“We understand God’s commitment to dwell among his people, and we should commit ourselves to emulate him and contentedly dwell among our own. Does this condemn travel, promote ethnocentrism, or stand against missions? No.”   One of the most beautiful statements of contentment came from the mouth of the Shunammite woman. You remember the story... Continue Reading

“The effect of this promise (in John 6:37) is actual believing, produced by the quickening Spirit in the soul, immediately out of the spiritual life given to it by the communication of Himself thereto.”   I really like the way Thomas Boston explained how the Holy Spirit gives life (cf. John 6:63; 2 Cor. 3:6).... Continue Reading

Spurgeon maintained that no man-made theological system is authoritative. He said, “My love of consistency with my own doctrinal views is not great enough to allow me knowingly to alter a single text of Scripture. I have great respect for orthodoxy, but my reverence for inspiration is far greater. I would sooner a hundred times... Continue Reading

“Those who experience sorrow and grief inevitably do one of two things when it wells up within their souls: either they refuse to open up to others about it or they seek the sympathy of others to help them press through it. We see both of these things played out in the experience of the... Continue Reading

“Inauspiciously, a prayer meeting in Antioch in Acts 13:1–3 became one of the most important moments in the history of the world. With their prayers and fasting, the church leaders said, God, we want your provision, not our small plans.”   Has there ever been greater pressure not to pray? Not just in private but... Continue Reading

“In general, you could say that Bible translations exist on a kind of continuum or spectrum. You start at one side, you go to the other, and each one of those could be plotted in there somewhere. On the one side of the spectrum, we have what we might call word-for-word translations. On the other... Continue Reading

The friend in his house may say “do not bother me!” But a good father does not. My children will approach me at two a.m., shake me and tell me they have a need … “so and so is crying,” or “I feel sick,” or “I had a scary dream,” or whatever. No respectful introduction,... Continue Reading

“At the time of the Reformation, there was a proliferation of creeds as the Protestant community found it necessary, in the light and heat of the controversy of that time, to give definitive statements as to what they believed and how their faith differed from the Roman Catholic Church’s theology.”   The Latin word credo... Continue Reading

“Here’s the point: elite athletes don’t live disciplined lives because they think disciplined lives are virtuous. They aren’t stoics; they’re hedonists — pleasure-seekers. They live disciplined lives and endure all kinds of self-denial because they want the pleasures of the prize.”   LeBron James is the most dominant player in the NBA today, and some... Continue Reading

“So many people around the world are looking for different miracles. They want to see people rise from the dead. They want to be able to speak in languages they haven’t learned, they want to be able to prophesy. But why settle for minor miracles when you can witness the best?”   I wish I’d... Continue Reading