Beauty Is in the Eye of the True Beholder
Beauty is transcendent, reminding us of God.
If the Bible stipulates certain things as beautiful, then there really is beauty in the eye of the Beholder, with a capital B. Almighty God is inexpressibly beautiful in his own being. One early theologian thus described him as “the all-beautiful,” “the superabundant source in itself of the beauty of every beautiful thing.”4 Beautiful in... Continue Reading
Live Quietly and Eat Your Own Bread
A guest who stays to long or visits too frequently quickly wears out his welcome.
In frequenting the houses of others to find food, this lazy person would avail himself to the affairs of others, be a busybody, and thus live anything but quietly. Visiting a neighbor is like eating candy—it’s something fun, but one can have too much of a good thing. Proverbs 25:16 warns us not to indulge with... Continue Reading
WCF 9: Of Free Will
Understanding what Scripture teaches about the perfection of the will in glory is important. It keeps us from having unreasonable expectations here and now.
In contrast to natural man, converted people, said Augustine, are able not to sin. Why? God repairs our will. He doesn’t violate our desires. Rather, he “infuses new qualities into the will, making the dead will alive, the evil will good…; he activates and strengthens the will” so that we can desire and live well.[i]... Continue Reading
The Problem with Jonah and Israel
A story of rebellion, captivity, and deliverance.
The account of Jonah was the story of Israel writ large. We’re rightly bothered by one of the Israel’s prophets who didn’t care about the perishing Gentiles and who failed to be light to them. The problem with Jonah, however, was the tip of the iceberg. Jonah’s problem was Israel’s problem. And judgment was coming—to... Continue Reading
Danger from Within: A Warning from the Book of Jude
This short letter calls us to be on guard and resist attempts to distort the Gospel message that has been entrusted to us.
We need to be aware of what the main things and the plain things are so that we can set theological alarms in our hearts and minds. Because these false teachers creep into our churches, our ministries, and our Christian schools, we need pay attention and measure everything we hear by the standard of God’s... Continue Reading
Behold, The Lamb of God
Why was Jesus called the Lamb of God? John 1:29, states that Jesus Christ was sacrificed by God to atone for our sins.
You see that’s how Jesus, the Lamb of God takes away sin; not by pushing it aside or sweeping it under the rug, but by picking it up and carrying it, as if it were his very own, all the way up to the cross. Isaiah saw that day so clearly: “All we like sheep... Continue Reading
The House of Mourning is Good for the Soul
Does Ecclesiastes 7:2 surprise you?
We should consider the humbling truth that we are not invincible. We are not guaranteed tomorrow. A house of mourning will one day convene because of our death. Facing the truth of our mortality can have a sobering effect. Earthly life really ends, and earthly life really matters. Because the Bible is filled with... Continue Reading
One Surprising Way to Take Up the Shield of Faith
How do you take it up?
The shield of faith is a bit unique in Paul’s list because he not only mentions the shield; he mentions specifically what to do with it: “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one (Eph. 6:16).” We can expect... Continue Reading
Three Applications of Christ’s Intercession
How does what we now know of Christ’s intercession make our hearts burn within us (Luke 24:32)?
With Jesus Christ, you are never without an intercessor that can overcome all your enemies, comfort all your wounds, advocate for all your needs, and sustain even the greatest of doubts and the weakest moments of faith. You are covered in his grace from this day until the very last. You may feel weak and... Continue Reading
A Practical Way to Pray for Your Children
Choose a theme verse for each child, then pray that verse over them all year long.
Think about how your child needs prayer. Narrow it down to one idea. Then write your child’s name and theme in the back of your Bible. For example: Ryan | laziness | “In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty” (Prov. 14:23). By writing this in your Bible, you’ll always... Continue Reading
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