Piper on physical exercise and sanctification

Exercise, 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 […]

How Satan tempts

His 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 […]

Is Sandusky Really Such a Bad Guy After All?

With 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 […]

My problem

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 […]

It’s Chick-Fil-A Day

Jesse 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 […]

Principles of giving

In 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 […]

Piper: How to watch the Olympic Games

How much of the Olympics are you watching? Already I’ve heard a few people refer to a downturn in sleep at night and productivity during the day because of how much of these games they are watching. But is there a way to watch these games Christianly? John Piper says, “yes:” Every time you turn […]

A giving heart

Matel Dawson, Jr. is an ordinary man who accomplished something extraordinary. At 76, he still worked for Ford Motor Company — the company that hired him out of high school — operating a forklift. It is unusual to work for one company for more than 57 years. Yet even more remarkably, over six years beginning […]

Why Read the Bible?

Don Carson answers the question, “Why read the Bible?” by first noting why we shouldn’t read the Bible: HT: Desiring God.

Cleaning day

Today should be cleaning day. Today should be the day that I clean out my backpack/laptop case. All those papers, files and notes that I have been carrying between the office and home for weeks need a permanent home outside my backpack (I envision a large, overflowing garbage can…). Over vacation I read ten or […]

Today…

Charles Spurgeon, writing on Psalm 95:7-8 (“TO-DAY! TO-DAY! TO-DAY!,” Sermon no. 1551) — “To-day” is a time of obligation. Every man is under a present necessity as a subject of God to obey his Lord to-day, and having rebelled against his God, every sinner is under law to repent of sin to-day. “Repent ye therefore, […]

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 […]