God, the Vending Machine

God, the Vending Machine – “Rather than seeking the Giver for the gifts that he can provide, seek the Giver himself.”

I Need Sundays

I Need Sundays – Where did you “graduate” from your need for the body of Christ?

Advent Meditation: Hope Fulfilled

Advent Meditation: Hope Fulfilled – “The advent of Christ wasn’t meant to be a surprise. God had been promising his people a serpent-crushing offspring from the earliest pages of the Bible (Gen. 3:15). The real story of Christmas isn’t a story of surprise but of fulfillment.”

Ten Reasons Why Church Membership Is Biblical

Ten Reasons Why Church Membership Is Biblical – “Is church membership biblical? Yes. The reason is that the biblical nature of church membership is established from a variety of passages and considerations. Here’s a cumulative case of ten reasons why church membership is biblical.”

Lord, Save My Great-Great-Grandchildren

Lord, Save My Great-Great-Grandchildren – “Like Spurgeon, we can pray not only for those alive today but for those who will run the race in the decades and centuries after us. We pray for those yet unborn to one day be born again. O Lord, save our children and our children’s children!

The Gospel Frees Us to Own, Grieve, and Repent

The Gospel Frees Us to Own, Grieve, and Repent – “Of all people, we should be the most humble, thankful, and kind. When we were dead in our sins and trespasses, you raised us to new life in Christ.”

Do Not Be Conformed to the World

Do Not Be Conformed to the World – “Christians should live differently.”

Turning Your Complaints into Gratitude – A Great Challenge

Turning Your Complaints into Gratitude – A Great Challenge – “Kevin lays down a great challenge—to deliberately labor to turn your complaints into gratitude. You will know, of course, that only one of those comes naturally!”

 

Jesus was not born in a stable—and it really matters!

Jesus was not born in a stable—and it really matters! – “I have read a number of explanations as to why the common understanding that Jesus was born in a barn is not exactly accurate. This article lays out the argument with clarity.”

How to Prevent a Spiritually Dry December

How to Prevent a Spiritually Dry December – “While there’s nothing wrong with any of these seasonal extras, here’s the truth I tend to miss. My experience of Christmas will be far deeper and more joyful if I’m connecting my activities to the Biblical truths of Christmas.”

Something for Everyone in the Christmas Story – 20 Examples

Something for Everyone in the Christmas Story – 20 Examples – “In more ways than we expect, there really is something for everyone in the Christmas story. Consider this surprising list.”

4 Feasts We Eat Every Week at Church

4 Feasts We Eat Every Week at Church – “Churches feast on God’s word during a worship service through at least four means: singing it, praying it, reading it, and hearing it preached.”

I Love My Transgender Child. I Love Jesus More.

I Love My Transgender Child. I Love Jesus More. – “How can we ignore that our son is making himself central and not Jesus?”

Why is Charitable Giving Important?

Why is Charitable Giving Important? – “How should we think about our own giving? I don’t have a formula or a clear target percentage for you, but Scripture does speak to the motives and purposes of our giving.”

Don’t Always Avoid Pain

Don’t Always Avoid Pain – “So, why should we seek to face pains in our lives rather than avoiding them?”

You Were Made to Never End

You Were Made to Never End – “The world is too small to fill your heart. The best things that time can give you will leave unfathomed depths in your soul. It is a beautiful truth that you were made for eternity.”

Everyone Places Limits on Sex, Not Only Christians. Why?

Everyone Places Limits on Sex, Not Only Christians. Why? – “We all think that there should be limits to sex.”

 

8 Most Popular Bible Verses During Thanksgiving

8 Most Popular Bible Verses During Thanksgiving – “Bible readers seem to prefer to read verses from Psalms more than any other book of the Bible during Thanksgiving.”

 

That Bible Verse You Don’t Like and What to Do About It

That Bible Verse You Don’t Like and What to Do About It – “Out of the 31,102 verses in the Bible, it’s entirely possible that you don’t necessarily like every single one of them. That some of them might actually get under your skin.”

Chief Cheerleader

Chief Cheerleader – “I pray you have at least one person standing staunchly on your cheering corner. Equally important, who might need your encouragement?”

We Need Obadiah

We Need Obadiah – “This strange little book about Edom appears dark, nationalistic, even vengeful. But it has great relevance for Christians today. Obadiah gives us several gifts. It shows us our need for history, eschatology, and Jesus.”

Controlling the Chaos of the Holiday Season

Controlling the Chaos of the Holiday Season – “Stress studies show that a sense of control is essential to mental health. Those who survive captivity with the fewest mental scars are those who maintain as much control as possible even when so much is out of their control.”

4 Aspects of Being Made in God’s Image

4 Aspects of Being Made in God’s Image – “In considering the image of God in man, four categories of communicable attributes rise to the top.”

How Does Learning Deepen Joy?

How Does Learning Deepen Joy? – “We are not well-educated people until we can respond to reality in healthy, mature, virtuous ways.”

Am I A Good Mom?

Am I A Good Mom? – “In my struggle to understand why I often feel dissatisfied and discouraged in my homemaking and parenting, I turned to Scripture. By God’s grace, I found five truths regarding the unseen work of motherhood.”

How Adoption Mirrors God’s Love for the Fatherless

How Adoption Mirrors God’s Love for the Fatherless – “Just as marriage is an earthly picture of Christ’s love for the church, adoption is an earthly picture of the gospel. It’s because God so loved the world that we’ve been adopted.”

What God Wants Pastors and Worship Leaders to Know

What God Wants Pastors and Worship Leaders to Know – “God values our lives more than our gifts. He can use us, but he doesn’t need us.”

I’m Adopted

I’m Adopted – “I still struggle with depressive cycles. At times, I still feel unwanted, unloved and discardable. At times, I’m triggered by events and people in my present that reinforce the trauma of my past. And yet, God is faithful.”

Divorce & the Holidays

Divorce & the Holidays – “Ministering To Divorced Parents at Christmas”

What Does John 10:10 Mean?

What Does John 10:10 Mean? – “Jesus’ mission statement in John 10:10 states, ‘I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.’ If your interpretation of ‘abundantly’ doesn’t go beyond fine dining, designer clothes, or a luxury car, then you are missing His point.”

Unburden Your Soul To God

Unburden Your Soul To God – “Prayer is the means God has given us for unburdening our souls. This is important to consciously, biblically affirm. Otherwise, we may feel weighed down with anxiety, with guilt, with discouragement, or with sorrow and yet have no solution for these soul burdens.”

Narrow

Narrow – “With each passing year, I see more clearly that suffering is actually God’s favor–a gift meant to prune and refine. Suffering is his finest chisel born from saving love, a painful instrument he wields judiciously.”

Darrell Bock on Israel’s Role in the Land Promise

Darrell Bock on Israel’s Role in the Land Promise – “Whatever else happens with the Christ promise, whatever expansion the promise involves, it doesn’t involve the elimination of the original commitments.”

Gerald McDermott on Why the Land Promises Belong to Ethnic Israel

Gerald McDermott on Why the Land Promises Belong to Ethnic Israel – “Does this matter? Yes, it does, for three reasons.”

Young Men of Resurrection Power: Letter to My Teenage Sons

Young Men of Resurrection Power: Letter to My Teenage Sons – “The power that raised him from the dead is your power for living the Christian life on earth and your assurance of eternal life in heaven.” 

 

What is Hell Like?

What is Hell Like? – “I don’t particularly like writing or thinking about hell…Nevertheless, we regularly need biblical resources on hell since there are constant attacks to undermine it.”

Polymorphous Perversity in the Heartland

Polymorphous Perversity in the Heartland – “If you are looking for Ground Zero in the sexual revolution, you might not think of America’s heartland, but you should. You should think of Indiana University and The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction.”

 

Heaven is Coming

Heaven is Coming – “Life is short and heaven is coming. We have 70, or by reason of strength 80 years on this earth, and then we walk into eternity. The question I keep asking myself is, ‘Will I live my life in light of eternity, or will temporal things steal my focus?'”

Be a “10%-er” with 100% Gratitude for What Jesus Has Done

Be a “10%-er” with 100% Gratitude for What Jesus Has Done – “We are destined for an eternity of wiped tears, redeemed pain, new bodies, all things new and beautiful, perfect relationships, a perfect world, no more brokenness, only glory.”

Does God Have Favorites?

Does God Have Favorites? – “Yes, we all have favorites. But does God have favorites? I don’t think so. God doesn’t see anyone of us as more deserving of his love. He doesn’t look on the outside and like some of us better because of our appearance or accomplishments.”

The Names of God, and Why They Should Mean Something to You

The Names of God, and Why They Should Mean Something to You – “In the Old Testament, a name was much more than the means by which you could address someone. A name was a description of a person’s character. Moses was asking God, Who are you really? And who are you to tell me to go to Pharaoh and make such a demand?”

 

Learning in a World Blind to God

Learning in a World Blind to God – “If you see the world accurately, you will bring a fund of knowledge to the Bible.”

Reaching the Dechurched Is a Whole-Church Effort

Reaching the Dechurched Is a Whole-Church Effort – “Despite its challenges, dechurching provides church leaders a unique opportunity to equip church members to make the most of their relationships so they forge robust connections with each other.”

We Never Arrive Before God: Missionary Hope for Hard Places

We Never Arrive Before God: Missionary Hope for Hard Places – “So, what are some take-home lessons from God’s promised omnipresence for those on the field? Consider three qualities this truth cultivates in us: humility, patience with perseverance, and boldness.” 

Four Reasons God May Not Have Answered Your Prayer

Four Reasons God May Not Have Answered Your Prayer – “There are probably more than four reasons God might not have answered your prayers, so consider this a primer to remind us all of His wisdom, mercy and ultimate understanding.”

Playing Hide and Seek with God

Playing Hide and Seek with God – “Something has gone very wrong. Instead of longing to once again be with God, they are afraid to be seen by him. Sin had entered the world, and the guilt and fear of sin caused them to hide. People have been hiding from God ever since.” 

A More Spontaneous and Genuine Evangelism

A More Spontaneous and Genuine Evangelism – “It was not Jesus’ intent to say that the individual Christian must change locations in order to evangelize. But it is most certainly the whole church’s responsibility to see to it that we make disciples where we are, now.” 

Romance Can Ruin You: How a Relationship Becomes a God

Romance Can Ruin You: How a Relationship Becomes a God – “Before romance became an ally for me, it was a terrorist, because it had become a god. It was a subtle god, of course. But subtle gods — money, sports, career success, relationships — often wield more functional authority than the gods of organized religion.”

Pro-Gay Theology Advocates Are Repeating the Mistakes of the Past

Pro-Gay Theology Advocates Are Repeating the Mistakes of the Past – “Just like Christians justified slavery and antisemitism with Bible verses, Christians today are justifying “homophobia” by wrongly interpreting verses like Leviticus 18:22, Romans 1:26–27, and 1 Corinthians 6:9 to condemn gays and lesbians; and because of the harm this is causing the LBGT community, they should reconsider their interpretation of those verses.”

When You Don’t Know How to Pray…

When You Don’t Know How to Pray… - “As Christians, we do mourn. We do lament. We do feel all the sadness that comes in a broken world… but we don’t stay there. Our faith takes us beyond and points us forward to a time when it won’t be like this any more.”

Footsteps Left

Footsteps Left – “Are the footprints I leave behind me ones worth following?”

The Body of Jesus Was Eaten by Dogs?

The Body of Jesus Was Eaten by Dogs? – “Without doing any real research or honest assessment, they reach conclusions about Christianity based on conjecture. Christianity must be wrong because it simply can’t be right. We call this prejudicial conjecture and it’s all too common. We have to call unbelievers on it.”

The Religion That Reads (but Doesn’t Respect) the Bible

The Religion That Reads (but Doesn’t Respect) the Bible – “Mormonism doesn’t view the Bible and the Book of Mormon equally.”

5 Ways We Get Evangelism Wrong and What We Can Do About It

5 Ways We Get Evangelism Wrong and What We Can Do About It – You and I may disagree with the author on some of these but it can be helpful to go through the process.

 

7 Ways To Deliver Constructive Criticism

7 Ways To Deliver Constructive Criticism – “There are times where someone needs to offer constructive criticism and there are better ways to deliver that criticism.”

How to Read Genesis 1–11: Asking Better Questions with C.S. Lewis

How to Read Genesis 1–11: Asking Better Questions with C.S. Lewis – “By understanding the nature and purpose of these chapters (an outcome achieved by asking the right questions), Christians today are strengthened to fight against temptation and to pursue our calling in the world as the people of God.”

What Does Romans 8:28 Mean?

What Does Romans 8:28 Mean? – Romans 8:28 is an especially important and comforting text. It’s important, though, to know what it does and does not mean.

Which Jesus Do You See in Your Suffering?

Which Jesus Do You See in Your Suffering? – “As with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, our Savior refuses to sit back and watch us suffer alone. Christ became man to identify, suffer, and walk with his people before saving us, forever binding himself to us intimately.”

One Unexpected Key To a Joyful Marriage

One Unexpected Key To a Joyful Marriage – “Comparison is the thief of joy because it causes you to focus on yourself. Comparison leads inward, to what you desire, to what you long for, to what you are certain you deserve. Yet the path to joy leads outward rather than inward. It leads toward others rather than toward self.”

‘Journey to Bethlehem’ and Christmas Cringe

‘Journey to Bethlehem’ and Christmas Cringe – When taking the message from the Bible to the screen, there are genuine questions to be asked and discernment to be applied.

The Divine Paradox of God’s Sovereignty and Meaningful Human Choice

The Divine Paradox of God’s Sovereignty and Meaningful Human Choice – Randy Alcorn discusses both sides of a hot topic.

Her Present Absence

Her Present Absence – “There is no sin in the sorrow we feel in our loved one’s present absence, and there is no wrongdoing or shame in acknowledging its reality. It’s simply a testimony of our enduring love for them, and our certainty that we will soon see them again.”

God Is

God Is – “The Life-Altering Reality of Sheer Divine Existence”

Christ’s Victory over Social Media

Christ’s Victory over Social Media – “I can only imagine the gold mine Satan must have thought he hit when social media was invented. What a boon to capture the unsuspecting hearts and minds of young people by stealing their most valuable possession—their attention.”

Why Do I Have to Keep Forgiving?

Why Do I Have to Keep Forgiving? – “It’s a good thing the One to whom we turn when struggling to forgive has already forgiven us and paid the cost to repair the ways we’ve wounded him. Thanks be to God for his inexhaustible forgiveness.”

Using Your Gifts

Using Your Gifts – “The testimony of Scripture is that throughout redemptive history, God’s people have used their gifts not just for those within the covenant community but for others as well.”

9 Lessons God Teaches Us Through Sickness

9 Lessons God Teaches Us Through Sickness – These are “9 Lessons from God Concerning Sickness” from J. C. Ryle with commentary from Randy Alcorn.

 

Don’t Be Like the Ant

Don’t Be Like the Ant – “Don’t be like the ant who thought that it was his strong legs that pushed the log down the river. He overestimated.” Jim Elliff wants Christians to be cautious when evaluating the effects of their words and work.

Only One Life

Only One Life – “We are merely living on borrowed time, talent, and treasure. We are stewards and not owners. There will come a reckoning day when the righteous Judge will hold us accountable for how we have used the resources that He has entrusted to us.”

God Knows

God Knows – “There great reasons why God’s omniscience gives us confidence as we pray.”

Can Death Ever Be Good? The Grief of Loss and Hope of Heaven

Can Death Ever Be Good? The Grief of Loss and Hope of Heaven – Here’s some clarity on what death really is.

How Can I Return to Normal Life After Tragedy?

How Can I Return to Normal Life After Tragedy? – “God has his purposes for your season of loss. Trust him in it. Wait patiently for the Lord.”

6 Questions Pastors Can Answer About Assisted Reproductive Technology

6 Questions Pastors Can Answer About Assisted Reproductive Technology – “Here’s a primer to get you up-to-speed on how to counsel couples considering or involved in assisted reproductive technology.”

The Church: A Family of Redemption

The Church: A Family of Redemption – “The local church paints a picture of a greater reality: God takes broken people and makes them whole through the family of God. He has sent his son Jesus Christ to redeem a people—his people—to himself that they might enjoy him forever. This is an eternal and unfading family, but it’s also a family for the not-yet season that we live in.”

How Do You See People?

How Do You See People? – “I often see people with labels attached, and those tags may either dismiss or enlarge who they are in my esteem.”

Characteristics of Jesus

Characteristics of Jesus: 10 Traits for His Followers to Emulate.

11 Indicators of Spiritual Growth in Children

11 Indicators of Spiritual Growth in Children – These would be true of children but also of adults.

1776: The Year That Shaped the Post-Christian West

1776: The Year That Shaped the Post-Christian West – “Many of our baseline assumptions about ourselves and our place in the world are the product of these seven trends.”

Run. Retaliate. Repress.

Run. Retaliate. Repress. – “Run. Retaliate. Repress. Three temptations in times of suffering and trouble.”

 

The Christological Sign of the Sabbath

The Christological Sign of the Sabbath – “The covenant Lord continues to call us to set apart one day in seven to worship on the new covenant Sabbath. Just as the creational Sabbath served the purpose of holding out the hope of an eternal blessing.”

Remembering Why the LORD Loves Us So Much

Remembering Why the LORD Loves Us So Much – “Abba, Father, You love us as much as you love Jesus all the time. We can’t increase or diminish your love for us—as hard as that is to believe.”

Abraham and Abimelech

Abraham and Abimelech – “I don’t want to alarm you, but the Bible is full of bad people. As I begin my second journey through the Holy Scriptures in a mere ten months, I am once again astonished by how wicked the main characters are.” 

The Christian’s Connection to Old Testament Promises

The Christian’s Connection to Old Testament Promises – “For Paul, both OT and NT promises belong to Christians, but only in Jesus. What follows are five principles that shape how the NT authors relate OT promises to Christians.”

The Temptation We Most Often Overlook

The Temptation We Most Often Overlook – “The sidelining of God, as demonstrated by the absence of fervent prayer—surely this is the great temptation of our times.”

 

Fight Fear by Resting in the Goodness of God

Fight Fear by Resting in the Goodness of God – “Fear is prevalent in our communities and even our churches. How can Christ-followers fight fear by resting in the goodness of God?”

Grow in Contentment Through Worship

Grow in Contentment Through Worship – “What are the good things about your church, your work, your neighborhood? Bring these to mind, especially when you are inclined to complain, and as you do, you will learn to be content.”

Sit With Your Anxiety

Sit With Your Anxiety – “Are you struggling today? I am sorry. But God has not left you. If you are tired of running today, sit down. Wait. Your Heavenly Father will find you. You can trust him.”

 

Ten Questions to Ask Yourself Before Confronting a Brother or Sister in Christ

Ten Questions to Ask Yourself Before Confronting a Brother or Sister in Christ – “Christian love requires that we must at times confront one another about sin patterns that hinder growth toward spiritual fruitfulness and maturity.”

3 Helpful Truths To Remember To Trust God in All Circumstances

3 Helpful Truths To Remember To Trust God in All Circumstances – “During those times, it’s important to remember some key things in order to continue, day by day, to make the choice to trust God. And while those things to remember are many, here are three of them.”

3 Urgent Reasons You Should Preach on Thanksgiving RIGHT NOW

3 Urgent Reasons You Should Preach on Thanksgiving RIGHT NOW – We may need to talk about thanksgiving throughout the year and not just in November.

Our Prayer-Answering God (when He says wait)

Our Prayer-Answering God (when He says wait) – “As we send up our petitions in Jesus’ name, He at times delights to answer ‘yes’ to our prayers. At other times, He chooses to bring Himself glory by asking us to wait for our requests. His timing is perfect, and it’s possible to wait patiently in His strength.”

Train Up a Child

Train Up a Child – “For years, I looked at Proverbs 22:6 as a promise from God. I believed if I taught my children the truths of the Word of God, they would turn out right and never rebel.”

Our First Evangelistic Task: Make Christianity Comprehensible

Our First Evangelistic Task: Make Christianity Comprehensible – “Our task is to probe and find points of tension where we can upset misconceptions, offer a beautiful alternative, challenge the prevailing social myths, and proclaim the good news.”

The Pursuit of Holy Affections

The Pursuit of Holy Affections – “What might this good battle look like each day? We can sketch the fight in four steps: test, seek, pray, fight.” – “What might this good battle look like each day? We can sketch the fight in four steps: test, seek, pray, fight.”

Will We Know Everything in Heaven or Will We Learn?

Will We Know Everything in Heaven or Will We Learn? – “God alone is omniscient. When we die, we’ll see things far more clearly, and we’ll know much more than we do now, but we’ll never know everything. (If we did, we’d be God!)”

Christ’s Presence Guarantees Mission Success

Christ’s Presence Guarantees Mission Success – “Jesus isn’t just along for the ride. He isn’t merely at our side, comforting us when we’re weak. No, Jesus is leading us and driving us from within.”

Few Things Are More Dangerous Than the Quest for Cultural Acceptance

Few Things Are More Dangerous Than the Quest for Cultural Acceptance – “How can Christians resist the temptation to pursue respectability? Here are four suggestions.”

Four Questions to Ask When Making a Big Decision

Four Questions to Ask When Making a Big Decision – “When it’s time to make a big decision, here are four questions to ask as we seek to hear how God might be speaking through several of those avenues in our lives.”

Do Christians, Jews, and Muslims Worship the Same God?

Do Christians, Jews, and Muslims Worship the Same God? – “Nearly 6 in 10 evangelicals agree that God accepts the worship of Christians, Jews, and Muslims. But how does God answer the question?”

Four Reasons You Never Follow Through With ‘Quiet Time’

Four Reasons You Never Follow Through With ‘Quiet Time’ – “Here are four reasons you probably don’t follow through with quiet time, as well as what you should do instead.”

Dead in Sin… but Alive in Christ

Dead in Sin… but Alive in Christ – “The gospel doesn’t claim to help the weak; it claims to make the dead live again. It is only when we begin to see the true nature of the utter despair of humanity that we begin to see Jesus not as the key to a better life. Not as a sage only teaching about love. Not as a miracle worker only concerned with the alleviation of human suffering.”

Spending Time Together After Marrying

Spending Time Together After Marrying – “The tyranny of the urgent often times grabs our attention away from each other, despite our best intentions.”

 

How Can I Kill My Selfishness?

How Can I Kill My Selfishness? – “Selfishness is a many-headed monster. It is, in a sense, the most destructive disease of the human soul.”

Symptoms of A Prayerless Life

Symptoms of A Prayerless Life – “Busyness and prayerlessness are a dangerous combination whose symptoms are seen in our attitude, work and relationships.”

What is Eschatology?

What is Eschatology? – “There’s a lot that we don’t know about what will happen in this story between now and the end, but we know several things about what will happen at the very end.”

250 Years Later, ‘Amazing Grace’ Has Filled Churches, Concerts, Even Commercials

250 Years Later, ‘Amazing Grace’ Has Filled Churches, Concerts, Even Commercials – “Because its words speak to a human condition of suffering, and people coming out of suffering, and its music has a kind of haunting refrain that soothes.”

 

The Powerful Imagery of Kintsugi

The Powerful Imagery of Kintsugi – “God picks us up and applies the gold of his grace to our brokenness—not disguising it but putting his grace on display for all to see.”

3 Reasons the Old Testament Remains Relevant

3 Reasons the Old Testament Remains Relevant – “If we keep these three truths in mind, we will better prepare ourselves to benefit from the Old Testament according to what it is.”

The Spiritual Discipline of Sky

The Spiritual Discipline of Sky – “How the Heavens Shape a Heart”

When Catholicity Leads to Compromise

When Catholicity Leads to Compromise – The author warns that “an over-realized catholicity is potentially poisonous. I caution us all to beware of the following three catholicity-based compromises…”