Now that the Olympics are beginning…

This afternoon I read what I wrote four years ago after the last summer Olympic games ended. It’s worth reading “Now that the Olympics are over,” before they begin, to prepare your heart spiritually for temptations that lie ahead in the next two weeks. A sample: If I’m going to watch too much TV, it […]

A commendable ministry

As you look at churches, pastors, and various ministries, many kinds of criteria are used to determine effectiveness and credibility. Just this morning I received an email advertisement that asserted, Long before anyone in your community meets you or is impacted by your ministries, your buildings and campus have sent a clear message to everyone. […]

What do you want? — a chart

Earlier today, I blogged about our desires and passions in relation to our position in Christ (“What do you want?”). Some time ago, I came across this chart (commonly called, “the Y-Chart”), which I have modified very slightly to help us understand how each decision we make flows out of the desires and longings of […]

What do you want?

What do you want? What do your really long for and crave? What do you want so badly that even thinking about not getting it leaves a knot in your stomach? What do you want so badly that perhaps your friends think you are consumed with that passion? There are many ways we might answer […]

Gospel power

One of the great paradoxes of the gospel in the life of the believer is that while he is always dying, yet he is also ever-living (2 Cor. 4:10). So Paul says the believer is (vv. 8-9) — afflicted, BUT not crushed perplexed, BUT not despairing persecuted, BUT not forsaken struck down, BUT not destroyed […]

Audio book sale

Christian audio is having a sale on 10 books (99¢ each!) for the next 7 days (the sale concludes 7/31). If you like to listen to spiritually profitable material while driving, exercising, or working around the house or yard, these may be helpful for you. Several titles look particularly interesting, including books by John Stott, […]

What am I looking at?

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” (2 Cor 3:18) For believers in Christ, our faces have been unveiled. That is, we are allowed to gaze at the […]

That smells good!

Saturday evening we pulled back into our garage after a two-week vacation. And as soon as we opened the van doors, we could tell something had happened while we were gone — and the first thought was that the cat had brought an “offering” to us and that sacrifice was decaying in a hidden place. […]

Comfort from God

The obvious theme of the opening verses of 2 Corinthians 1 is the comfort of God: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in […]

Question of the day

This is paraphrased from a message by C. J. Mahaney, given at the recent Resolved Conference: Are you prone to identify evidences of grace in your church family more than criticisms of your church? What are those evidences of God’s grace in your church? It is worth taking a few minutes today to write down […]

There are many adversaries

My family and I are on vacation in the mountains this week. One of the things we’ve been doing most days is taking hikes up and down the hills in our area. We start at around 7500 feet (where our accommodations are) and go up. And down. And up again. And down for a while. […]

Be steadfast

I like baseball. I have for as long as I can remember. I’ve suffered through four decades of mediocre baseball following my favorite team, the Texas Rangers, before they qualified twice for the World Series (without, alas, the victor’s rings). I’ve acquired thousands and thousands of baseball cards. I still reach first for the sports […]

He hears our prayers

In reading through the Psalms on Sunday mornings, certain themes recur. One of those is the frequency with which the psalmists pray and the regular reminders of the truth that God hears (and responds to) our prayers. Consider these recent examples: “Oh, give ear, Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You […]

Understanding New Testament Tongues

While in seminary, I took a required Greek course on 1 Corinthians. As part of the requirement for the course we had to right position papers on three topics that were prominent in the Corinthian church and letter: divorce and remarriage, the role of women in the church, and the sign gifts. The thinking of […]

Tests of love

1 Corinthians 13 is probably read publicly most often in wedding services. When I plan those services with engaged couples, I can almost predict with certainty when I ask, “What passages would you like to have read at the service,” that they will invariably respond with dreamy-eyed glances at each other, “1 Corinthians 13.” And […]