Perhaps the most-recognized attribute of God is His love. And it is true. God is love (1 Jn. 5:16). God not only loves, but His very nature is love — His identity is love. His nature is love and He loves — He acts lovingly (1 Jn. 4:10). Further, all love emanates from Him (1 […]
Read More The priority of loving one anotherMany years ago, while counseling a troubled married couple, the wife asked me, “How do you deal with anxiety in your life?” I don’t remember what precipitated the question, but I remember my response: “I’m not sure what to tell you. [I hadn’t had any biblical counseling training yet, as you can tell by the […]
Read More Book Review: Gentle and LowlySuffering and the Love of Christ Romans 8:35-39 April 28, 2019 We have questions about love. We want to know what love will do. When we are in love (or think we are in love), we will ask questions like: Will the person I love return that love to me? Will the person I love […]
Read More Sermon: Suffering and the love of ChristIn what almost seems to be a passing comment at first, Paul tells the Romans that if they are mortifying sins by the power of the Spirit of God (Rom. 8:13), it indicates that they are being led (controlled and indwelt) by the Spirit and since the Spirit only indwells believers, then they “are sons […]
Read More How great the Father’s loveThe love of God may be one of the most misunderstood attributes of God’s character. Talk to an unbeliever about the wrath of God and the consequences of sin and you are likely to hear a comment something like, “My God is not like that. I don’t believe in a God who is angry; my […]
Read More The outpouring of God’s loveThree words are of great importance in any ongoing, vital relationship. Yet these words can often become trite, routine, and meaningless because they are used in unthinking habits. When first spoken, they are powerful and motivating. They thrill the heart and excite and inflame passions. Yet years later, though still spoken, they can become trivial […]
Read More Consider Christ’s love“They have need of Christ when they are dark, to enlighten them; when they are dead, to quicken them; when they are straightened, to enlarge them; when they are weak, to strengthen them; when they are sad, to comfort them; when they are tempted, to succour them; when they are fallen, to raise them; when […]
Read More When you need ChristWednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from The Godly Man’s Picture. Is it the sign of a godly person to be a Christ-prizer? Then let us test our godliness by this: Do we set a high estimation on Christ? Question: How […]
Read More Do we esteem Christ highly?Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from All Things for Good. If we are lovers of God, we love what God loves. (1) We love God’s Word. David esteemed the Word, for the sweetness of it, above honey (Psalm 119.103), and […]
Read More If we are lovers of God, we love what God lovesWednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from The Godly Man’s Picture. What is it to glorify God? Glorifying God consists in four things: 1: Appreciation, 2. Adoration, 3. Affection, 4. Subjection. This is the yearly rent we pay to the crown […]
Read More What is it to glorify God?Thomas Watson in All Things for Good (orig., A Divine Cordial) writes about tests we can give ourselves to determine whether or not we genuinely love God. Test nine follows: If we are lovers of God, we love what God loves. (i.) We love God’s Word. David esteemed the Word, for the sweetness of it, […]
Read More If we are lovers of God, we love what God lovesNew Life in Christ: Faith, Love, and Obedience 1 John 5:1-3 June 22, 2014 In late April/early May, 1989 I remember very distinctly walking out of a seminary classroom building, crossing the street that separated the campus from our apartment building and thinking, “I’ve taken my last exam; I’ve been taking tests in school for […]
Read More Sermon: New Life in Christ: Faith, Love, and ObedienceQuestion. How may we keep our love from going out? Answer. Watch your hearts every day. Take notice of the first declinings in grace. Observe yourselves when you begin to grow dull and listless, and use all means for quickening. Be much in prayer, meditation, and holy conference. When the fire is going out you […]
Read More Keep loving GodLove One Another, Pt. 3 1 John 4:15-21 June 15, 2014 Some things that should be self-evident aren’t as obvious as we might suppose. When he was a football coach, Buddy Ryan was known as being a no-nonsense, tough-nosed coach. He learned well from his father, as an article from 1994 recounts: Leaving Korea as […]
Read More Sermon: Love One Another, Part 3Love One Another, Pt. 2 1 John 4:11-14 June 8, 2014 It is perhaps the worst case of amnesia in the world. Deborah Wearing tells the story of her husband, Clive: Clive had no idea that Tuesday, March 26, 1985 would be his last day of conscious thought. We weren’t ready. Did he feel his […]
Read More Sermon: Love One Another, Part 2
Words of Grace 