How suffering is good

Suffering is good. Now there is a statement that is sure to raise a few questions in the minds of most readers and thinkers. Yet the Scriptures affirm that the varied kinds of suffering endured by believers really are for their good and for God’s glory. A few examples: Suffering from sin teaches us the […]

Suffering and worship

This week we finish reading the book of Job. The majority of the book contains the dialogue between Job and his three not-so-wise and not-so-comforting and not-so-biblical friends. They foolishly attempt to answer why a godly man like Job suffers (their faulty answer — “he’s not as godly as he thinks”). But in question after […]

The inclination of our hearts

Our hearts are, because of the fall of man, naturally inclined to evil and sin and disobedience and rebellion against God. Yet in His grace, God works in the hearts of men to incline them in new ways to Him. We call this regeneration. It is God making a stony heart into a fleshly (sanctified […]

God is faithful

It was my first real job. Every morning I would get up early, go down to the corner, and pick up a bundle of newspapers, fold them, bind them with a rubber band, put them in my canvas carrying bag and deliver them. On only the second or third Sunday, I showed up at the […]

Seeking happiness through sorrow

John Piper frequently quotes the French philosopher Pascal, who wrote in Pensees, “All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. the cause of some going to war and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attending with different views. The will […]

Principles of giving

A preacher went to visit a farmer and during the course of that visit asked him, “If you had $200 would you give $100 to the Lord?” “I would, preacher.” “If you had two cows, would you give one to the Lord?” “Yes, I believe I would.” “If you had two pigs, would you give […]

Why do you serve Christ?

May I ask a straight-forward question? Why do you do what you do for Christ? That is, what is the motive for your actions? What drives you and compels you? Specifically, when you think about how you serve God, can you also determine why you serve God? Some serve God from a sense of “holy […]

A sweet aroma

A writer for Leadership Journal recounted the following story: Deep-sea divers recently recovered a leather case containing 40 small vials of perfume oil from the wreck of the Titanic. The little bottles, which probably would have been sold in New York as the ingredients for cologne, belonged to a businessman from Manchester, England. When they […]

He will not change

That we live in different times than the generation(s) that preceded us seems self-evident. But the case of a certain John Fisher and Lizzie Clark, two strangers on a train near Atlantic City near the beginning of the 20th century reveals just how much change has taken place. This, according to the New York Times, […]

What about polygamy in the OT?

This morning in our daily Bible reading, we read again of a number of polygamists among the kings of Israel and Judah. It seems so incongruous — God’s leaders in clear violation of God’s Word. So what is the view of Scripture toward polygamy? How can men who were involved in polygamy seem to be […]

Be on the alert

“Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” (1 Cor. 16:13; NASB) It was a simple task. Two bushes. One set of hedge clippers. One hour. No problem. I dove into the job with vigor. I really do enjoy trimming bushes and trees — I enjoy seeing the speedy […]

Memories

Memories. The first day of school. The first date with your wife. The night your child was born. The funeral of your best friend. The aching regret of a mistake, a sin, that cannot be undone. Water skiing on the lake with friends. The smell of hot-dogs and popcorn that takes you in your mind’s […]

Still studying

During a dinner party conversation, the neighbor of Albert Einstein asked the white-haired physicist, “What are you actually, by profession?” “I devote myself to the study of physics,” replied Einstein. The girl was astonished: “You mean to say that you study physics at your age? I finished mine a year ago!” What that poor young […]

Reading Hosea

Hosea is one of the most unusual books in Scripture. It has to be labeled as such since the bitter marriage of the prophet Hosea to his prostitute wife stands as a picture of the tragic relationship between the gracious God and His disobedient and rebellious people. The tendency is for readers to align themselves […]

Reading Song of Solomon

Today we began reading the Song of Solomon — a book that for many centuries has been read as typical of Christ’s love for His bride, the church. However, that is not how Israelites would have read the book 1000 years before the time of Christ. And, since the best way to read and understand […]