Where Lies Love’s Greatest Desire?

Where Lies Love’s Greatest Desire? – “You’ll have a thousand opportunities today to give. You can give your time, your attention, your focus, your body, your wisdom, your worship…”

Why Did the First Humans Live for So Long?

Why Did the First Humans Live for So Long? – “If we ask what the aim of this divine judgment is, the answer is at least partly to make us aware that sin is horrible. Sin is a great outrage against God, and life is short and eternity is long, and we need wisdom to know how to think and live with so little time on earth compared to eternity.”

Prophet, Priest, and King: The High Calling of Christian Husbands

Prophet, Priest, and King: The High Calling of Christian Husbands – “As our cultural moment seems to spiral into greater disorder, men of God do well to ensure that they attend to their own households. With so much happening beyond our walls, the temptation can be to neglect what happens within them.”

Identity Politics, Opium of the People

Identity Politics, Opium of the People – “Identity politics is the new religion of the United States.”

Preparing for a Threat That Seeks to Replace Christianity

Preparing for a Threat That Seeks to Replace Christianity – “It seeks nothing less than to replace Christianity with its secular vision for a better future.”

Aging Doesn’t Make You Faithful

Aging Doesn’t Make You Faithful – “It is folly to expect to wake up more faithful to Christ twenty years from now if we’re not feeding our faithfulness today.”

From Head Information to Heart Transformation

From Head Information to Heart Transformation – How should we interact with the Bible? Here are suggestions and reminders.

9 Things You Should Know About Child and Infant Mortality

9 Things You Should Know About Child and Infant Mortality – “Over a million people die from malaria each year, mostly children younger than 5. In fact, malaria kills about 3,000 children daily—an average of one child every 30 seconds.” Here are several noteworthy things about child mortality. 

Four Reasons Church Discipline Matters

Four Reasons Church Discipline Matters – “There is nothing loving about affirming people in damaging behavior. Few of us think affirming addicts in their addictions is a good thing, no matter how much a part of their identity they claim the addiction to be. Not many of us think it sensible to affirm people in neglecting their doctor’s advice.”

The Word of God Comes Alive in Conflict

The Word of God Comes Alive in Conflict – “Our conflicted times, and conflicted relationships, do not increase our earthly comforts, but they need not shake our confidence in heaven. The Scriptures were forged in such times, in the most challenging of days.”

‘Welcome to Exile. It’s Going to Be OK.’

Alistair Begg: ‘Welcome to Exile. It’s Going to Be OK.’ – “Perhaps it is only in the last few years in the United States that we have finally faced that what the Bible says is true: in this world we really are sojourners and exiles (1 Pet. 2:11).”

3 Truths About Every Marriage

3 Truths About Every Marriage – “Here are three of those life-rearranging wisdom perspectives that Scripture gives us that enable us to be better prepared in our marriage.”

What’s Stopping You from Coming to Christ?

What’s Stopping You from Coming to Christ? – “Picture this way of thinking about the gospel. The first thing we see here is that it is universally and absolutely relevant for every human being on the planet — no exceptions — with barely any contextualization.”

Christian Principles Made Us Wealthy. So What?

Christian Principles Made Us Wealthy. So What? – “The discipline and morality of many Christians has helped to create an affluence that can then undermine those underpinnings. How can we think about that?”

Whatever Is Not Christ

Whatever Is Not Christ – “It is said of Michelangelo that when he was carving his best-known masterpiece he began with a block of marble and simply removed whatever was not David.”

God’s Work: For, In, Through Us

God’s Work: For, In, Through Us – “It feels so good to live without concern for merit or deserving, personal failure or self-aggrandizement.”

Sharing the Gospel with the Happiest People in the World

Sharing the Gospel with the Happiest People in the World – “One reason Nordic countries such as Denmark report higher levels of happiness may be that we have the means to numb the pain.”

The Mystery of Joy

The Mystery of Joy – “It is to be a hallmark of our faith and a daily reality; paradoxically, it often becomes most tangible when we are suffering.”

God Calms Our Sexual Insanity: The Seventh Commandment for Today

God Calms Our Sexual Insanity: The Seventh Commandment for Today – “Here then is the seventh commandment, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ with three ways the commandment meets us.”

9 Practical Tips for Bible Reading

9 Practical Tips for Bible Reading – “If you wait until you have enough time to read the Bible, you will rarely read the Bible.”

Why Jesus’s Humanity Matters as Much as His Divinity

Why Jesus’s Humanity Matters as Much as His Divinity – “Jesus could only represent humans if he became a human—a real human. And if he cannot represent us, then he cannot redeem us.”

Why the Armenian Genocide Matters Today

Why the Armenian Genocide Matters Today – “As horrific as the actions of the Ottoman Empire were and as potentially dangerous as Turkey's present course may be, why should President Biden's decision to officially acknowledge the genocide as a genocide matter to each of us?”

Fisherman or Fishermen?

Fisherman or Fishermen? – “When Jesus said in Matthew 4:19, ‘I will make you fishers of men,; do you picture an individual sitting on the edge of a pier with a rod and reel? Or do you imagine a group of fishermen leaning over the side of a boat, each one holding their part of a large net? More importantly, which kind of fishing came to the disciples’ minds?”

The Landscape Of Familiarity

The Landscape Of Familiarity – “So recently, when challenged to read a single book of the Bible repeatedly, every day for a week, I was amazed how much the familiar terrain altered as the days rolled by.”

Faith Plus Works Doesn’t Work

Faith Plus Works Doesn’t Work – “If you stand before God on judgment day, and you are trusting in anything other than Jesus’ righteousness, then you are not trusting in Jesus.”

Some Necessary Things About Prayer

Some Necessary Things About Prayer – Here are some great/simple thoughts on practical prayer.

What Does It Mean For God to Be Our Father?

What Does It Mean For God to Be Our Father? – “Here are at least 15 implications from Scripture to the profound truth that God is our father.”

Don’t Search for Wisdom. Search for God.

Don’t Search for Wisdom. Search for God. – “The seeking required of us is not ultimately a search for philosophical answers or even for practical wisdom; it’s seeking God himself.”

Vacuuming Lines

Vacuuming Lines – “Much like housekeeping, soul-keeping is an every day reality.”

Being the Answer to Prayer

Being the Answer to Prayer – “We must be willing to labor toward the granting of the requests we have brought before God, whenever it is possible for us to do so. Always we must be willing and eager for God to use us in the answer to our own prayers.”

Deconstruct Your Culture, Not Your Faith

Deconstruct Your Culture, Not Your Faith – “Deconstruction is not what you’re actually looking for. Disenculturation is. Disenculturation is the process used by missionaries to differentiate the gospel from culture.” Here is how...

What Are Angels Doing Today?

What Are Angels Doing Today? – “God doesn’t need angels in order to accomplish things, so that’s why I ask, Why do they exist in the first place? And why are there so many of them?”

Murder for the Rest of Us: How We Break the Sixth Commandment

Murder for the Rest of Us: How We Break the Sixth Commandment – “God shows his hatred for murder the moment it appears in Cain (Genesis 4:8). But why does God hate the act of murder so much?” How can we get to the root of the matter?

Our Father’s Time and “Dime”

Our Father’s Time and “Dime” – “Grant us grace in our waiting, strength in our weariness, and peace in our restlessness. In the meantime, help us be more attentive to the needs of others.”

If We Don’t Love, We Won’t Last: Overcoming Offenses in the Church

If We Don’t Love, We Won’t Last: Overcoming Offenses in the Church – “The Spirit, through Paul, wants us to love one another with aggressive grace.”

An Open Door in Russia

An Open Door in Russia – Take time to pray for believers in Russia.

William Booth’s Steadfastness in Ministry despite Strong Opposition

William Booth’s Steadfastness in Ministry despite Strong Opposition – “In Scripture and throughout Church History there are many examples of committed Christians who continued to faithfully, bravely carry out their God-directed ministries in the face of stiff or sometimes even fierce opposition.”

Do the Old Testament Promises of Prosperity Apply to God’s People Today?

Do the Old Testament Promises of Prosperity Apply to God’s People Today? – “We should assume that God entrusts us with His money not to build our kingdom on Earth, but to build His Kingdom in Heaven.”

4 More Reasons Planned Parenthood Should Apologize

4 More Reasons Planned Parenthood Should Apologize – “While there are dozens of issues and crimes that PPA should apologize for, here are four of the most significant.”

Words: A Hidden Weapon of Domestic Abuse

Words: A Hidden Weapon of Domestic Abuse – “When we think about domestic abuse, we tend to think about acts of physical violence. This assumption about domestic abuse causes us to miss the fact that the primary weapon abusers use against their victims is not their fists but their words.”

The Surprising Beauty of the Ten Commandments

The Surprising Beauty of the Ten Commandments – “In our tendency to focus on what the law can’t do, we may have missed the beauty, delight, and hope of what the law can do.”

17 Things to Pray for Church Children

17 Things to Pray for Church Children – Here’s some starter material.

Aim Your Boy at Manhood

Aim Your Boy at Manhood – “I advise fellow parents to consider intentionally cultivating mature manhood in their boys through a clear aim, persevering and patient preparation, and a definitive declaration and commencement.”

Why the Puddle Analogy Fails against Fine-Tuning

Why the Puddle Analogy Fails against Fine-Tuning – Here’s a brief apologetics discussion.

How Should We Respond to Christian Conspiracy Theories?

How Should We Respond to Christian Conspiracy Theories? – “The glory, the wonder, the beauty of the Christian faith is passed over, and they’re always fascinated with marginal things that are not preeminent.”

Sin Wants You to Itself

Sin Wants You to Itself – “Whether you think the church COVID lockdowns were justified or not, one thing is for sure; Satan loves that our fellowship with other believers has been hindered.”

Your Whole Bible Is About Jesus

Your Whole Bible Is About Jesus – “If we ever hope to properly handle the stories in the Bible, we must first grasp the story of the Bible. And that story, the one that traverses its way from Genesis to Revelation, though recorded for you, is not finally about you.” 

We’re Simultaneously Worshippers and Whiners

We’re Simultaneously Worshippers and Whiners – “Until the Day of nor more whining, discontent, and grumbling, teach us the difference between redemptive-discontent and chronic-ingratitude.”

Honor the Parents God Gave You

Honor the Parents God Gave You – “When God says, “Honor your father and your mother,” he is also saying, Will you trust and submit to me? — to my wise, sovereign, and specific plan for you, however hard that plan feels along the way?”

Moral Standards and Goodness Can’t Exist Without God

Moral Standards and Goodness Can’t Exist Without God – “They (atheists) live in a culture influenced by a historic belief in God and the morality revealed in Scripture. This provides them a residual basis for believing that moral categories are important, while their own worldview doesn’t.”

How Hyperbole Dulls Our Spiritual Discernment

How Hyperbole Dulls Our Spiritual Discernment – “Jesus uses hyperbole to arouse us from our lethargy, but we may also engage in hyperbole to justify sin.” 

“Simon, Would You Still Have Passed That Way?"

“Simon, Would You Still Have Passed That Way?" – “Would you still have entered that gate and strolled down that street if you had known that the cross of another man would soon be upon your shoulders, that his blood would soon stain your hands, your face, your clothes?”

What ‘No Condemnation’ Does to a Heart

What ‘No Condemnation’ Does to a Heart – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 is one of the greatest texts of the Bible for the Christian.

How to Experience Fullness of Joy

How to Experience Fullness of Joy – “Joy is an inner peace and rest, based on what you know to be true, resulting in a life of thankfulness and expectancy.”

The FAQs: Former Police Officer Convicted of the Murder of George Floyd

The FAQs: Former Police Officer Convicted of the Murder of George Floyd – Here is a helpful summary of what has taken place.

How to Respond to National Tragedies

How to Respond to National Tragedies – “Nehemiah’s six-fold response coaches us in how to respond to devastating national news.”  

Why Circumcision?

Why Circumcision? – Here are “three chief reasons why God Himself chose this crass act to represent beautiful truths of the gospel.”

See What’s Possible in the Gospel

See What’s Possible in the Gospel – “God calls his church to be a counterculture embedded within the predominant one so the world can see Christ in our midst.”

35 Reasons Not To Sin

35 Reasons Not To Sin – This might be a good list to keep in your prayer notebook.

Don’t Underestimate the Value of Rest

Don’t Underestimate the Value of Rest – “We burn out quickly if we push too hard. Once we start catching our stride — feeling youthful and strong — the temptation to push harder and gain ground is always enticing. Don’t fall into the mindset that downtime is wasted time. It is not. You will go further faster if you slow down and rest.”

What are the Most Significant Gaps in Reaching North America?

What are the Most Significant Gaps in Reaching North America? – The article notes four key gaps that are commonly mentioned in reaching North America with the Gospel.

3 Things the Gospel Isn’t

3 Things the Gospel Isn’t – “Here from Galatians 5 are three things the gospel is not.”

God Detests the Worship of the Wicked

God Detests the Worship of the Wicked – “Understanding the simple truth that God rejects worship will aid your life in many ways, but I want to highlight three important ones that come to mind.”

What’s Certain in the Year Ahead? The Church.

What’s Certain in the Year Ahead? The Church. – “People say the only certain things in life are death and taxes. But there’s one more. There’s one certainty we can count on, come what may, in the days, years, and millennia ahead. It’s been around for over 2,000 years and it hasn’t waned yet. It’s the church.”

Mirror, Mirror, in the Gospel

Mirror, Mirror, in the Gospel – “When we look at the mirror of the Gospel, we’ll never see “bad-hair-day,” “dark-eye-circle-day,” or, “I’m-rockin’-it-day.” We’ll see, “chosen by your Father, holy, and dearly loved.” Hallelujah, these three things define us more than anything we’ll ever see in a well-lighted piece of mirrored glass.”

Why Crucifixion?

Why Crucifixion? – “God ordained crucifixion for at least four reasons.”

A Royal Funeral with a Message for Everyone

A Royal Funeral with a Message for Everyone – “The message resounded throughout the service for all to hear...One who is greater than all Queens and Princes has conquered death and he gives certain hope of resurrection to all who receive him.” 

Stop Catastrophizing

Stop Catastrophizing – “We need to prepare to live life in the margins. Jesus doesn’t call us to have access to the halls and levers of power. He calls his church to serve when opposed, to pray when persecuted, to keep on sharing the good news of the kingdom come even when arrested, put on trial, imprisoned and persecuted. What would it look like to prepare to live like that?”

Four Defining Moments for Young Marriages

Four Defining Moments for Young Marriages – “God sprinkles the newlywed years with these moments — experiences, events, or decisions that determine (and sometimes alter) a young couple’s direction.”

Meet Edom: Israel’s Evil Twin

Meet Edom: Israel’s Evil Twin – “The prophecy of Obadiah is God getting blunt and direct with a nation who had chosen the wrong side to fight for. Today God wants us to warn people that they if they do not change teams, they face certain defeat.”

Skip the Movie, Read the Book

Skip the Movie, Read the Book – “God chose to communicate with us using words. Let’s not assume we’ve figured out a better way than Him.”

Hoping Fully in Future Grace

Hoping Fully in Future Grace – “May we worship more than we whine, repent quicker than we criticize, and throw 100 Gospel-parties for every pity-party.”

 

How We Take God’s Name in Vain: The Wonder and Warning of the Third Commandment

How We Take God’s Name in Vain: The Wonder and Warning of the Third Commandment – “The language in the Ten Commandments is countercultural, counterintuitive, offensive, and shocking to anyone who has not embraced the God-centeredness of God.”

Is the World Getting Better or Worse? Yes.

Is the World Getting Better or Worse? Yes. – “According to Jesus, evil will grow alongside the good until the return of Christ. We need this wisdom to understand the nature of this world and to sustain a lifetime of ministry.”

God Has Not Forgotten You

God Has Not Forgotten You – “He is using your suffering and pain in ways you would not believe if someone told you.”

How to Know You’ve Become a Pharisee

How to Know You’ve Become a Pharisee – “I love this analogy Eugene Peterson shared in his book The Jesus Way.”

Grandparenting by Faith

Grandparenting by Faith – Joe McKeever has a good word for grandparents seeking to share their faith with the next generation.

An Open Letter to Those Suffering in the Hospital

An Open Letter to Those Suffering in the Hospital – Having spent time in the hospital for the first time in my life this last year, I found this helpful and encouraging.

What Martin Luther’s Stand for the Gospel Means for Us Today

What Martin Luther’s Stand for the Gospel Means for Us Today – “Christians perceive many kinds of threats today, but the most formidable are the threats of compromise that arise within us.”

What to Do While Waiting on The Lord

What to Do While Waiting on The Lord – “We’ve all experienced waiting on the Lord. Waiting seems to be one of the Lord’s favorite sanctification tools.”

Comfort One Another

Comfort One Another – “What I want to point out is that we have a fascination with the end of the world—whether fictitious or Scriptural. We’re entertained by it, frightened by it, motivated to action by it. However, we often overlook one end of eschatology. We are commanded to comfort one another with our talks of the End…”

Will I Ever Change? Fresh Hope for the Spiritually Stuck

Will I Ever Change? Fresh Hope for the Spiritually Stuck – “Don’t believe the lie that you’re stuck forever. You’re not. There’s help available that far exceeds any resources you can muster up yourself. Hear God say, ‘Behold, I am making all things new’ — even you.”

5 Reasons to Bring Your Kids Back to Church

5 Reasons to Bring Your Kids Back to Church – “So today I want to appeal to parents to get their kids back to church. Many of them are in school, many of them are playing sports, but they are not in church.”

Worship in the Image of Me: The Second Commandment for Today

Worship in the Image of Me: The Second Commandment for Today – The issue is “how” we worship God.

How to Thrive in an Anxious Age

How to Thrive in an Anxious Age – “This past year has, not surprisingly, contributed to a spike in anxiety. You already know why—a global pandemic, sheltering in place, online schooling, unstable job markets, the inability to go to church or meet with friends, racial injustice and tensions, politics, and social media.”

Don’t Be That Bildad Guy

Don’t Be That Bildad Guy – “How can we avoid the pitfall of being one of these well-meaning, but miserable comforters?”

Four Ways the “Apocalypse” Guys Are Actually Right

Four Ways the “Apocalypse” Guys Are Actually Right – “We may have gone a little overboard back then, but my church did have something that I think many Christians lack today: the earnest expectation of Jesus’ return.”

How Should a Christian View the Government?

How Should a Christian View the Government? – “The Bible seems to suggest that we ought to think of human government in the following four ways.”

Sheep Tragi-Comedy: “The Draad Kruiper”

Sheep Tragi-Comedy: “The Draad Kruiper” – “Not coincidentally, God likens humans to sheep more than any other thing. Perhaps parallels exist more often than not.”

Why Don’t You Wear a Head Covering?

Why Don’t You Wear a Head Covering? – “Cultural norms can change over time. They also can be different in different places. For example, contracts in OT Bethlehem were executed by removing your sandal and giving it to the other party (Ruth 4:7). Such a cultural norm was unique to a specific time and place. We must be aware of that as we seek a biblical author’s intent. Here are some guidelines to consider.”

Losing Our Religion

Losing Our Religion – “We are losing a generation—not because they are secularists, but because they believe we are. What this demands is not a rebranding, but a repentance—meaning, as the Bible does, a turnaround.”

If Justification Is Once-for-All, Why Do I Need to Keep Repenting?

If Justification Is Once-for-All, Why Do I Need to Keep Repenting? – “It doesn’t simply remind us that we still sin; it assures us that our Father is eager to forgive. He looks for opportunities to show mercy. And that’s why he gladly forgives our debts, time and time again.”

The Sweet Grief of Repentance

The Sweet Grief of Repentance – “If someone’s conversion to God is true, lifelong repentance will follow. The mouth of one not born again can say true things for a time. Unchanged eyes can cry. A dead tongue can sincerely sing worship songs for a season. And turning away from Christ, repenting of him, can prove it all was false.”

God Doesn’t Need You

God Doesn’t Need You – “Paul on Mars Hill in Athens proclaimed the entire self-sufficiency of God.”

What the Bible Says About the Doors in Your Life

What the Bible Says About the Doors in Your Life – “The concept is found about 400 times in Scripture, often as a metaphor for opportunities in our lives.”

How To Fix Your Work Life Balance

How To Fix Your Work Life Balance – “Today someone else is becoming more and more addicted to their career. Maybe it’s you.”

It’s Far Too Easy To Buy A Tiger

It’s Far Too Easy To Buy A Tiger – “Welcoming a tiger into the home serves as an apt metaphor for welcoming a sin into the life. The sins we permit to enter the doors of our lives are often very small. They are as far removed from sin in its full form as a day-old tiger is from its fully-grown father.”

Quick, Slow, Slower

Quick, Slow, Slower – “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.” James 1:19

The Problem with Asking, ‘What’s Wrong with It?’

The Problem with Asking, ‘What’s Wrong with It?’ – “Don’t stroll, don’t meander, and don’t wander about aimlessly. Run as in a race with a finish line.”

God’s Résumé of Faithfulness

God’s Résumé of Faithfulness – “Every single time we read of how Israel defeated their enemies, God’s faithfulness is on display. Over and over and over again, the Lord shows Israel (and us) that there is nothing his people cannot overcome because he has overcome the world. Victory after victory is confirmation upon confirmation that God is faithful.”

What We Miss When We Skip the Book of Numbers

What We Miss When We Skip the Book of Numbers – “Sure, Numbers has some difficult, slower passages. But the book as a whole is far from a slog. And since all of God’s word is valuable, we systematically neglect a portion of it to our harm.”

Shock News: Judas Walks Away From Faith

Shock News: Judas Walks Away From Faith – “One of the primary causes of falling away in Jesus’ own words are the lure of wealth and the desire for other things. That produces fruitlessness.”

The Perseverance of the Father’s Heart

The Perseverance of the Father’s Heart – “I came to my personal opinion after pondering two questions about the father heart of God. First, does God love his children? Second, would he ever disown them? Perseverance has little to do with us. It’s all about God and what he has done and will continue to do.”

Post-Pandemic, Will China’s Church Be Changed Forever?

Post-Pandemic, Will China’s Church Be Changed Forever? – “The new restrictions require Chinese Communist Party oversight for every measure of religious life—staffing, fund management, gatherings.”

Why We Must Pray for Muslims Around the World

Why We Must Pray for Muslims Around the World – “Prayer changes things. It changes the hearts of Muslims even as it changes our own hearts.”

Does Fasting Seem Strange To You?

Does Fasting Seem Strange To You? – “Let’s emphasize what fasting is for—not what fasting is against.”

My Darkest Night; Hopefully Not Yours

My Darkest Night; Hopefully Not Yours – “What if the worst we can think about hell would one day seem pleasant by comparison to the one experiencing it? What if the true hell can only be experienced, and not described?”

Four Questions to Determine If You’re a Disciple

Four Questions to Determine If You’re a Disciple – “To take up our cross means a total surrender of our will to Jesus, to die to anything we desire or believe apart from what Jesus wants.”

Of Pharaohs and Easter

Of Pharaohs and Easter – “Last Saturday night, with great fanfare and razzamatazz, under tight security and the gaze of a television audience, twenty-two of Egypt’s Pharaohs were moved to their new home in the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.” 

Hope for Children from Dysfunctional Families

Hope for Children from Dysfunctional Families – “How do you think family dysfunctions affect our relationship to God?”

Your Eschatology Has Consequences

Your Eschatology Has Consequences – “How you live now is correlated with how you believe God is working towards eternity.”

To Cut a Long Story Short: Intro to Obadiah

To Cut a Long Story Short: Intro to Obadiah – “What is fascinating about this book is that it is the only whole book in the Bible addressed not to Israel at all, but directly to Israel’s enemies.”

Trinity Sunday

Trinity Sunday – You’ll be blessed by this prayer in poem.

The Mouth of a Godly Man: Seven Lessons for What We Say

The Mouth of a Godly Man: Seven Lessons for What We Say – “Wanting to set an example with our speech, what kind of example should we set? What does a man of God sound like in the wild?”

Do Not Despise the Day of Small Things

Do Not Despise the Day of Small Things – “Christians worship a big God with a big mission that will one day reach this whole big world. Yet for all of his bigness, our God has a remarkable love for the small.”

Criticize at 75 MPH? Then Let’s Repent at 150 MPH

Criticize at 75 MPH? Then Let’s Repent at 150 MPH – “Whatever fills our hearts, fuels our thinking and shapes our speaking.”

Was It Possible for Jesus to Sin?

Was It Possible for Jesus to Sin? – “The question needs to be answered in the negative for three reasons.”

Christianity Grows in Any Soil

Christianity Grows in Any Soil – “Praise for the new birth of thousands of Cambodian Christians.”

When God’s Answers Don’t Match Our Expectations

When God’s Answers Don’t Match Our Expectations – “Sometimes the greatest love God shows us is not in fixing our problems but when he uses our problems to open our eyes to the treasure we have in him.”

Holy Ambitions: The Two Aims of Hudson Taylor’s Life

Holy Ambitions: The Two Aims of Hudson Taylor’s Life – “Conformity to Christ and usefulness for Christ. These desires were far more than pious but hollow sentiments. They were the life-long holy ambitions that shaped everything about Taylor’s life and ministry.”

How Does Chronic Pain Glorify God?

How Does Chronic Pain Glorify God? – “The wisdom and the power of Christ is affirmed and made clear simply by our faithful endurance in reliance upon his inscrutable grace.”

Jesus Is the God-Man, not the Flawed Man

Jesus Is the God-Man, not the Flawed Man – Unraveling the mystery of Incarnation and Jesus’ humanity.

Direct Your Heart

Direct Your Heart – “Direct your heart. This more accurately captures the way Scripture as a whole instructs us to relate to our hearts, the part of our inner being that loves or hates, that treasures persons or things or despises them.” It’s better than the lesser “follow your heart.”

Are Miracles Still Possible and Probable?

Are Miracles Still Possible and Probable? – “The most fundamental reason that people don’t believe the miracles in the Bible is because they already believe something else, namely, that miracles are impossible. In other words, they have a worldview that rules out the supernatural from the outset.”

 

Why Does Jesus Heal People?

Why Does Jesus Heal People? – “The New Testament is full of examples of Jesus healing the sick. But why does he heal people? There are three main reasons.”

Addressing Fraternal Disagreements in the Body of Christ

Addressing Fraternal Disagreements in the Body of Christ – “Scripture does not require brothers and sisters in Christ to agree about everything, but it does place certain expectations on the way we are to disagree with one another.” 

The Church Has Always Been Multiethnic

The Church Has Always Been Multiethnic – “As the story of the newborn church unfolds, we hear its multiethnic heartbeat. The church blossoms from its Jewish roots to include more and more Gentiles.”

4 Questions to Consider When Making Godly Decisions

4 Questions to Consider When Making Godly Decisions – “Here are four questions to consider when helping people make godly decisions.”

Suffering and Satan’s Purposes

Suffering and Satan’s Purposes – “Satan has purposes for your life. Satan has intentions for your suffering. When you face suffering, remember that the enemy intends to use your suffering to draw you away from God.”

A Challenge to Keep on Praying for Non-believing Loved Ones

A Challenge to Keep on Praying for Non-believing Loved Ones – “God’s clock and calendar may not be yours, but He’s still doing the work of saving people. Keep praying and get others to join you in that work. God hears—even if He takes His time in responding.”

A Runner in a Race

A Runner in a Race – “The Christian lives as the runner runs; he begins, continues, and concludes, with a glorious prize awaiting him at the end. We must keep this metaphor in mind, therefore, as we go about our day doing all things for the glory of God.”

How to Be #Blessed

How to Be #Blessed – A Lesson from Psalm 84.

What Is “Body Positivity”?

What Is “Body Positivity”? – “Last year saw a slew of body-positive books in children’s publishing, and they’re still coming: picture books, fiction, and nonfiction. All of them have certain similarities, and noticeable omissions.”

I Love Talking About Myself

I Love Talking About Myself – “The same power the raised Jesus from the dead is now living inside of you.”

Why Do You Doubt?

Why Do You Doubt? – “The story is unsettling. If Peter could doubt, if Peter wasn’t quite sure, what does it say about my faith? If Peter wasn’t certain, how can I ever be?”

“Trivial Pursuit” – Fun Game, Foolish Life

“Trivial Pursuit” – Fun Game, Foolish Life – “Riches, recognition, and reputation make lousy gods, hollow relationships, and a shallow legacy.”

Ten Terms That Define Generation Z Today

Ten Terms That Define Generation Z Today – “It’s a generation that will not only be marked by the trauma of the disruption and death, but also by witnessing the total failures of adults to protect them and their world.”

Blessing Can Become a Curse: The Spiritual Perils of Earthly Success

Blessing Can Become a Curse: The Spiritual Perils of Earthly Success – “Some of the darkest, most irresistible temptations come in the wake of blessing. As we enjoy some provision or breakthrough or triumph, whether in life, or work, or ministry, our spiritual defenses often come down.”

Seeing Christ in the Shape of the Psalms

Seeing Christ in the Shape of the Psalms – “As beneficial as it is to read each psalm as an independent unit, there is something larger occurring in the Psalter’s structure. Each book within the Psalter thrusts the reader onward, fostering hope for a new Davidic king.”

The Limited Power of Accountability

The Limited Power of Accountability – “What follows are some practical steps I take to stay vigilant against the enemy’s attacks and the slow erosion of my soul.”

He is Risen – Now What?

He is Risen – Now What? – “Sometimes I wish we knew what the disciples did the Monday after Jesus ascended into heaven.”

Show Up!

Show Up! – Here are four reasons the Bible prioritizes gathering.

What if the Resurrection Never Happened?

What if the Resurrection Never Happened? – “So enthralled (rightly) are we by the cross of Christ that we can, if we’re not careful, inadvertently underplay what happened on Easter—the bodily, literal resurrection of Jesus. After all, without Easter Sunday, Good Friday is just another Friday.”

“Jesus and Resurrection? What’s This Babbler Trying to Say?”

“Jesus and Resurrection? What’s This Babbler Trying to Say?” – The story of the resurrection still stirs controversy.

How Will Heaven Change Our Joy?

How Will Heaven Change Our Joy? – “Our joy reflects the value of God and the beauty of God and the greatness of God.”

The Heart of God’s Law: Tracing the Ten Commandments to Jesus

The Heart of God’s Law: Tracing the Ten Commandments to Jesus – “When we understand the relationship between the law and the covenant, we can turn afresh to the question of how Christians ought to fulfill these commandments in light of the work of Christ.”

He Has Risen!

He Has Risen! – “It is hard to imagine anything as thrilling and as profound as Luke’s account of the resurrection.”

He Must Be Preeminent: Christ’s Supremacy on Easter Sunday

He Must Be Preeminent: Christ’s Supremacy on Easter Sunday – “He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.” (Colossians 1:18)

“In All This You Greatly Rejoice!”

“In All This You Greatly Rejoice!” –  “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade… In all this you greatly rejoice.” 1 Peter 1:3-6a

The Day Before Jesus’ Resurrection

The Day Before Jesus’ Resurrection – “As the sun rose Saturday after “Good Friday, no one realized the most undeserved death imaginable would yield the greatest return calculable.” 

Let’s Hear From Those Women!

Let’s Hear From Those Women! “Thank God for the women.  One of many reasons I love the Gospel According to Luke is the place it gives to women.  Consider…”

Only One Empty Tomb

Only One Empty Tomb – “Each Easter, until Jesus returns, God asks us to trust a divine plan of which we only see the beginning.”

Saturday Songs in a Cemetery

Saturday Songs in a Cemetery – “From Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, it’s a journey of ups and downs, highs and lows, triumph and tragedy, weeping and jubilation, deep darkness and dawning light. It all adds up to something unspeakably beautiful.”

‘They Did Not Break His Legs’: Daring to Hope on Holy Saturday

‘They Did Not Break His Legs’: Daring to Hope on Holy Saturday – “Can you hear the song in the distance? In keeping his bones intact and unbroken, might God himself be humming the ancient tune of Psalm 34, even on this darkest of days?”

Why Call It “Good” Friday?

Why Call It “Good” Friday?

How Does Easter Change Us?

How Does Easter Change Us? – “By faith, the cord of our lives is plugged into the 10,000-volt death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

Do Not Nod Your Head to Lies

Do Not Nod Your Head to Lies – Major news outlets are reporting things they must know are not true. This week CNN reported, “It’s not possible to know a person’s gender identity at birth, and there is no consensus criteria for assigning sex at birth.”

Everything That Hinders

Everything That Hinders – “What things are a hindrance to a well-ordered life? What are the things I am packing into my heart or holding onto for no good, God-glorifying reason?”

The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus

The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus – “The claim of the bodily resurrection of Jesus is central to the Christian message.”

Always Read the Story to the End

Always Read the Story to the End – “No story, least of all our own, makes sense until we have read all the way to the final page. It is only then, in light of the whole, that we see the skill, the ability, the genius of the Author.”

Curtain Torn in Two: What Did the Tearing of the Veil Accomplish?

Curtain Torn in Two: What Did the Tearing of the Veil Accomplish?

Praying in the No-Man’s Land

Praying in the No-Man’s Land – “Jesus alone could accomplish redemption for us. He alone would drink the cup of God’s wrath in our place. The loneliness of Jesus in the Garden in prayer symbolized the singular task He had come into the world to accomplish.”

The Mystery Unfolding, Grasping: A Maundy Thursday Reflection

The Mystery Unfolding, Grasping: A Maundy Thursday Reflection – “The mystery is that the fullness of deity was pleased to dwell in the fullness of humanity.”

A Biblical Theology (And Some 3D Renderings) of the Temples in Jerusalem

A Biblical Theology (And Some 3D Renderings) of the Temples in Jerusalem – These are well done and worth watching.

When You’ve Given Your Troubles to God—But Still Can’t Sleep

When You’ve Given Your Troubles to God—But Still Can’t Sleep – “Insomnia might taunt us, telling us that God has forgotten us in the darkest hours of those endless nights. But he reminds us, through his Word, that he’s not sleeping. He’s working.”

A Tool for Reading the Bible Devotionally

A Tool for Reading the Bible Devotionally – “Reading the Bible is intended to procure our worship by revealing who God is, what he expects from us, where we fall short, and how Christ is just the Savior we need.”

Right in Our Own Eyes: How Pride Keeps Us from Counsel

Right in Our Own Eyes: How Pride Keeps Us from Counsel – “This story shows us three all-too-common ways our sinful pride can tempt us to foolishly turn away from listening to sound advice (Proverbs 12:15) and destroy the joyful deliverance and benefits God promises to those who walk in wisdom (Proverbs 28:26).”

The Sin of Informality

The Sin of Informality – “If formal language is formative, each time we utter a formal title for the Father, the Son, or the Spirit, we practice a small liturgy that is good for our souls.”