Because the church doesn’t exist for you, it’s somewhat easier to find the right one. God should be central in the life of any local church. His greater glory should be its mission. So too should be the aim of every believer.   We all desire a church that would make us feel comfortable. A... Continue Reading

God actively wrestles with us. He’ll hold us at arms-length (still graciously hanging onto us) and letting us swing ourselves dry. And then in those moments, when we’re but a heap of tears and helplessness, He makes himself “grabbable.” He makes Himself able to be held onto and able to hear us cry out for... Continue Reading

You and I are exactly as holy as we want to be. We are exactly as holy as we’ve determined we will be through every opportunity to act righteously or sinfully, to move forward or fall back, to be more like Christ or to forsake him altogether.   Every Christian is a work in progress.... Continue Reading

Jesus Christ came lowly to save you from your sin and filthiness. He became dirty and low on this earth so that you might be clean and elevated. He took on your flesh and he took on the punishment for your sin, so that you might be a child of God. God became man, so... Continue Reading

During Advent, then, we remember with great joy that Jesus came to a world of folly to show us how to live with wisdom from God. When we follow his paths—when we listen to his teaching—we gradually become more and more like him, the true Wise One from on high.   O come, O Wisdom... Continue Reading

Our tragic mortality never feels so real as when a parent or spouse or child dies. Losing my father left me feeling untethered….And nothing can fix this untethered-ness. Nothing can repair the loss that death deals out in cruel doses. Nothing, that is, except resurrection and the death-defeating love of Christ.   In the summer... Continue Reading

God’s knowledge reaches to our thoughts, desires, intents, and inclinations….The God “who knows the heart” (Acts 15:8) knows the sin of all people, and they will give an account for their disobedience to Him. But there is hope and comfort for all who believe in Jesus Christ because God’s covenant promise is to “remember their sin... Continue Reading

All those found in Jesus Christ—those who trust in Him—are clothed in His perfect righteousness. His obedient life is seen to be theirs….Go to Jesus, and you will find all that you need.   I have had on occasion the opportunity to preach on Luke 23:39-43, and I have titled that sermon, “The Merciful Christ.”... Continue Reading

The man of conviction is going to be criticized. The man who speaks his mind, even with humility and love, is likely to be assaulted. However, we must be concerned first to honor God by faithfulness to all his revealed truth, in its proper place, perspective, and proportion, and to serve men by speaking that... Continue Reading

As the only way to salvation, Jesus is worthy of our love, trust, and worship. He is also worthy of our gospel witness. May our recognition of Jesus’s uniqueness burden our hearts for the lost and stir our feet to take the good news about him to our universities and through them to the nations.... Continue Reading