There really are no good Scriptural reasons to avoid childbearing. If you are providentially hindered from having children, perhaps the Lord is calling you to adopt children. Either way, as Christians, we ought to delight in seeing children in our congregations, our homes, and our circle of friends.   Imagine the Brady Bunch, the hit... Continue Reading

What tastes of sweet honey to us is bitter to the unbeliever. Paul describes the cross as “foolishness to the perishing” (1 Corinthians 1:18). That is why we must know the Gospel, live the Gospel, and, most importantly, share the Gospel.   For those of us who know Christ, two simple words hold the key... Continue Reading

Oh, the sweet thought of eternal glory and the eternal fellowship with God that awaits believers should comfort us and give us much hope!   If you have been following my blog for some time now, you know that I love to take situations from life and draw parallels between them and the Bible’s teaching. ... Continue Reading

Jesus has all the experience, skill, and grace to help nervous believers negotiate steep slopes. His wise, bold, example and loving, beckoning, call encourages the timid to trust His voice.   My greatest passion in life (from a secular point of view) is to ski deep powder off-piste, in crystalline shimmering sunlight, while cutting new,... Continue Reading

The Greek word translated “ashamed” (epai­schunomai) refers to being embarrassed or fearful of ridicule, but it can also refer to despising or rejecting. When Jesus warns against being “ashamed” of Him and of His words, He has more in mind than simply outward profession.   There has not been a more crucial time in recent... Continue Reading

Worry grasps for control. It does not trust God to do what we want. So it foolishly tries to usurp the prerogative that belongs only to God. “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7, NKJV). I typically follow the pattern of B-L-E-S-S... Continue Reading

When reformation came to the OT church, the congregation took the initiative to learn God’s will as revealed in Scripture; they submitted to discipleship under their leaders’ stewardship; they were united, zealous, and worshipful disciples of their Lord; they wept over their sins; they celebrated their God.   When reformation comes to the congregations of... Continue Reading

We fight the serpent by contending for the faith against grace-perverting immorality (Jude 3-4). By excommunicating false teachers from the church because we recognize them for what they are—intruding snakes. By treasuring what is true and rejecting what is false. By loving what God loves and hating what God hates.   Taking Action Sometimes the... Continue Reading

God not only leads us into dark valleys, whether our own or others’; he also determines their distance and the pace with which we walk through them. And while we find ourselves there, he is more than able to sustain us beneath our brother’s burden.   Among the mourners gathered in a London church in... Continue Reading

Christians are called to practice what we preach: reliance on the sovereignty of God over the machinations of man or party, and a steady trust in the tools that God gives—prayer, his Word, and the sacraments—over placing confidence in princes, armies, or undeliberated quick fixes.   Cornell University Professor Barry Alan Shain has determined that... Continue Reading