Author George Bernard Shaw went to visit fellow Brit and sculptor Sir Jacob Epstein on one occasion. As the artist showed the writer his studio, Shaw noticed a huge block of stone in the corner and asked Epstein what his intention was for the granite. “I don’t know yet. I’m still making plans.” “You mean […]
Read More A steadfast mindToday my Dad and I talked about the nature of the gospel and the reality that it must and will produce transformation in those who believe. There is no salvation without some form of transformation. William Mounce addresses the same issue in his recent blog post, “Is there a difference between ‘certainly’ and ‘never’?” As […]
Read More Implications of believingIt’s just a butterfly. But its development reveals the miraculous nature of divine creation. HT: Justin Taylor.
Read More It would take a miracleCharles Spurgeon: There is no greater mercy that I know of on earth than good health except it be sickness; and that has often been a greater mercy to me than health. It is a good thing to be without a trouble; but it is a better thing to have a trouble, and know how […]
Read More The mercy of sicknessD. A. Carson deals with the question of why God doesn’t always heal people. Start at 1:27:00 —
Read More Escape pain at all costs?Being able to articulate the gospel with accuracy is one thing; having its truth captivate your soul is quite another. The gospel is not just supposed to be our ticket into heaven; it is to be an entirely new basis for how we relate to God, ourselves, and others. It is to be the source […]
Read More The goal of the gospelWe live in a culture and time that weighs the emotive value of love as much more important than the volitional value of love. It has not always been this way: “Often the Puritans would decide to get married before they knew who they were going to marry. They would decide it was time to […]
Read More The Puritans on loveWe are to do everything humanly possible to be at peace with all men (Rom. 12:18). Yet harmony in human relationships cannot always be accomplished. Elizabeth Barrett was an accomplished writer and poet, yet her marriage with Robert Browning caused an irreconcilable rift with her parents. As he did with all his children who married, […]
Read More Sunday Leftovers – Relationships According to ProverbsHT: Justin Taylor.
Read More Can there be meaning in life without God?Preparing for my sermon on Sunday, I came across this statement by Tim Lane and Paul Tripp: We enter relationships for personal pleasure, self-actualization, and fun. We want low personal cost and high self-defined returns. But God wants high personal cost and high God-defined returns. And although we frequently disagree with God, his plan is […]
Read More Why do you enter relationships?Call this a study in contrasts. Isaiah 9 is a well-known passage for its description of the advent of the Messiah: For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal […]
Read More A study in contrastsIt is rare to think of pain and suffering as a gift of God’s grace. Instead, most of the time, we argue with God about our plight, we complain and become angry about the “unfairness” of our suffering, and we assume that our circumstances are inherently bad. As a contrast, consider the testimony of Joni […]
Read More Grace in sufferingMartin Luther: Now, we are sure that Christ pleases God, that he is holy and so on. Inasmuch, then, as Christ pleases God and we are in him, we also please God and are holy. Although sin still remains in us, and although we daily fall and offend, grace is more abundant and stronger than […]
Read More Pleasing GodSometimes we struggle in prayer because we haven’t thought through a plan. While even plans can become ruts, they also can be tools to stay out of ruts if we use them wisely. So here is one pastor’s prayer plan: First I pray for my family by name. Next I pray for pastors. I also […]
Read More A prayer planThere is a cultural sentiment that if you love someone then you will not confront that person’s sinful choices. To do so is profoundly unloving, the thinking goes. Yet if we love one another, we will still abhor sin and cling to everything good (Rom. 12:9). And that is true of our relationships as well. […]
Read More Do friends let friends sin?
Words of Grace 