Unburden Your Soul to God
The biblical view of prayer is taking real problems to a real God, who really does care about our difficulties.
Casting our burdens on the Lord means going to God while we are burdened, with the very things that are causing us to doubt Him, to get discouraged in prayer, to feel weighed down in real life. This is not just optimistically throwing your garbage up into the air, hoping against hope that it won’t just... Continue Reading
What ON EARTH Will Heaven Be Like
Far from being a place of endless boredom and monotonous activity, heaven (i.e., the new Earth) will be a place where we realize together with God the glory of his original intent.
In Luke 19:11-27, stewardship is described as being over “cities.” We shouldn’t be too literal with this, but the fact is that we will have great responsibility. We will have jobs. We have every reason to believe that we will have to be on time to work, have certain job requirements, have a certain skill... Continue Reading
One Unexpected Key to a Joyful Marriage
Simply stop keeping score.
Serve, serve, and serve some more. Act in love even when you don’t feel loved, act with grace even if you don’t feel particularly gracious. Sow extravagant love to the love of your life, and reap the reward of joy. For the path to joy in marriage leads away from you and runs straight to... Continue Reading
On Preparing Yourself for Corporate Worship
If you find yourself wanting more out of your church’s worship services, then take ownership and consider doing the following.
By simply taking 5-10 minutes to read and meditate on the text your pastor is preaching in advance, you’ll position yourself to listen better. Maybe even read the footnotes in a study Bible as well. This will be easy to do if your pastor is preaching verse by verse through a book of the Bible. You... Continue Reading
Reasonable Sacrifice
Both Moses’ Law and throughout the Psalms we see that thanksgiving is expressed through sacrifice.
Thankfulness ought not to be merely in an inwardly felt affection; but rather it is to be manifested in the actions of obedient sacrifice. Preparing a feast, raising children, supporting a ministry financially, caring for aging parents, protecting your nation from invasion, and feeding the impoverished all require your material expense and physical exertion. ... Continue Reading
Abide with Me
“Abide with Me” was written by the Scottish Anglican priest Henry F. Lyte (1793-1847). Lyte was a reputed poet and hymnodist.
Lyte preached as a dying man to dying men. He knew that life was but a vapor and that sinful man must make haste to close with Christ. And even as his own life began to fade, Lyte pointed others to the solace that he found in knowing that our unchangeable God abides with all... Continue Reading
Heaven is Coming
Will I live my life in light of eternity, or will temporal things steal my focus?
I need a view of heaven in every situation. I need to be reminded of heaven in my relationships with Christians. I need to see eternity in regards to my finances and my job. I need to remember that heaven is coming when I make choices about my family and my friends and my enemies.... Continue Reading
Polymorphous Perversity in the Heartland
The scandal of the Kinsey Institute and Indiana University
Kinsey, a biologist who had conducted specialized research on gall wasps, was one of the most important figures driving a new and radical vision of human sex and sexuality in the 20th century. He arrived in Bloomington as a biologist, but his dark legacy has virtually nothing to do with gall wasps and everything to... Continue Reading
What Is the Spectrum of Major Views on Political Theology? A Proposed Taxonomy of Seven Views on Religion and Government
Christians are becoming more interested in political theology because what seemed to be a neutral public square is now an increasingly polarized battleground.
At this moment in my American context, I think it is wise for Christians not to prematurely separate from each other based on different political theologies. The reason is that the orcs are not just at the gates; they are infiltrating the city as citizens and magistrates. While a sexual revolution is rapidly transforming our... Continue Reading
Are You a “Yeah, But…” Christian?
It’s the tendency to turn quickly from what the Bible does command to what it does not.
Rather than doing my utmost to fully obey even very difficult commands, I turn quickly to the exclusions. I become an expert on what God does not mean rather than a demonstration of what he does. I live safely and comfortably rather than radically. And, I fear, I end up living in self-satisfied rebellion rather... Continue Reading
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