How the believer in Christ relates to the world is an old question. Both Christ and the apostles addressed the question. “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take […]
Read More In the world, but not of itI have often said that my favorite book of the Bible is the book that I am currently preaching. And that means my current favorite is Ephesians — the book we have been reading in the Bible reading plan the past couple of days. Not only is Ephesians a great theological work, offering insight into […]
Read More Reading EphesiansThe man who has God, though he has nothing else, has everything. And the man who has everything, but does not have God, has nothing. So posited C. S. Lewis. And echoing his thoughts is Jonathan Edwards, who meditates on the importance of our readiness to let go of all possessions for the sake of […]
Read More God as our portionNot only has the ark been in the news lately, but so has the shroud of Turin. What are we to believe and think about these items? And how do they help our faith (or do they)? Al Mohler ponders these relics this morning — and the appropriate response to them by evangelicals. Among his […]
Read More More about the ark — and the shroud, tooOur Scripture reading this morning included some of Solomon’s counsel to his son — Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the LORD always. Surely there is a future, And your hope will not be cut off. (Prov. 23:17-18) There is a relationship, this wise father advises, between an […]
Read More Your soul’s best interestMatt Chandler is pastor of The Village Church in the Dallas area. Last Thanksgiving he discovered that he had a malignant tumor in his brain. Doctors were able to remove much, but not all of it, and he was given the prognosis of 2-4 years to live. He is in his mid-thirties with two young […]
Read More Matt Chandler helps prepare us for sufferingTitle: All Things for Good Author: Thomas Watson Publisher: Banner of Truth Trust (reprint), 1986; 127 pp. $8.00 ($6 in the church bookstore) Recommendation (4-star scale): I like to read. Always have. I like to go to bookstores. I’ll leave one bookstore (as I did yesterday), see another bookstore half a mile away, and want […]
Read More Book Review: All Things for GoodThe breakout sessions from the recent Together for the Gospel conference are now available for download. After now listening to most of the main sessions, I’m really looking forward to these additional messages. You can download the breakout sessions here.
Read More T4G breakout sessions now availableYesterday morning in our worship service, we introduced Thomas Watson’s exposition of Romans 8:28 — All Things for Good — as our book of the month (review forthcoming). The truth of God’s sovereignty in all things is a precious comfort and a source of stability to the believer. And Watson is hardly the only writer […]
Read More Everything God sends is needfulWriting of the importance of the home and in particular, the mother’s role in the home, John MacArthur has said this The family might survive the problems with children and husband-fathers if the women who are wives and mothers were faithful to their godly calling. Their influence is so strong and pervasive in the home […]
Read More Sunday Leftovers (5/9/10)A few weeks ago I was talking to one of my daughters about a friend she was trying to encourage. He thought he was going through some unusually difficult times — and he was openly unhappy at God about it. How could she encourage him to endure and to trust God’s providence in his life? […]
Read More Do not be surprised at fiery ordealsI think it was 30 or more years ago that I first heard a report that Noah’s ark was found on Mt. Ararat. Since then other discoveries have been claimed, including one a couple of weeks ago as reported by numerous news sources including FOX News and National Geographic. The question is whether or not […]
Read More Has Noah’s ark been found?Mark Dever and Paul Alexander identify one of the things that makes a believer impoverished and weak in his spiritual life — and their assertion is in contradiction to the call of our day and culture: While our individual walks are crucial, we are impoverished in our pursuit of God if we do not avail […]
Read More Impoverished believersRomans 8:28 is a well-known, often-quoted, hard-to-believe verse. That God uses the beneficent acts of our lives for our good is comprehensible. We do not struggle to understand how God is working good in our lives when we are recipients or instigators of gracious words and activities. But when the worst things in life invade […]
Read More How God uses sin for our goodRomans 7 speaks of the problem of indwelling sin in the life of the believer. He has a new disposition that wants to do good, but he still has the nature of the flesh that does the things he does not want to do (and doesn’t do the things he wants to do). But thanks […]
Read More God’s love for His own
Words of Grace 