Worshipping God, When He Delivers/Heals and When He Doesn’t

Worshipping God, When He Delivers/Heals and When He Doesn’t – “Heavenly Father, the faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is encouraging, convicting, and liberating. These three friends didn’t worship you because of the gifts you gave them, but because of the God you were to them.”

Amy Carmichael’s Secret to Fighting Discouragement

Amy Carmichael’s Secret to Fighting Discouragement – “His brow was crowned with thorns; do we seek rosebuds for our crowning?”—Amy Carmichael

Is Heaven Relevant?

Is Heaven Relevant? – “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” 

Rebooting Those New Year’s Resolutions

Rebooting Those New Year’s Resolutions – “Recommit to and pursue your New Year’s resolutions looking through the lenses of God’s constant, abundant, tender, firm, and loving presence and strength.”

Best Pre-Marital Advice We Go and Love to Give

Best Pre-Marital Advice We Go and Love to Give – “Wanna hear the best pre-marital advice Mark and I received? Well, maybe it’s not the best, but we sure do refer to it a lot. We use it and we tell it to other couples all the time. It even feels a little bit like a marriage hack because it’s so simple and yet pays huge dividends.”

Four Ways to Fight Sexual Sin

Four Ways to Fight Sexual Sin – “Here are four steps we’ll need to take to avoid sexual sin.”

A Heart Check-Up on Credit Card Dependency

A Heart Check-Up on Credit Card Dependency – “Here are five of the most common causes of unjustifiable debt.”

7 Promises God Gives People Who Tithe

7 Promises God Gives People Who Tithe – “This is what God says He will do if you test Him.”

Church History Made Before Our Eyes: United Methodists Make History, Affirm Biblical Standards of Sexuality

Church History Made Before Our Eyes: United Methodists Make History, Affirm Biblical Standards of Sexuality – “The vote, however, was remarkably close—438 to 384, or 53% to 47%. This marks a deep divide within the UMC. There is no going back. This divide will not heal...The two sides of this debate essentially affirm different religions, not just different visions of Methodism.”

One Day at a Time

One Day at a Time – “To worry about tomorrow is unwise because it doesn’t drain tomorrow of its sorrows, it only drains today of its strength. It’s futile to worry about tomorrow.”

2 Things to Remember About Living by Faith in Our Hard-Working World

2 Things to Remember About Living by Faith in Our Hard-Working World – “Salvation is not gained through works but rather good works are the fruit of saving faith in Jesus Christ.”

America’s Religion Is Work

America’s Religion Is Work – “The economists of the early 20th century did not foresee that work might evolve from a means of material production to a means of identity production.”

7 Questions For Meaningful Conversation With Believer

7 Questions For Meaningful Conversation With Believers – “We’ve got to move dialogue with believers beyond a superficial level if we are going to really know and encourage one another. But where do we even start?”

How Not to Be Desperate

How Not to Be Desperate – “God’s warning is clear: if we walk by the light of our own torches when darkness falls, we will eventually be burned by them.”

The Age of Infanticide: The Senate Will Not Even Protect Babies Born Alive

The Age of Infanticide: The Senate Will Not Even Protect Babies Born Alive – “The number 44 demands attention—44 United States Senators voted against a bill banning infanticide. This is a chilling moment in American history.”

The Cost (and Gift) of Discipleship

The Cost (and Gift) of Discipleship – “Jesus assumes people will leave things to follow him. It is basic discipleship. It is what he has always said. He never buried things in the small print. Jesus is front and center about the cost of following him.”

The Best Book of the Bible for New Believers

The Best Book of the Bible for New Believers – “You are a new Christian. Or someone that you know is a new Christian. You (or they) want to start reading the Bible. Where should you begin? In other words, what’s the best book of the Bible for new believers?”

This Is Why Singing in Church Matters

This Is Why Singing in Church Matters – “Singing matters. Here are a few reasons why.”

Seven Benefits to the Coming Opposition

Seven Benefits to the Coming Opposition – “The church of Jesus Christ has always resembled her King best when she was in a place, not of dominance, but of yielded weakness.” 

How Do We Explain Talking Donkeys and Burning Bushes?

How Do We Explain Talking Donkeys and Burning Bushes? – “In our secular age we tend to see things through a skeptical lens without noticing—even when we’re trying hard not to. For starters, here are four ways our view of reality can be impacted by the world around us.”

Ten Biblical Truths on the Obedience of Children

Ten Biblical Truths on the Obedience of Children – “Here’s a short lesson about some things God has revealed in the Bible that give foundation and guidance for our parenting.”

Stop Eating Spiritual Candy

Stop Eating Spiritual Candy – “Learn to crave truth.”

3 Principles for Christian Political Engagement

3 Principles for Christian Political Engagement – “In light of the story God is telling with the world, how should the church engage politically?”

9 Things You Should Know About the United Methodist Church

9 Things You Should Know About the United Methodist Church – “The United Methodist Church is holding a special session of their General Convention to determine the denomination’s policy on ordaining practicing homosexuals and blessing same-sex unions.”

African United Methodists Won’t Trade Bible for Dollars

African United Methodists Won’t Trade Bible for Dollars – “And then please hear me when I say as graciously as I can: we Africans are not children in need of western enlightenment when it comes to the church’s sexual ethics. We do not need to hear a progressive U.S. bishop lecture us about our need to ‘grow up.'”

Why Bereans Would Have Notepads in Their Pews Instead of Bibles

Why Bereans Would Have Notepads in Their Pews Instead of Bibles – “Consider putting down your Bible and picking up pen and paper the next time you hear a sermon. Expect that God is going to speak to you. Look for the feast or even the crumbs.”

Jesus Was a Gospel Preacher

Jesus Was a Gospel Preacher – “But what is the gospel?”

Unless You Stop Loving Sin: The Heart of Repentance

Unless You Stop Loving Sin: The Heart of Repentance – “Calling people to repentance is the reason Jesus came (Luke 5:32) and the message he commissions his followers to preach (Luke 24:47). It’s the only way anyone can avoid God’s judgment (Luke 13:3).”

Reasons Ministry Is Harder Than It Used to Be

Reasons Ministry Is Harder Than It Used to Be – “So why is ministry a little more challenging than it used to be?” This is why we have intentionally and strategically taken our ministry outside the walls of the church.

God Is Closer to You Than Your Own Thoughts

God Is Closer to You Than Your Own Thoughts – “We cannot know ourselves without knowing God. The Bible does not define human nature except to call us the image of God (Gen 1:26–27).”

What Is the [functional] Great Commission of Your Church?

What Is the [functional] Great Commission of Your Church? – “If we’re honest, it’s pretty easy to see the functional Great Commission in North America: Go into all the world and make more worship attenders, baptizing them in the name of small groups, and teaching them to volunteer a few times a month.” I’m thankful for the Great Commission steps our church is embracing.

Don’t Sing Only to God in Church

Don’t Sing Only to God in Church – “Congregational singing is a teaching ministry of the local church. According to Scripture, it is a vital means through which believers are instructed and transformed by the gospel.”

Will Woke Progressives Allow Celebrities to Be Christian?

Will Woke Progressives Allow Celebrities to Be Christian? – “We cannot exist as a pluralistic and diverse society if the price of admission to any American industry is the abandonment of religious faith to conform to the demands of the intolerant.” 

How to Overlook an Offense

How to Overlook an Offense – “We overlook offenses by looking up to God, by becoming mindful of who he is for us in this very moment — in the office, at the dinner table, on the phone call, during the meeting.”

We Will Never Outgrow the Gospel

We Will Never Outgrow the Gospel – “You never graduate to a course where the gospel should not be the center of the curriculum. There’s no post-gospel graduate school in the Christian life.”

3 Common Reasons (Excuses) Why We Don’t Meditate on Scripture

3 Common Reasons (Excuses) Why We Don’t Meditate on Scripture – “Do you daily meditate on the Word of God? If not, why not? What are your excuses?”

Cut Off Your Hand: How Far Will You Go to Save Your Soul?

Cut Off Your Hand: How Far Will You Go to Save Your Soul? – “Losing a sense of God’s holiness is the first warning sign of entering a spiritually dangerous place.”

When a Child Disobeys: Six Steps for Healthy Correction

When a Child Disobeys: Six Steps for Healthy Correction – “How do we preserve the phenomenal God-given potential these children possess, without condoning the defiance that boils over from the cauldron of their sinful little hearts? How do we love the baby well and hate the dirty bathwater?”

5 Ways to Determine the God You Worship

5 Ways to Determine the God You Worship – “Here are five gauges to check to determine the God you worship.”

Prayer Fixes Everything—Or Does It Change Everything?

Prayer Fixes Everything—Or Does It Change Everything? – “Prayer isn’t a magic formula that instantly and easily fixes everything. But prayer is definitely powerful to change the variables of any situation to which we apply its power.”

God’s Answer to Conflict

God’s Answer to Conflict “Gentleness is God’s answer to conflict.”

3 Reasons to Fight Self-Pity

3 Reasons to Fight Self-Pity – “Here are three reasons why it’s dangerous, and why we should engage in fighting it.”

When Is Anger at Death Righteous?

When Is Anger at Death Righteous? – “How can I, a sinner, be angry at my loss, and yet not sin? Or, what does it look like when I react to death’s provocation in a righteous manner?”

Two Went Up to Pray

Two Went Up to Pray – “The parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector is the most theological of all Jesus’ parables. It is the most theological because it deals with the subject that is of most importance to the life of the Christian–namely, how a man or woman, boy or girl is accepted before God.”

Three Reminders For Parents In The Trenches With Young Children

Three Reminders For Parents In The Trenches With Young Children – In the middle of the overwhelming task, here are three good things to remember.

The Kind of Man I’d Like to Become

The Kind of Man I’d Like to Become – There are plenty of goals to be set in life but these really matter.

Have We Become Pharisees? 5 Evaluation Questions

Have We Become Pharisees? 5 Evaluation Questions “Here are five evaluation questions to ask ourselves to point us back to the gospel and keep us from drifting.”

The Indispensable Discipline of Meditation

The Indispensable Discipline of Meditation – “What we take into our mind impacts how we respond to our emotions, and informs our will to believe God’s truth or the world’s lies.”

5 Illusions That Will Lead You Straight Into an Affair

5 Illusions That Will Lead You Straight Into an Affair – “Consider these five illusions and take them as a dire warning.”

We’ll Give Up Everything But Our Entitlement

We’ll Give Up Everything But Our Entitlement – “I can imagine all day long what my faith could hold up to in some far-fetched scenario that I dream up, but in my day-to-day, I can’t even give up my own desire for more comfort, more free time, more recognition, more glory.”

Your Fight Against Sin Is Normal

Your Fight Against Sin Is Normal – “Don’t stay discouraged. There is hope for weary saints. Take heart from these truths: the conflict is normal, the battle is winnable, and the war is coming to an end.”

The Four Horsemen of Divorce

The Four Horsemen of Divorce – “The Four Horsemen are criticism, defensiveness, stonewalling and contempt.”

Is God All You Need?

Is God All You Need? – “Throughout Scripture, God’s people often need more than God alone—they need God through the things He has made.”

How Every Father Can Bless His Home

How Every Father Can Bless His Home – “There are spiritual dangers, brothers, coming at our families from every side today — innumerable and subtle. We need valiant warriors as never before — not with spears and shields, but with biblical discernment and courage.”

Grace and Wisdom for Seasons When Things Are Going Well

Grace and Wisdom for Seasons When Things Are Going Well – Praying in hard times.

All the Hell You Shall Ever Have

All the Hell You Shall Ever Have – “All the miseries that believers are called by God to endure in this life are the only hell that they will ever endure because of the saving work of Jesus in his death and resurrection.”

Imagine Waking Up Tomorrow and Only You Had Ever Heard of Jesus

Imagine Waking Up Tomorrow and Only You Had Ever Heard of Jesus – “Imagine walking up tomorrow morning and being the only person who had heard of Jesus. What would you do? Yes, yes, apart from the fact you would wake up in a world that would be a cold, dark, pagan place ruled by the prince of the power of the air, what strategy would you have?”

On USA President’s Day 2019

On USA President’s Day 2019 – Father help us live with more confidence that you still “set up and sit down” kings and presidents, premiers and governors at your bidding. And show us what “doing good” looks like as dual citizens of our country and your kingdom.

Elisabeth Elliot: ‘Your Suffering Is Never for Nothing’

Elisabeth Elliot: ‘Your Suffering Is Never for Nothing’ – “It’s only in the cross that we can begin to harmonize the seeming contradiction between suffering and love. And we will never understand suffering unless we understand the love of God.”

9 Things to Remember When Another Christian Disappoints You

9 Things to Remember When Another Christian Disappoints You – “How are we supposed to feel when other Christians miss God’s mark? How can we cope with the chaos other people’s sin creates? What should we say (if anything)?”

Community is a Costly Business

Community is a Costly Business – “Community is a costly business, but someone must pay the cost. Why not you? Why not me? If we want to make a big impact on our world, why not get in the risky business of building community?

Love in Africa: It Costs You Something

Love in Africa: It Costs You Something – “Here is my question for all of us: what is love costing me? Biblically, I believe that it is clear that love is never free, and it is in fact designed to be quite expensive. The greatest love we can have is to give our lives.”

4 Habits That Help People Become Like Jesus

4 Habits That Help People Become Like Jesus – “You won’t see any surprises on this list. They’re tried-and-true disciplines that have helped Christians grow for generations.”

How Dismissing the Doctrine of Hell Leads Us to Hate Our Neighbors

How Dismissing the Doctrine of Hell Leads Us to Hate Our Neighbors – “How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?”

Are You Preaching Half the Gospel?

Are You Preaching Half the Gospel? – “When believers are self-absorbed, only focused on their own eternal rewards in heaven, we lose sight of our calling on Earth. Jesus gave us a Commission to make reproducible followers of Him.”

Gospel of the Happy God

Gospel of the Happy God – “William Knibb knew that it was good news that God is happy.”

I Am the Lover of My Home (for husbands)

I Am the Lover of My Home (for husbands) – Ron Allchin: “The lover role comes before the leadership role! Husbands are to set the atmosphere for LOVE in their own home.”

Preoccupied with Love: One-on-One with Colin Smith on Nominal Christianity

Preoccupied with Love: One-on-One with Colin Smith on Nominal Christianity – “I have found the story of the thief on the cross profoundly helpful in challenging this assumption...that entrance into everlasting joy depends on living a good enough life.”

Pleasures Never Lie: Why Sin Cannot Stay Hidden

Pleasures Never Lie: Why Sin Cannot Stay Hidden – Jon Bloom: “For me, the last line is the zinger: pleasures never lie. It has stuck in my brain for over two decades. Like a sharp knife, it cuts through a lot of my baloney and gets right to the heart of the matter: what matters to my heart.”

When Fighting Anxiety Seems Unbearable

When Fighting Anxiety Seems Unbearable – “Here are the three secrets in battling against anxiety according to Philippians 4:6-7.”

Has the Bible Been Preserved For Us Today?

Has the Bible Been Preserved For Us Today? – “How can we know that the Bible that God breathed out and that men recorded has been accurately preserved for us? How can we be sure that God’s Word has remained God’s Word from the time it was first written to this present day?”

4 Ways to be Quick to Listen, Slow to Speak

4 Ways to be Quick to Listen, Slow to Speak – “Sometimes my mouth moves faster than my brain.”

Social Media and the Church

Social Media and the Church – “Now we live in a new age of technology, and it is having massive, unforeseen effects.”

Another Helper

Another Helper – “You are never alone. Never. Ever. If you are a Christian, then God is always with you. More than that, he is in you through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.”

How Much Entertainment Is Too Much?

How Much Entertainment Is Too Much? – “Good gifts of the world can be avenues of knowing God better, enjoying him more, and being a greater blessing to other people.”

Pleasures Never Lie: Why Sin Cannot Stay Hidden

Pleasures Never Lie: Why Sin Cannot Stay Hidden – “Pleasure is our heart’s way of telling us where our treasure really lies (Matthew 6:21).”

Let Children Get Bored Again

Let Children Get Bored Again – “Boredom teaches us that life isn’t a parade of amusements. More important, it spawns creativity and self-sufficiency.”

37 Ways to Love One Another

37 Ways to Love One Another – Practicing the “one anothers” makes great disciples.

5 Things to Never Say to Someone With Depression and Anxiety

5 Things to Never Say to Someone With Depression and Anxiety – “The people talking to us aren’t necessarily trying to hurt us; often, it’s quite the opposite. They may want us to be encouraged and to feel better. And yet, even with the good intentions, their words stab like daggers.”

Don’t Put Your Hope in Date Night

Don’t Put Your Hope in Date Night – “Must two tired parents go on regular date nights away from the pressures of home life to maintain the joy and intimacy of marriage? Is that the Christian ideal?”

18 Questions About Faith and Mental Illness

18 Questions About Faith and Mental Illness – “When engaging a difficult and highly personal subject, it is better to start with good questions than a list of answers.”

Pharisaism in a Nutshell

Pharisaism in a Nutshell – “‘What, in a nutshell, are the sins unmasked by the Savior that lurk in the nature of every adamic sinner.”

7 Lies the Church Believes About Singleness

7 Lies the Church Believes About Singleness – “A significant misconception that has been around for many years is that singleness is a bad thing.”

I Failed My New Year’s Resolutions

I Failed My New Year’s Resolutions – “Where we show our true character isn’t in whether or not we fail, we will. Where we show our true character is what we do after we fail!”

Love as Motivation for Time Management

Love as Motivation for Time Management – “Have you ever considered that our poor time management also robs others? That how we manage our time has an impact on how well we are able to love and serve those around us?”

Most Popular Bible Verses on Love

Most Popular Bible Verses on Love – Here are each of the verses with their overall popularity ranking on BibleGateway in 2018.

Where Are The Ends of the Earth?

Where Are The Ends of the Earth? – “The thing with ‘the ends of the earth’ is that it all depends where you are starting from.” This was a good read.

Trauma Experts Share How to Care for and Support Sexual Abuse Survivors

Trauma Experts Share How to Care for and Support Sexual Abuse Survivors – “Survivors need to be heard and understood; not just once, but over the long haul. They need Christians who are willing to walk beside them in their process of healing, however long that takes.”

Pick Up Your Cross, Not Your Political Pitchfork

Pick Up Your Cross, Not Your Political Pitchfork – “We can maintain our unity in God during these conversations if we lay down our political pitchforks and pick up our cross – the cross of walking in a manner of which we have been called, as Christians, as those who bear the name of Christ and the light of hope in this world…”

Do Not Regard God's Discipline Lightly

Do Not Regard God's Discipline Lightly – “Train yourself to ask the following questions.”

Are Mormons Heretics?

Are Mormons Heretics? – “The bottom line is that on four very key points of Christian orthodoxy, Mormonism utterly fails the test.”

The Prayer That Changed My Life

The Prayer That Changed My Life – “Dear Heavenly Father…did I say excavate? Can I take it back? That was but a passionate moment filled with poor word choices. What I meant to say was landscape and accessorize my life.”

6 Ways to Love Others in Everyday Life

6 Ways to Love Others in Everyday Life – “Here are six practical pieces of counsel.”

How to Plan a Daily Quiet Time With God

How to Plan a Daily Quiet Time With God – “I’m convinced that the one thing that will change everything about your life for the positive is establishing a daily quiet time with God.”

Victims of Innocent Suffering: Biblical Help and Hope

Victims of Innocent Suffering: Biblical Help and Hope – “Where is God when such tragedies occur?”

How To Stop Hating Yourself

How To Stop Hating Yourself – “Through Jesus, we can learn to be who we are —  who God sees us to be.”

Marriage: A Covenant, Not a Contract

Marriage: A Covenant, Not a Contract – “Here are eight differences between seeing marriage as a contract as opposed to a covenant.”

Raising Pro-Life Children in a Culture of Death

Raising Pro-Life Children in a Culture of Death – “It all boils down to worldview. How can we instill a pro-life ethos in our children?”

How to Pray When You Hate Your Job

How to Pray When You Hate Your Job – “May we cultivate the presence of Jesus in our workplaces and see the thorns and thistles of our work in light of the glory that is to come.”

The Reality of Sexual Abuse Hits Home: What Happened? What Do We Do Now?

The Reality of Sexual Abuse Hits Home: What Happened? What Do We Do Now?

Jesus Comforts Us Even in the Dumb Stuff

Jesus Comforts Us Even in the Dumb Stuff – “The point Paul is making in 2 Corinthians is that there is such a unity in Christ that every bit of our suffering (even the stuff that comes from our idiocy) is all part of the sufferings of Christ. He died for our idiocy. He suffered for our stupidity. He bled for our foolishness.”

Prayer Doesn’t Fix Everything, but It Changes Everything

Prayer Doesn’t Fix Everything, but It Changes Everything – “Handling life without prayer is like playing basketball with a flat ball. It just doesn’t work. And we expect prayer to make us pro players who never miss a shot overnight. But prayer really gives us an inflated ball—better equipment, better skills, better opportunities, more strength and speed and stamina—so the game becomes winnable.”

Lord, Free Me From Pride: Three Ways to Escape Self-Importance

Lord, Free Me From Pride: Three Ways to Escape Self-Importance – Isaac Adams shares practical ways that we can kill the sin of pride. He writes about prayer, confession, and lifting one another up. 

A Graphic Picture of Abortion

A Graphic Picture of Abortion – Just a snapshot and a sobering reminder noting causes of death in the U.S. in one particular year.

Make Charitable Judgments

Make Charitable Judgments – “Because you are called by God to love your fellow Christians, family members, neighbors, and even your enemies, you should assume the best of everyone.”

The Character of the Christian: Hospitable

The Character of the Christian: Hospitable – “Hospitality creates opportunities for relationship, for discipleship, and for evangelism.”

Keep Up or Die?

Keep Up or Die? – From the New York Times: “This Canadian Preacher Doesn’t Believe in God but Supports Her Church.” 

Lottie Moon Did Not Waste Her Singleness

Lottie Moon Did Not Waste Her Singleness – “Single people in the church continually act as a reminder to all of us that it’s the calling and equipping of the Holy Spirit that fits any one of us for God’s work.”

Southern Baptists and the Scandal of Church Sexual Abuse

Southern Baptists and the Scandal of Church Sexual Abuse – “Nothing is worse than the use of the name of Jesus to prey on the vulnerable.”

How We Can Know the New Testament Teaches that Jesus Is God

How We Can Know the New Testament Teaches that Jesus Is God – “There are several examples where Jesus is explicitly called God. Here are the clearest ones.”

5 Things You Can Give to God Every Day

5 Things You Can Give to God Every Day – “Productivity is effectively stewarding your gifts, talents, time, energy, and enthusiasm for the good of others and the glory of God. This is productivity at its highest and best. This is what God calls you to every day.”

How to Prepare a Child to Read the Bible

How to Prepare a Child to Read the Bible – “We consider literacy to be so obviously beneficial to our lives, we’d never consider not teaching our kids how to read. But we don’t give much thought to why we teach them to read. If you’re a Christian parent, the answer to this question should be obvious: so they can read the Bible.”

Helping Students Fail Well

Helping Students Fail Well – “A biblical worldview proposes hardships and failures as designed instruction by which we learn about our God, ourselves, and the world in which we live.”

Sabbath Rest Is for Busy Moms, Too

Sabbath Rest Is for Busy Moms, Too – “The Sabbath is an essential break from our normal work. More importantly, though, it’s a spiritual rest; we remember that as God’s people, we are to be like him, set apart and made holy in Christ. When we rest, we imitate God.”

Two Lies Moms of Girls Should Stop Believing

Two Lies Moms of Girls Should Stop Believing – “Your daughter does not need self-esteem. She needs God-esteem. If she understands who God is, she will understand her own value but not make too much of it.”

Is Suicide the Unpardonable Sin?

Is Suicide the Unpardonable Sin? – “We would have to say that, biblically, clearly suicide is a sin. And like all sin, it breaks God’s heart. WHY? Because it hurts his children. But that doesn’t make this unpardonable or the unforgivable sin.”

How Reading the Bible Changed My Life

How Reading the Bible Changed My Life – Here’s a good testimony of God’s word at work.

Why We Should Remember the Promise of God’s Presence

Why We Should Remember the Promise of God’s Presence – “What a promise from the Lord: “I will not leave you or abandon you.” 

How Soon Will Jesus Return? Living in the Last Days

How Soon Will Jesus Return? Living in the Last Days – “How do we live in the last days that have lasted so long and may last for generations longer? The Bible addresses this question clearly so all Christians may know how to live without cynicism or apathy in these last days. We need to remember a few important truths.”

Your Celebration Is Short-lived

Your Celebration Is Short-lived – “As you see the fiery darts scattered on the ground around you, and watch the dust settle as the sun rises on refreshed blessings—shout a song of praise in worship to the God whose grace extends to sinners and has not abandoned us as defenseless orphans. Celebrate the victory, but celebrate with the situational awareness of a soldier who still stands on the battle field.”

Don’t ‘Dutifully Date’ Jesus

Don’t ‘Dutifully Date’ Jesus – “When you desire Christ above all things, you implicitly show that Christ is valuable, precious, desirable — a treasure.”

How Jesus Trains Husbands

How Jesus Trains Husbands – “Daily sacrifices are part and parcel of what it means to love our wives sacrificially. I have never met a husband who would not willingly lay down his life for his wife. But I have met many who refuse to sacrifice themselves in the smaller ways and, therefore, make life very hard for their wives on a daily basis.”

Knowing Where We Stand

Knowing Where We Stand – “Washington Post Columnist Says Anyone Who Holds to Biblical Morality Is A Bigot–Calls for VP Pence to Resign.”

Here I Raise My Ebenezer: The Inspiration for ‘Come Thou Fount’

Here I Raise My Ebenezer: The Inspiration for ‘Come Thou Fount’ – “Many more threats await us and will assault our faith. And we know our hearts are helpless apart from the tuning and sealing of God’s grace. We are prone to wander.”

It Takes Two

It Takes Two – “Gossip is not only a sin of the mouth, but also a sin of the ears. It takes two: the one who speaks and the one who listens.”

Praying for More Than ‘Safe’

Praying for More Than ‘Safe’ – “We want our children to follow Christ, but that likely won’t lead to an easy, safe life. It means they will need to pick up their cross. It means they will need to lay down their lives.”

A Different Kind of Pleasure

A Different Kind of Pleasure – “When I look back on my childhood, I see that my parents were very careful to give their children access to intellectual and spiritual pleasures. Even though we couldn’t see it then, beauty was lavished on us.”

“Made in the Holy Image of God”

“Made in the Holy Image of God” – “The One Specific Moment in Last Night’s State of the Union that Highlights Our Culture’s Vast Worldview Divide.”

Should Religious Belief Inform Public Policy?

Should Religious Belief Inform Public Policy? – Russell Moore responds to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s statement regarding his state’s late-term abortion law: “My Roman Catholic values are my personal values. The decisions I choose to make in my life, or in counseling my daughters, are based on my personal moral and religious beliefs.”

6 Ways to Spend More Time in Scripture

6 Ways to Spend More Time in Scripture – “Try these six ways to help carve out daily time for the Bible.”

How to Read the Book of Revelation

How to Read the Book of Revelation – “Whatever else Revelation is, it is a letter, written to particular people living at a particular time in a particular place. So although it is written for us as Scripture, it is not written to us. We therefore need to consider how John’s first audience would have understood it if we want to know how God wants to speak to us through it.”

20 Truths from “The Marriage Knot”

20 Truths from “The Marriage Knot” – “Excerpts from the Zappia's new book that will entice you to read the rest of it and strengthen your marriage bond.”

You Might Need Marriage Counseling—Especially If You Think You Don’t

You Might Need Marriage Counseling—Especially If You Think You Don’t – “As a Christian woman of color, I’ve noticed that marriage counseling can be taboo subject among both the Christian and the African American communities. I believe this stigma thrives for several reasons”

Two Pastors’ Advice on Pastoral Visits to the Grieving

Two Pastors’ Advice on Pastoral Visits to the Grieving – “While pastors primarily are responsible for making pastoral visits, all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are called at times to come alongside those who are experiencing pain and suffering.”

Stones in the River

Stones in the River – “Some stones represent spiritual markers along the way. Reminders of His faithfulness to our family.”

Recovering the Good in Seasons of Lament

Recovering the Good in Seasons of Lament – Our years on this earth are full of seasons—ups and downs that profoundly shape us and change the trajectory of our lives.

The Five Tests of False Doctrine

The Five Tests of False Doctrine – It’s good to review this checklist.

The Life of a Sower: A Life of Faith

The Life of a Sower: A Life of Faith – “I at times ask myself what my problem is. My life has been characterized by consistent sowing, and yet little reaping. Am I doing something wrong? Now, there is a time to examine methodology, and we do take the time to do that. However, in reading Christ’s words recently I have come to a different conclusion: sowers don’t always get to reap.”

The Christian Life Is More Like a Bus Ride Than a Motorcycle Ride

The Christian Life Is More Like a Bus Ride Than a Motorcycle Ride – “Hey pastor, here’s some language I use to help my people understand how the gospel relates to our life together.”

3 Women From the Bible Who Refused to Miss Their Calling

3 Women From the Bible Who Refused to Miss Their Calling – “You were created for good works, which God prepared beforehand just for you so that you will accomplish them.”

Writing on the Wall—The Church Is Not Growing

Writing on the Wall—The Church Is Not Growing – “While the global spread of Christianity and its explosion in the Global South needs to encourage us, our leaders must ask themselves: What must the North American church become and do in this season of decline? The answers all revolve around the gospel.”

By His Wounds We Are Healed

By His Wounds We Are Healed – “In the Son of God you have a man who is more than qualified to comfort you, since he is well acquainted with grief. Though he suffered unimaginable loss, he triumphed in the end. Because of Jesus’ resurrection from the grave, and ascension into heaven, you can have confident hope that all your hurts will one day be healed in heaven.”

J.D. Greear: Paul’s Teaching on Homosexuality Might Surprise You

J.D. Greear: Paul’s Teaching on Homosexuality Might Surprise You – “In terms of frequency of mention or the passion with which Paul talks about it, it would appear that quite a few other sins are more egregious in God’s eyes than homosexuality,” Greear states.

Democrats Overplay Their Hand on Abortion

Democrats Overplay Their Hand on Abortion – “Democratic leaders are overplaying their hand and exposing the harsh reality of their platform. Their promotion of abortion rights after viability doesn’t line up with widely accepted medical evidence or public opinion.”

Failure Is Not Final

Failure Is Not Final – “The God of the Bible is the God of the second chance, a God who prefers to mend rather than discard.”

Worry May Indicate You Need to Reassess Your Values

Worry May Indicate You Need to Reassess Your Values – “His argument is simple: worry arises when we put high price tags on the wrong things.”

On Living in a Post-Christian Context

On Living in a Post-Christian Context – “As so many nations revoke their heritage, Christians will need to learn how to live in a post-Christian world. We will need to learn to live in a world where the laws inhibit our ability to worship freely rather than assist it, where traditions oppose the Bible instead of complement it, where the assumption is no longer that Christian people and their churches are a help but a hindrance to a thriving, prosperous society.”

9 Steps to Consider When You Face the Pain of Betrayal

9 Steps to Consider When You Face the Pain of Betrayal – “It happens, even among brothers and sisters in Christ. It happened to Jesus, and it happens to us. Friends sometimes turn on us, and the knife of betrayal slices us deeply.”

Move Over, Sex and Drugs. Ease Is the New Vice

Move Over, Sex and Drugs. Ease Is the New Vice – “Do modern amenities make it tough for us to embody God’s love?”

The Golfless Millennial

The Golfless Millennials – “The fact is many a big church is filling up with people who, like the Millennials with golf, haven’t got – or won’t give – the six hours a week that is required for smaller, local churches to survive. Those smaller churches are the spiritual equivalent of a nine hole course in your average suburb.”

Christian Players for the Rams and Patriots Share Faith-Filled Perspective on the Super Bowl

Christian Players for the Rams and Patriots Share Faith-Filled Perspective on the Super Bowl – “As the Super Bowl kicks off this Sunday, many of the players on the field view it as an opportunity to worship Christ.”

Be Fruitful: Challenging Yourself to Abide in Order to Bear More Fruit

Be Fruitful: Challenging Yourself to Abide in Order to Bear More Fruit – “The message of the love and forgiveness of God and his desire that all might find the fulfillment they are looking for in him is too important to neglect.”

China: The Continuing Enigma

China: The Continuing Enigma – “It is important for the global church to understand that China matters for us all.”

What We’re Missing in the Ralph Northam Scandal

What We’re Missing in the Ralph Northam Scandal – “Abortion culture and racial injustice are not two separate impulses. They are one.”

I Learned to Read the Bible Through Tears

I Learned to Read the Bible Through Tears – “Those years of desperation, and that practice of expecting God to illuminate his word daily, transformed me. I have not approached Scripture the same way since.”

Don’t Look Up at the Clouds to Get a Picture of the Eternal Heaven

Don’t Look Up at the Clouds to Get a Picture of the Eternal Heaven – Randy Alcorn helps clarify our distorted views of heaven.

The Main Thing Is The Main Thing

The Main Thing Is The Main Thing – “Everything else, all the discussions about strategy and such like are secondary to this simple reality. Mission is about bearing witness to Jesus; telling his story and pointing people to him. Everything else is just details.”

Moms, It Is Our Privilege

Moms, It Is Our Privilege – “We need to know who Jesus is—what he’s already done and what he’s doing right now. Then and only then, as his Spirit works in us, will we grasp what a privilege it is to reflect him as we mother.”

Under His Wings

Under His Wings – “God is attentive to the needs of his children. And he is aware of your fears. Like a mother bird hides her young under the protective covering of her wings, so God shields you with his faithfulness.”

Walking in Wisdom toward Outsiders

Walking in Wisdom toward Outsiders – “Christians often wrestle with how to balance grace and truth in our interaction with non-believers.” 

What Is the Actual Divorce Rate in the United States?

What Is the Actual Divorce Rate in the United States? – “The four main measurements provide four different answers because they examine the elephant from different perspectives.”