the Promise of Heaven Transforms Your Life Today

4 Ways the Promise of Heaven Transforms Your Life Today – “If you were to truly grasp the beauty and hope of John’s vision of the promise of heaven described in Revelation 21 and 22, what would change about the way you live your life?”

4 Reasons to Remember your Creator in Middle Age

4 Reasons to Remember your Creator in Middle Age – “Remember, middle-agers, our Creator is in the business of re-creating. In salvation, He begins the process of making all things new, including His creatures. In fact, the Creator lived as a creature in the midst of His creation to save His creatures.”

Trust God With The Spiritual Gifts He Gives

Trust God With The Spiritual Gifts He Gives – “Paul draws it out for us in 1 Corinthians 12. Here, he gives us five truths that will help us trust God as he distributes spiritual gifts.”

Matt Chandler: Your Kid Doesn’t Need to Be a D1 Athlete

Matt Chandler: Your Kid Doesn’t Need to Be a D1 Athlete – Guidelines to use for kids and sports.

Biblical CBT VS Worldly CBT

Biblical CBT VS Worldly CBT – CBT stands for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. This brief article shows the difference between what the world says and what the Bible says about us.

Talking with Our Children About Homosexuality

Talking with Our Children About Homosexuality – “We fear they’ll be confused if we have the conversation. In all likelihood, they’ll be more confused if we don’t.”

Why Are Marriages Failing? It’s Probably Not the Reason You Think

Why Are Marriages Failing? It’s Probably Not the Reason You Think – “What are some steps we can take to reduce the impact of our selfish impulses?”

Emotional Intimacy

Emotional Intimacy – “Without emotional safety in a marriage, defensiveness and selfishness grow and that makes it impossible to be vulnerable or intimate.”

What Happened to the Seven Churches of Revelation?

What Happened to the Seven Churches of Revelation? –  There are beautiful pictures of the ancient cities in the article along with some great reminders to churches today.

Chelsea Clinton: Ending Abortion Would Be “unchristian”

Chelsea Clinton: Ending Abortion Would Be “unchristian” – “Let’s learn from Chelsea Clinton’s defense of a ruling that has cost more than sixty million unborn children their lives. We can respond to unbiblical claims in two ways: we can ignore them, or we can engage them.”

Jesus Obeyed His Parents

Jesus Obeyed His Parents – “God himself in human flesh subjected himself to two average, ordinary, inexperienced parents in an obscure, backwater town called Nazareth. Jesus obeyed his parents.”

3 Ways to Kick Bitterness to the Curb

3 Ways to Kick Bitterness to the Curb – “So how can we yank up the root of bitterness once it starts to grow? Here are three ideas.”

Seven Bitter Fruits of Sin

Seven Bitter Fruits of Sin – “Sin is not to be overlooked in someone’s life. If sin is not addressed, it produces seven bitter fruits.”

The Horrors and Habitat of Hell

The Horrors and Habitat of Hell – Here are some of the horrors you may not have seriously considered before.

Is God’s Love Really a “Reckless Love”? (Yes, It Matters)

Is God’s Love Really a “Reckless Love”? (Yes, It Matters) – “When a NASCAR driver makes a dangerous move to pass another car, he’s a reckless driver. God’s love, on the other hand, is incredibly intentional and fully omniscient, and that’s what makes it so beautiful.”

The Bloody Hope for Every Marriage

The Bloody Hope for Every Marriage – “Various studies have suggested that more than fifty percent of marital issues will never be resolved. You can fight against this all you want. You can resent it. You can say it’s not fair. But it won’t change what is. If you want your marriage to move forward, you have to live with what is.”

Grace Means Christians Should and Can Live Differently

Grace Means Christians Should and Can Live Differently – “Sickly saints that are on the mend give glory to the Doctor and instruct others to go to him. To profess to have found him, and bear no change, is to cast a shadow on the name of Christ and the power of his Spirit.”

How to Help Prevent Your Child from Becoming an Atheist

How to Help Prevent Your Child from Becoming an Atheist – “According to a new study on adult atheists, the less that parents ‘walk the walk’ about religious beliefs, the more likely their children are to walk away from the faith.”

I Will Meditate on You in the Morning

I Will Meditate on You in the Morning – “When I have lost passion or devotion in my time alone with God, I have simply lost sight of him. I’m still reading and praying, but I’m not seeing him, not as clearly.”

Truth and Love

Truth and Love – “Those who are God’s children cannot be satisfied to be merely loving or truthful. We must seek to grow more and more like Him so that we come to be both loving and truthful.”

America’s Age of Skepticism: How Christians Should Respond

America’s Age of Skepticism: How Christians Should Respond – “As Christians, how we choose to engage skepticism matters; we’re called to do so with thoughtfulness and conviction.”

Gen Z and Religion: “It’s All Good”

Gen Z and Religion: “It’s All Good” – “Turns out Gen Z is not wary of religion at all.  Today’s teens are wary of those who are too forceful in their opinions.  Don’t go shoving religion down our throats, but don’t lambast it either, it’s all good.”

A Sex Offender in the Neighborhood

A Sex Offender in the Neighborhood – Some Reminders About Child Safety.

Good News for Stressed People

Good News for Stressed People – “If you’re stressed out, raise your hand. My hand is raised, and I know I’m not alone. Millions of Americans—Christians included—would say the same.”

8 Ways to Show Your Wife Respect

8 Ways to Show Your Wife Respect – “The truth is that both men and women need respect (and love), but that need is manifested in different ways.”

Love Your Prodigal as Yourself

Love Your Prodigal as Yourself – “May we show the grace to those who’ve disappointed or sinned against us, even—maybe especially—if they’re our own children.”

A Society Without Psalms

A Society Without Psalms – “This stirred my own thinking about a society without Psalms, what our secular nation will look like without the bedrock of biblical categories through which to see the world, understand themselves, and articulate the things which most matter.”

9 Breakthrough Prayers for the Local Church

9 Breakthrough Prayers for the Local Church – “The more we come to depend on an all-powerful God to show himself strong through our weakness, the more God will move among his people. Let’s pray as never before for God to expand the witness and influence of his church in this world!”

Why Are All My Friendships So Shallow?

Why Are All My Friendships So Shallow? – “Why do we struggle to get real and take our friendships out of the shallow end?”

Why My Singleness Matters

Why My Singleness Matters – Anna Schaeffer: “Because our God is faithful and kind, He doesn’t lead us through seasons without teaching us lessons of eternal significance along the way. I don’t know all of the reasons behind His design, but I do know that He is using my singleness to direct my affections toward Him.

21 Reasons God May Allow More Than You Can Bear

21 Reasons God May Allow More Than You Can Bear – “When we feel out of control—in over our head—afraid of the circumstances of our life—worried—our answer is Jesus.” This is a good answer to the most misquoted Bible verse I hear these days.

What Is Sacrificial Giving?

What Is Sacrificial Giving? – “Sacrificial giving is giving beyond our means. It’s no secret that we are part of a generation that is known for living beyond our means. What would happen if we all determined to change one letter in that phrase? From living beyond our means to giving beyond our means?”

China on My Mind: Why We All Must Care about Our Suffering Brothers and Sisters

China on My Mind: Why We All Must Care about Our Suffering Brothers and Sisters – “Their suffering does not go unnoticed by God, and so it should never go unnoticed by us.”

Our Dangerous Diet of Clips, Tweets, Memes, and Headlines

Our Dangerous Diet of Clips, Tweets, Memes, and Headlines – “We live in a 200-word blog post /140-character tweet /30-second YouTube clip /headline-reading kind of world. People read and watch more than ever, but with this larger volume comes the need to skim and sample. And that means even as we might know about more of what’s going on our knowledge isn’t as deep. And that can cause problems.”

Prayer Power in the Church

Prayer Power in the Church – “As we move toward the end of the age, the church must face the fact that it is only through the power of God that we will be able to stand against the onslaught of ungodliness that will come against us.”

The Bit of Heaven the Heaven Tourism Books Never Touched

The Bit of Heaven the Heaven Tourism Books Never Touched – “Each of these people had experienced heaven as a sinner. As far as I know, not one had claimed to have their sin removed for the duration of their experience. They had entered heaven as sinners, experienced heaven as sinners, and returned as sinners.”

Discontent: Comparing What Is to What Could Have Been

Discontent: Comparing What Is to What Could Have Been – “In the modern West, our baseline expectation for what life should be is set higher than at any other time or place. But this new expectation has come with a high cost we may not notice as clearly as we should.”

Planned. Purchased. Preserved. How God Saves and Keeps a Sinner

Planned. Purchased. Preserved. How God Saves and Keeps a Sinner – “The moment we lose sight of the work of the Trinity in our salvation, we are drifting away from the whole Bible’s witness to the glory of our salvation.”

Six Negative Consequences of Church Members Having an Entitlement Mentality

Six Negative Consequences of Church Members Having an Entitlement Mentality – “What are some of the negative consequences of this entitlement mentality? Let’s begin with six of them.”

Don’t Be a Halfhearted Christian

Don’t Be a Halfhearted Christian – “If you want to finish well and wholeheartedly follow God, then you won’t compromise but instead stand your ground. You will be more concerned with the approval of God than the approval of people.”

All the Ways We Misunderstand Prayer

All the Ways We Misunderstand Prayer – “Think of prayer as God’s prescription for life in a fallen world.”

9 Things You Should Know About Hurricanes

9 Things You Should Know About Hurricanes – “This week Hurricane Florence struck the Carolinas, dumping massive amounts of rain and triggering catastrophic floods inland. Here are nine things you should know about these types of deadly storms.”

The Sports Idolatry Test

The Sports Idolatry Test – In his book Counterfeit Gods, Tim Keller describes an idol as “anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give.”

5 Ways to Be a Godly Grandparent

5 Ways to Be a Godly Grandparent – “You’ve done your job: you raised your kids and watched them leave the nest to start families of their own. It’s time to relax with, enjoy, and spoil the grandkids . . . right? Well, yes and no.”

Reflections on Josiah's Life and Legacy

Reflections on Josiah's Life and Legacy – “As I think of Josiah, I am challenged by his humility and sensitivity to God’s Word. I’m also saddened by the lack of spiritual legacy left behind.”

Finding the Antichrist Today

Finding the Antichrist Today – “Perhaps no subject broached by contemporary Bible prophecy teachers engenders more speculation and less sound Biblical exegesis than does the subject of Antichrist.”

How the Spirit Draws a Child: Five Things Parents Can Do

How the Spirit Draws a Child: Five Things Parents Can Do – “We cannot change our children’s hearts. But we can welcome the Spirit’s work as we join him in exalting the name of Jesus Christ in our homes.”

Five Ways Jesus Changes Our Relationship to the Old Testament

Five Ways Jesus Changes Our Relationship to the Old Testament – “How should New Testament Christians, who believe in Jesus Christ the Messiah, appropriate Old Testament laws in our day?”

Reasons to Remember Your Creator in Your Youth

4 Reasons to Remember Your Creator in Your Youth – “Remember that He made you, that He provides for you, that He cares for you, that He watches you, that He controls you; and remember that He can save you too.”

Angry At Sin

Angry At Sin – This is a powerful perspective. “I was not angry at the fact that my friend had died only two months from his 49th birthday. Nor was I upset at how he died. No, the root of my smoldering indignation was why this beloved husband, father, friend, and brother had to die.”

Innocent As To What Is Evil

Innocent As To What Is Evil – J.B. Phillips’ paraphrase puts it like this “I want to see you experts in good, and not even beginners in evil.” 

Why Do We Work Hard at Our Work?

Why Do We Work Hard at Our Work? – “If we are going to spend this much time at work, shouldn’t we have a reason for doing so beyond the accumulation of money? Here are four reasons we should work hard at the work God has given us to do.”

Six Prayers for the Half-Hearted

Six Prayers for the Half-Hearted – “Did you love the Lord your God with all your heart yesterday?”

8 Things to Remember When It Feels Like the Devil’s Winning

8 Things to Remember When It Feels Like the Devil’s Winning – “Sometimes it just feels like Satan’s winning the game. No matter how hard we want to believe otherwise, our heart and our mind struggle because of our apparent circumstances. If that’s the way you feel today, keep these truths in mind.”

If You Want People to Grow Spiritually, Quit Telling Them to Study the Bible

If You Want People to Grow Spiritually, Quit Telling Them to Study the Bible – “We should quit telling people to study the Bible, and start telling them to meditate on and delight in it.” Our goal is not “head knowledge” but “heart change”.

6 Ways Watching Pornography Affects Your Mental Health

6 Ways Watching Pornography Affects Your Mental Health – “What are six ways that pornography affects our mental health? Each of the affects below is a common ‘side effect,’ if you will, of viewing pornography that has a negative influence on mental health. The degree of impact each point has on a given individual will vary from person to person for a variety of reasons.”

Moms, It Is Our Privilege

Moms, It Is Our Privilege – Kristen Wetherell writes, “Motherhood is tough. It requires us to give up our plans in favor of what our kids need most. It demands our preferences for theirs.”

Let’s Just Be Honest and Admit We Hate One Another

Let’s Just Be Honest and Admit We Hate One Another – “Pick your debate. Pick your side. It might be something that actually matters or it could even be trifling nonsense. In our day and age it doesn’t matter much—pick a side, be outraged by something. Can we call this what it is? Hatred.”

Two Relationship Cripplers

Two Relationship Cripplers – “The language we use in prayer reflects how we think about our relationship with God and, to some degree, how that relationship functions. Specifically, I’m thinking about how we address God in our prayers.”

Eight Differences between Church Giving and Church Dues

Eight Differences between Church Giving and Church Dues – “It is amazing to hear how church members view their tithes and offerings to their local churches. Though it’s cliché to say, the attitudes of their hearts reflect the nature of their contributions to the church.”

Is Social Justice a Gospel Issue?

Is Social Justice a Gospel Issue? – “As in so many controversies, we must be quicker to define our terms than to define our opponents. No doubt, there are real disagreements worth exploring and exposing. But there also may be more agreement than some might initially imagine. Depending on our definitions, social justice and the gospel may be miles apart, or they may be as close as loving God by obeying his commands (John 14:15).”

What Kids Need Most From Their Parents

What Kids Need Most From Their Parents – “The concept of quality time is nothing more than a myth. Children need quantity time. They need hands-on involvement from both parents.”

5 Ways to Not Be the Annoying Christian at Work

5 Ways to Not Be the Annoying Christian at Work – “How do you connect your friends to your faith?”

Should Christians Withdraw from the World?

Should Christians Withdraw from the World? – “The church is not a ghetto or a reservation. True, the world wants to put us there, to force us out of the world into the four walls of the church building, outside of which we are never to speak of sin or the salvation that comes only in Christ. However, we don’t have to let the world do that. I fear that all too often we blame the world for our failure to engage it when, in reality, we are more comfortable hiding from the world’s hostility.”

Let Them Not Share in the Affairs of Life

Let Them Not Share in the Affairs of Life – “So, what did Christians do that caused such irritation in Celsus? In short, Celsus thought Christians were bad citizens. Job number one for any Roman citizen was to participate in the public, corporate worship of the Roman gods. And it was precisely this that Christians refused to do. After all, they were monotheists. They worshiped Jesus and him alone.”

China Bans Zion, Beijing’s Biggest House Church

China Bans Zion, Beijing’s Biggest House Church – “Beijing authorities threatened to close Zion Church last month after the 1,500-member congregation, one of the Chinese capital’s largest house churches, refused to install surveillance cameras in its sanctuary. After services on Sunday, officials delivered on their threat…”

Making Time for Family Worship in a Crazy, Busy World

Making Time for Family Worship in a Crazy, Busy World – “So how do we still have family worship throughout all the busyness? We’ve had to make it really simple. Here are a few of the ways you can include family worship throughout your day—no matter how busy and chaotic your life might be right now.”

Five Prayers for Those Who Wait

Five Prayers for Those Who Wait – “Wait. Few words are less welcome.”

5 Important Questions to Ask Yourself When Making a Decision in Your Life

5 Important Questions to Ask Yourself When Making a Decision in Your Life – “Quick decision making often results in poor decision making. Conversely, long and drawn out decision making can paralyze your life as well as others who look to you for leadership. Is there a way to know we are making the right decisions in life?”

Remembering God’s Commitment to Finish His Work

Remembering God’s Commitment to Finish His Work – “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Phil. 1:6 (NLT)”

Are You Just Using Jesus?

Are You Just Using Jesus? – “We don’t receive Jesus in a saving way when we receive him as a ticket out of hell or into heaven.”

The Doctrine of Holiness

The Doctrine of Holiness – “Let me give you a brief definition of imagination as it pertains to faith: imagination is not the ability to conjure up what is unreal, but the capacity to see what is real but unseen.”

How Prayer Exposes the Illusion of Control

How Prayer Exposes the Illusion of Control – “Prayer reminds us that control is an illusion, a farce. We don’t have it. But, far from driving us to depression, I think this fact drives us to dependence. When we depend on God, we see him in a whole new light. We’re reminded that the God that we serve is eager to do good to us.”

Six Reasons Why Adultery Is Very Serious

Six Reasons Why Adultery Is Very Serious – “Children thrive when there is structure, when there is stability, when there is peace and order. Children are harmed when adultery brings chaos and conflict and disunity.”

He Will Hold Me Fast

He Will Hold Me Fast – “Have you ever feared that your faith might fail? Have you worried you might not be able to “hold out” or “hold on” in the long, arduous journey of the Christian life?”

Let’s Be Tenacious, Unrelenting Encouragers

Let’s Be Tenacious, Unrelenting Encouragers – “Father, make us tenacious encouragers and faithful builder-upper’s of our family members, gospel-posse, and friends.”

8 Ways to Worship Better

8 Ways to Worship Better – Prepare to bring your best worship to the Lord on Sunday!

Will We Work and Have Jobs in Heaven?

Will We Work and Have Jobs in Heaven? – “Even under the Curse, we catch glimpses of how work can be enriching, how it can build relationships, and how it can help us to improve. Work stretches us in ways that make us smarter, wiser, and more fulfilled.”

Fear the Real Walking Dead

Fear the Real Walking Dead – “The really important question is how can you identify the real walking dead? The answer is to look for fruit of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life. This genuine fruit cannot be duplicated by the walking spiritual dead!”

3 Reasons Why the Bible Can Be Trusted

3 Reasons Why the Bible Can Be Trusted – “In seeking to answer these areas, I discovered good reasons to trust the biblical texts.”

Archaeologists Discover Ancient Roman Church of Nicea

Archaeologists Discover Ancient Roman Church of Nicea – “The city of Nicea itself is significant due to its role in shaping early Christianity. In A.D. 325, Roman Emperor Constantine called for church leaders to meet in Nicea and determine the core beliefs that would define Christianity.”

Let’s Not Go Beyond What the Lord Said

Let’s Not Go Beyond What the Lord Said – “Let’s not go beyond what the Lord says through His Word. After all, Scripture teaches that Scripture is sufficient. Some would call that circular reasoning. That’s a possibility, but a better plan is that Scripture is Holy Spirit inspired. God knew what He was doing.”

6 Ways to Embrace Cultural Diversity in Worship

6 Ways to Embrace Cultural Diversity in Worship – “Some of us can imagine our church filled with people of multiple colors, nationalities, economic levels and political beliefs all worshiping God together. The problem with that scenario is that most of us imagine how great that vision would be as long as those various cultures, tribes and tongues are willing to make adjustments to worship like we do.”

“No Goods and Services”: What Our Church’s Financial Secretary Sent Us

“No Goods and Services”: What Our Church’s Financial Secretary Sent Us – It’s standard language on church contribution statements. What “religious benefits” does a church provide?

Report Highlights Christians’ Beliefs About Generosity

Report Highlights Christians’ Beliefs About Generosity – “Many churchgoers seem to see volunteering and financial giving as interchangeable acts. Almost half (47 percent) said it’s OK for church members to volunteer for their church instead of giving financially, according to Barna’s report.”

The Gospel and Your Money

The Gospel and Your Money – “Did you know that Jesus spoke more about money than any other topic? That’s right. In fact, sixteen of Christ’s thirty-eight parables reference our handling of earthly treasure. In the Gospels, one out of every ten verses when Jesus is speaking addresses money.”

The Secret to Self-Discipline

The Secret to Self-Discipline – “The power for self-discipline comes from the prize — whatever we really want, the reward we believe will yield us the greatest pleasure.”

Everyone’s Got Something Because Everyone Is Broken

Everyone’s Got Something Because Everyone Is Broken – “Here are a few things to remember whenever you (or I) think we know someone’s story.”

4 Keys for Investing in Your Grandchildren

4 Keys for Investing in Your Grandchildren – “God has made it our purpose and delight to take full advantage of the uniquely designed time of childhood. With the Lord’s help, we will use our words and lives to tell our grandchildren of His praiseworthy deeds so they will put their trust in Him (Ps. 78:5–7).”

On Choosing Wisely When to Say No and When to Say Yes

On Choosing Wisely When to Say No and When to Say Yes – “When we’re asked to do worthless or unprofitable things, it doesn’t take much wisdom to say no, does it? The real problem is all the good things we’re asked to do.”

What is Encouragement?

What is Encouragement? – “We are neither designed nor created to be self-sufficient in the most important tasks of life. Rather, we are designed and created to be vessels ready to receive the strength others can give to us.”

The Seductive Song of Self-Pity

The Seductive Song of Self-Pity – “Her voice is soft and melodic; it’s sweet to the ear and soothing to the tired heart. She whispers not during the seasons of joy, but instead during those times of trial. When you’re tired and weary. When the responsibility is great, and when busyness abounds.”

More Parents Moving in With Their Kids

More Parents Moving in With Their Kids – “The Great Recession sent many young adults back to live with Mom and Dad. Now some parents are turning the tables.”

Where Are the Actual ‘Christian Nations’?

Where Are the Actual ‘Christian Nations’? – “Featherstone did suggest that increased persecution or hostility to the gospel may lead to higher levels of religious commitment.”

The Already and the Not Yet

The Already and the Not Yet – “We are pilgrims on our journey home, and we are homesick for a place we have never been.”

3 Typical Steps to Spiritual Decline

3 Typical Steps to Spiritual Decline – “The downward spiral of sin is a consistent pattern in human beings. Therefore, we must heed the warnings of Scripture to stay close to the Lord, walk in His ways, and keep short accounts with Him.”

s It God’s Will to Always Heal?

Is It God’s Will to Always Heal? – “Theology has consequences. And bad theology always produces bad consequences. My friend Alex experienced those cruel consequences firsthand. Sadly, there aren’t enough people correcting and rebuking this false teaching.”

Working unto the Glory of God

Working unto the Glory of God – “One way we can glorify God in our work is to do our very best.”

Living as Dual Citizens

Living as Dual Citizens – “One of the biblical metaphors for thinking through our relationship between the present age and the age to come is citizenship.”