Lessons learned in a crisis

Yesterday morning I made that statement that James 1 is a difficult passage for us to comprehend (and apply) because it is so contrary to the fleshly response when trials occur. In addition to the eternal help we receive from God’s Word, God also provides us with godly people who respond to trial in God-exalting […]

A prayer for a lack of prayer

This is from Adolphe Monod’s book, Living in the Hope of Glory. It is a fitting preparation for our worship for Sunday, and for our preparation of our service today (and any day): My God, forgive the way in which your church, which alone in the world knows enough to pray, does pray. Forgive the […]

Sunday Leftovers (1/14/07)

It has been said that “the trouble with life is that it’s so daily.” Most of us identify well with that statement. Daily-ness is not only the trouble with life; it is also the “trouble” with the spiritual life (it’s what makes the spiritual life difficult). We desire a sanctification that is instant and complete, […]

The Cost of Obedience

Oswald Chambers makes a surprising and perceptive (and true) statement about the cost of obedience in this morning’s devotional. If we obey God it is going to cost other people more than it costs us, and that is where the sting comes in. If we are in love with our Lord, obedience does not cost […]

The darkness of depression — a help

John Piper has long said that he has written only one book — Desiring God — all the other books he’s written are merely expansions and explanations of that book. That is particularly true of the book When I Don’t Desire God, which became one of my most favorite books by Piper after I read […]

Owens on Temptation

After Sunday’s message I was moderately rebuked for not listing John Owen’s works on sin, particularly On the Mortification of Sin in my resources. So here they are: John Owens, Of the Mortification of Sin — this edition includes the classic introduction by J. I. Packer. Kelly Kapic and Justin Taylor, Overcoming Sin and Temptation: […]

Sunday Leftovers (1/7/07 )

“Sanctification” has the basic meaning of being set apart or dedicated to God on the basis of the atoning work of Christ. While God sees believers in Christ as being fully righteous (2 Cor. 5:21), sanctification most often refers to the process of the believer progressively working out his salvation so that he is increasingly […]

A good word about the Word

I came across this statement about the authority of Scripture in my devotional reading this morning: I declare, as though before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ, where I expect soon to appear, my unshakable conviction that when Scripture speaks, God speaks.…When Scripture speaks, God speaks. When Scripture proclaims God’s will or the way of […]

Resolved…

‘Tis the season for making resolutions and setting goals. Perhaps you’ve already established your course for the year, or perhaps your resolution for 2008 is to make your resolutions before the new year has begun! Perhaps you haven’t set any goals for the coming year because your experience with goal setting is an overwhelming sense […]

How People Change

Yesterday I began reading How People Change by Timothy Lane and Paul Tripp. If the first chapter is indicative of the rest of the book, it should be a very helpful book. For instance, “if we do not live with a gospel-shaped, Christ-confident, and change-committed Christianity, that hole will get filled with other things.” What […]

Sunday Leftovers (12/24/06)

Jesus is difficult to believe and hard to follow. It is for good reason that He says, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that […]

For the love of God

One of my favorite statements from one of my favorite Puritans, Thomas Watson: The first fruit of love is the musing of the mind upon God. He who is in love, his thoughts are ever upon the object. He who loves God is ravished and transported with the contemplation of God. “When I awake, I […]

Ungrateful for the gift of Christ?

On Christmas morning, gifts will be opened that will be ungratefully received. They will be taken, but without gratitude. Perhaps the recipient will have wanted something else. Perhaps the value of the gift is unknown, or perhaps it is known and considered “inadequate.” This same Christmas season, people will be presented with the gift of […]

Preparing for Christmas worship

Every Christmas, John Piper writes a series of four advent poems for his congregation. This year the poems are written around a consideration of the life of Nebuchadnezzar. They are worth hearing or reading. One of my favorite advent poems remains “The Innkeeper.” These are worth hearing or reading as you prepare your heart for […]

Eugenics and you

Eugenics is not an oft-used word in my conversations. And probably not in yours either. But the influence of eugenics and the theology behind it is increasingly influencing our lives. Eugenics is defined as: “the study of hereditary improvement of the human race by controlled selective breeding. Formed from the Greek prefix eu – meaning […]