He cares — another demonstration

After writing this morning that Jesus cares for us, I came across the blog post, “He is Able to Sympathize” by Erik Raymond: When I read a passage like the one above [Heb. 4:15] I am driven to the gospels to analyze the context of some of the days within the context of Christ’s earthly […]

He cares

Philip Yancey recounts the words of a man with leprosy who visited Dr. Paul Brand, who had done much research on that disease: “When I got to Vellore, I spent the night on the Brand’s verandah, because I had nowhere else to go. That was unheard of for a person with leprosy back then. I […]

Taking a test

I was not a particularly good test taker in school. I didn’t care for them (I’d say I hated them, but we’ve taught our children not to use the word hate in that kind of context, so I refrain). I would much rather write a paper — or several papers — than take one test. […]

He does all things well

It’s just one tiny sentence at the end of a story, but it’s the key to understanding the story. After Jesus healed the Syrophoenician’s daughter of the demon and healed the deaf man by touching him with His saliva (Mark 7), along with other unnamed miracles, the crowd declared, “He has done all things well…” […]

When obedience is not obedience

Not all obedience is obedience. If you have children, that statement is often easy to validate. Children will begrudgingly say, “sorry” when they’ve sinned, with little evident demonstrations of remorse or repentance. Children will fulfill a task (e.g., cleaning, chores, homework), all the while grumbling about it, so the job is done, but with all […]

Self-examination questions

Self-examination is always good in the life of the believer. In Psalm 26, David articulates a number of areas of his life that reflect his integrity before the Lord. These assertions are a good place for the believer to ask questions about his own life with God and Christ: Is the overall character of my […]

Do not be afraid

Just because something is easy to say does not mean it is easy to do. So it is easy for Jesus to say, “Your sins are forgiven.” It’s far more difficult to actually absolve one of the guilt before God that is incurred by sin, which was exactly Jesus’s point and claim in Mk. 2:5-12. […]

Denying self and following Christ

Jesus: And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For […]

Shepherds’ Conference seminars

The Shepherds’ Conference begins three weeks from today. Grace Community Church has posted some videos explaining some of the seminars scheduled for the conference. Here are some of the speakers talking about their seminars: Steve Lawson on C. H. Spurgeon — “The Evangelistic Zeal of a 19th Century Calvinist:” Lance Quinn on “The Biblical Counseling […]

Evangelism and God’s sovereignty, part 2

Continuing yesterday’s quotation from J. I. Packer’s, Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God. Today’s quote centers on how God’s sovereignty relates to our duty to evangelize. The sovereignty of God in grace gives us our only hope of success in evangelism. Some fear that belief in the sovereign grace of God leads to the conclusion […]

Amazed by unbelief

It is not for lack of evidence that belief that people don’t believe in Christ. They do not believe in spite of the evidence that they are given. As one writer has noted, “What a man does not want to believe, he can find a way to deny.” Unbelief has always been a common response […]

Evangelism and God’s sovereignty, part 1

Last Sunday’s message was about what we do and what God does in evangelism. The best work on this subject is J. I. Packer’s book, Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God. The last chapter of the book ties together the two themes of our work and God’s work in the process of evangelism. The entire […]

A full basket of provision

Ministry can be relentlessly busy. There are days when you just want to stop. You don’t want to leave Christ or quit your ministry; you just want a break from the pace. The disciples certainly knew that desire. You can almost read it between the lines of their complaints in Matthew 14. The opposition to […]

Valentine’s Day: God’s love for His own

What is God’s unique love for His redeemed people? He made us His children and given us One who is greater than the one in the world Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 Jn 4:4) […]

Desiring God has an app

Keep up with all the latest blog posts, articles, sermons, and conference messages at Desiring God through its new app. John Piper demonstrates the app: The Desiring God App.