Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from A Divine Cordial (currently in print under the title, All Things for Good), chapter 2: “The Worst Things Work for Good to the Godly.” As the hard frosts in winter bring on the flowers in […]
Read More How affliction works for our goodSome helpful articles from around the web recently: Heath Lambert answers the question often asked of biblical counselors, “Who says medicine is important?” There have been several recent helpful posts for students, and particularly college students. David Mathis offers a brief and helpful video in, “You’re Not a Student First,” Marshall Segal provides “Five Back-to-School […]
Read More Grab bagI haven’t read this book (obviously), but like many of you, I’ve known of this story. This looks to be a very encouraging and helpful book. “Eight Twenty Eight” holds a wealth of meaning for Ian and Larissa Murphy. Ian’s father, who died of brain cancer, was born on August 28. Romans 8:28 is the […]
Read More Ian & Larissa: Eight Twenty EightOn Saturday, Rocky Wyatt spoke to our men on the topic, “Don’t Waste Your Pain.” If you weren’t there, you need to listen to this message. If you were there, you probably (like me) need to listen to it again. Download it here. Or stream it below: Rocky’s message focused on three benefits of trials […]
Read More Don’t waste your painBelow is the substance of an email I sent to our church body this morning after the storm in Granbury last night: Dear beloved Church Body, The Lord last night demonstrated His power and authority, along with His grace. During the storm, the words of Psalm 8 were going through my mind: When I consider […]
Read More If you’d like to help…What we deem to be necessary for our lives and what God deems to be necessary for us are often in conflict. We idolize simplicity and solitude and ease. God desires our sanctification and Christlikeness. And sanctification rarely happens in ease and leisure. So God — decreeing what is necessary for us (1 Peter 1:6) […]
Read More Necessities of lifeFrom “Of First Importance:” Sanctified affliction teaches the soul its utter destitution. The believer often commences his spiritual journey with shallow and defective views of the perfect fitness and glory of the Redeemer’s justifying righteousness. There is, we admit, a degree of self-renunciation, there is a reception of Christ, and there is some sweet and […]
Read More Sanctified afflictionWhat does a husband say to his wife when he knows death is imminent? Even more, what does a husband say to his wife when he has been falsely accused of a crime and has been sentenced to death through the injustice? In 1944, pastor Helmuth von Moltke was accused, tried, and convicted of conspiracy […]
Read More “May God be as good to you as he has been to me…”It’s often hard to see the good in the midst of hardship. When a child receives a diagnosis of cancer or a long-time employee is laid off before Christmas or a college student fails a required course in the semester before graduation or the girl says no to the marriage proposal or the friend betrays […]
Read More Looking for — and seeing — God’s gloryWe know that Jesus did not sin. But we can wrongly infer from that truth that life was easy for Him. It wasn’t. He felt the troubles of life as no other man has ever felt them. And that means that not only has He experienced the trials of life Himself, but that He really […]
Read More Sunday Leftovers — He knows our troublesIn the middle of his second and final letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul writes a sober and startling statement: “But realize this, that in the last times difficult times will come” (3:1). That sentence jars the reader into wakefulness. That is not the kind of sentence that we like to read. Our presupposition is […]
Read More It’s not going to get better. But there is an answer.“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1; NASB) “Where is your God now?” It is a hard question, often asked under the most burdensome circumstances. Job’s friends and wife asked the question. And even though they didn’t ask it, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Esau, Joseph, Moses, […]
Read More Where is your faith?Psalm 118 begins this way: Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Oh let Israel say, “His lovingkindness is everlasting.” Oh let the house of Aaron say, “His lovingkindness is everlasting.” Oh let those who fear the LORD say, “His lovingkindness is everlasting.” (vv. 1-4) And it ends […]
Read More God’s lovingkindness is everlasting“…they were brought safely to land” (Acts 27:44). It sounds so tame and calm and serene. Sure, there had been a storm and a ship had broken up and people were forced to swim and hold on to scattered planks and other assorted flotation devices to make it to shore, but the understated declaration, “they […]
Read More They were brought safely to land“…it doesn’t compute, it doesn’t make sense. It’s not explainable. I don’t understand how a baby dying can be good. I don’t understand it, but I accept it…but I know that if it were better, if it would bring God more glory, or if it would be better for us if she were here, that […]
Read More God is good. Always.
Words of Grace 