How a Boy Becomes a Man

In a two-part commentary two years ago, Al Mohler noted 13 marks of manhood — 13 qualities that not only signify that transition has taken place from boyhood to manhood, but also 13 targets for fathers to take aim at in the process of discipling their children. While he provides comment with each one, simply […]

A Father’s Encouragement

This morning I read a quotation from Thomas Fuller (1608-1661). It is a succinct reminder both of the weight of our influence on and the extent of God’s grace on our children as we seek to father them to the glory of God. Lord, I find the genealogy of my Savior strangely checkered with four […]

Sunday Leftovers (6/17/07)

One writer has noted that “there is a ‘father hunger’ in every one of us — an insatiable desire to know our fathers.” I believe he is right and I believe that produces at least two clear implications. One, it behooves a father to do all he can to fulfill that hunger by being intentional […]

Father’s Day Meditation

Today is Father’s Day. For some that is a glad and easy celebration and remembrance. For others it is a day mixed with sorrow and regret for a relationship that once was and now is gone or for a desired relationship that was never possessed. That makes worship easy for some and difficult for others. […]

Seven Facts About Fatherhood

A couple of years ago, Alistair Begg noted seven facts about fatherhood that are good reminders that will help every father shepherd his family with more wisdom and grace: Fact 1: I am a Dad – even on the mornings when I don’t feel like it; even when I know I blew it, even when […]

Permanence and Marriage

For all that was said in three sermons on marriage from 1 Peter 3:1-7, little was said about a commitment to the permanence of marriage. These three statements are an encouragement and exhortation to keep on practicing godly disciplines within the context of marriage. We only regard those unions as real examples of love and […]

Sunday Leftovers (6/10/07)

Call this, “How to listen to a sermon about marriage (or any sermon).” There is a temptation when a pastor announces his sermon topic as being “the roles of husbands and wives in marriage,” for a husband or a wife to inwardly cheer, thinking, “Wonderful! I am so glad we came this morning for my […]

Trouble Arising Early to Pray?

Do you have trouble arising early in the morning to pray? This word of encouragement and exhortation from John Calvin is a good encouragement to continuance in the discipline of prayer: “Although we ought always to raise our minds upwards towards God, and pray without ceasing, yet such is our weakness, which requires to be […]

Sunday Leftovers (6/3/07)

A fundamental means of surviving — no, thriving — in marriage is by cultivating love in that marriage. Husbands are called to love their wives (Eph. 5:25-30). Wives are called to love their husbands (Titus 2:4). In the classic passage on love, all believers (including both husbands and wives) are called to a life of […]

Sunday Leftovers (5/27/07)

As is often the case, I didn’t finish my sermon on Sunday. Not only did I not complete the sermon, but I left unsaid a number of things along the way. Here are a few of them (saving still a few for this coming Sunday)… Peter’s words to wives and husbands in 1 Peter 3 […]

Think About It

Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote these words in application of Ephesians 2:2 a generation ago, but they sound just as true today as in the day in which he wrote them: Their little life is entirely controlled by the organization of the world. They think as the world thinks. They take their opinions ready-made from their favourite […]

Lies We Believe

John MacArthur makes the good point that man likes to live according to five dominant lies — lies that constitute the attempt of man to rid himself of the influence and authority of God. These lies are: Life is random. We are all products of evolutionary chance with no purpose and no creator and no […]

Justification and Catholicism

With the reconversion last week of Francis Beckwith, the President of the Evangelical Theological Society, to Roman Catholicism, questions have arisen again about the relationship between Catholicism and Evangelicalism. Beckwith said (among a number of other things) that the reason for his reconversion centered around his understanding of justification: I became convinced that the Early […]

Encouragement and Help for Parents

Christian parents sometimes undergo the sorrow of watching their children stray from the truth of Christ. How should they respond to that sinful waywardness? Abraham Piper (John’s son), offers some counsel that serves as both an encouragement (there is hope for repentance!) and some help (what can I do??). Read it here. In addition, there […]

An Example of and an Exhortation to Endurance

In thinking about ministry and the role of the pastor and the role of the people in relation to 1 Thess. 5:12-24, I came across a story a read a few years ago and a statement about the importance of perseverance in ministry. The story concerns a pastor, John Newton, and a troubled parishioner in […]