Why should a man worship God? Because God — He Himself, and He alone — is God. Consider Spurgeon’s contemplation of Psalm 100:3 on this topic: As Matthew Henry has very properly said, ignorance is not the mother of devotion, though it be the mother of superstition. True knowledge is the mother and the nurse […]
Read More The Lord Himself is GodHow sinful is sin? We read phrases like, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23) and nod in assent — “sure, we’ve sinned.” But we generally fail to recognize and affirm the horrid and disastrous nature of those words. That oft quoted verse refers to our acts of sin. […]
Read More How sinful is sin?Martin Luther had a problem. Listen to his words: I greatly longed to understand Paul’s Epistle to the Romans and nothing stood in my way but that one expression, ‘the justice (righteousness) of God,’ because I took it to mean that justice whereby God is just and deals justly in punishing the unjust. My situation […]
Read More The righteousness of GodScripture speaks often about the importance and wisdom of being patient. (Consider Prov. 14:29; 15:18; 16:32; 19:11; 20:22; Col. 3:12; Js. 5:10; 1 Pt. 2:20ff as just a few examples). Scripture also speaks of the patience of God. God waits. One of the common New Testament words for patience is to be long-suffering (see Rom. […]
Read More Why God is patientAre you overwhelmed by sin? Do you struggle repeatedly with the same sin, unable to see any significant progress against it? Has this sin entangled you for years? Is you conscience hounded by guilt? Grace to You has some biblical encouragement for you: First of all, consider that how you deal with the promptings of […]
Read More Overwhelmed by sin?In an essay on the life of Dwight Eisenhower, historian Stephen Ambrose recounts the following story: In 1963, when he was filming with Walter Cronkite a television special entitled “D-Day Plus 20 Years,” Cronkite asked [Eisenhower] what he thought about when he returned to Normandy. In reply, Eisenhower spoke not of the tanks, the guns, […]
Read More Need a little encouragement?On the sixth day of NASA’s moon mission of Apollo 13, the astronauts aboard the badly damaged space vehicle needed to make a critical course correction in order to position themselves to reenter the earth’s atmosphere. Unfortunately, the ship’s onboard computer had been shut down to conserve power, so the craft had to be steered […]
Read More An appropriate prayerAre you content? Pause before you answer that question. Long-time actress and comedienne Gracie Allen once received a small, live alligator as a gag gift. Not knowing what to do with it (just what do you do with an alligator?), Gracie placed it in the bathtub with some water and left for an engagement. When […]
Read More Are you content?Meditating on Psalm 99:1 — “The Lord reigns, let the peoples tremble…,” Charles Spurgeon wrote: The fact that “the Lord reigneth” is indisputable, and it is this fact that arises the utmost opposition in the unrenewed human heart. “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and […]
Read More The Lord reignsExercise, sleep, and diet — how do they relate to our sanctification? Over 40 years ago John Piper was confronted with this issue after realizing the relationship between patience and sleep. Basically, it is easier to be patient after a good night of sleep. So then, as he puts it, “Is patience a fruit of […]
Read More Piper on physical exercise and sanctificationHis name means “adversary.” He is a slanderer, a liar, and a deceiver. He lives to lead people astray from the truth. He is crafty and cunning in all He does. Just as Christ is trustworthy in all that He does, so Satan is untrustworthy in all that he does. But how does Satan tempt […]
Read More How Satan temptsWith perceived moral self-righteousness and indignation abounding on all fronts in relation to Jerry Sandusky and Chick-Fil-A, the following is must reading. It will take you a while to read the entire article, and it will make you think and examine your heart, but this is not merely good reading, it is necessary reading: But […]
Read More Is Sandusky Really Such a Bad Guy After All?I have a problem. It is a sin I struggle with every single day. When I spend time in confession, I find that it has influenced my every sin. As I ponder my motives and desires I find that it has tainted virtually every thought I have and it certainly has tainted every sinful thought […]
Read More My problemJesse Johnson, over at Cripplegate, has some biblical and timely thoughts about today’s Chick-Fil-A Day. An excerpt: Today is Chick-Fil-A appreciation day. Organized by Mike Huckabee (former Governor of Arkansas), the event is intended to show public support and appreciation for the restaurant chain’s founder, who has been vilified because of his support for the […]
Read More It’s Chick-Fil-A DayIn 2 Corinthians 8-9, the apostle Paul provides a number of principles about financial giving that honor the Lord. We are typically shy when talking about giving and the need for giving, but Paul wasn’t. From these two chapters, we have at least a dozen principles that should guide our giving: Give as an example […]
Read More Principles of giving
Words of Grace 