Late in his ministry, the apostle Paul had been told by the Lord that he was to go to Jerusalem and that when he got there he would be imprisoned and suffer a variety of trials (cf. Acts 20:23). And Paul received confirmation of his impending suffering from others (cf. 21:4, 11). And while he […]
Read More Courage for the hard thingsJeremiah said that, “the heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” (17:9). That statement affirms the doctrine of depravity — a man’s heart might desire sin far worse and far more than one can conceive. Depravity does not mean that a man sins as much as he […]
Read More The kinds of men God savesMeditating on Psalm 110 (the most-quoted OT passage by the NT — see Mt. 22:44; 26:64; Mk. 14:62; Lk. 20:42-43; 22:69; Acts 2:34-35; Heb. 1:13), Charles Spurgeon wrote of our Savior: Give me Christ, and I have no desire for anything beyond him, for Christ is all. Whatever of good we may wish for, it […]
Read More Christ is all“…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.I know nothing about this show. My only awareness of it is through this clip from YouTube. But it is in my top two favorite internet videos (the other one is Bob Newhart’s counseling method). What makes this so good is that along with the humor it also makes an important point about our reading […]
Read More Friday Funny: Did you read it?A cursory reading of the accounts of Paul’s intention to go to Jerusalem and the desires of others for him not to go to Jerusalem in Acts 21 might leave some readers thinking that the Holy Spirit has conflicted His own directions and work. But such is not the case, as John Stott explains: Thus […]
Read More Does the Spirit of God contradict Himself?You have likely heard it at a birthday gathering or around the Christmas tree: “I can’t wait for you to open my gift for you — I just love giving presents!” The speaker might even invoke the saying of Christ, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). And while that verse […]
Read More It is more blessed to give than receive…Some helpful articles from the last week: Chad Hall identifies “Three Reasons We Should Not Share the Gospel” — insecurity, arrogance, and narcissism. “What do all of these poor motivations have in common? Each one places the needs and interests of the evangelist ahead of the needs and interests of the other. Evangelism should always […]
Read More Grab bagRomans 16 is a dreaded public Scripture reading for any young seminary student or pastoral intern. I know — I was asked to do that reading by my pastor as a first or second-year seminarian, and I poured over my Bible and Greek New Testament for much too long, attempting to sort out the correct […]
Read More Greet my friends“…that I may come to you in joy by the will of God and find refreshing rest in your company.” (Rom. 15:32; NASB) As a boy, Larry Crabb stuttered. Now a speaker, writer, and counselor, Dr. Crabb recalls an incident in the church he attended as a young man. Young men in that church were […]
Read More An encouraging wordI was probably about 10 years old. I’d gone to the store with my folks, and I wandered off to find something of interest to me. Following my norm at that time, I found the baseball cards and books. Not only did they have baseball cards, but they had a clear-pack strip that contained the […]
Read More When in doubt…For two weeks, we’ve been thinking on Sunday morning about the relationship between the believer and the government from Titus 3:1. The primary principles and their implications in this passage could be summarized this way: Our responsibility before the Lord is not to change the government but to submit to it (v. 1). We are […]
Read More Sunday Leftovers — Me and the GovernmentReflecting on Psalm 108:7, Charles Spurgeon wrote the following: THERE is an old promise, concerning God’s people, which says, “Before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” This text is one of the instances in which the Lord has dealt with his saints upon the lines of that […]
Read More God has spokenEric Metaxas’ Kindle ebook, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, is on sale for one day only (August 24) for $1.99 at Amazon. This is a terrific deal on a well-researched biography (reg. $19.99 on Kindle).
Read More Bonhoeffer Kindle book on saleSeveral years ago I had a conversation with another believer after a Sunday worship service about a believer’s relationship to the government. We differed on when it was appropriate to disobey the government. He was refusing to pay taxes. I wrote a follow-up letter, which I reproduce below (with some modifications) as a reflection on […]
Read More When we’re unhappy with the government
Words of Grace 