When the Promises of God are All You Have
The author of Lamentations knows who God is and what he has promised.
In our distress or suffering, we must not rely on our health, our optimism, our bank account, our reputation, our friends, our safety, or any sort of harmony in our life. We can, however, look to the Lord and his promises! There are signature moments in our lives, markers between before and after. A... Continue Reading
Writing as a Spiritual Discipline
There is something about the process of writing that keeps the mind sharp.
Whether or not that writing ever sees the light of day is not the issue. The process itself helps set my mind on the heart of God, and the Holy Spirit uses that to conform me more closely to the image of Christ. I have been having more difficulty writing lately. I think it... Continue Reading
4 Reasons Why Entitlement is Destructive for the Christian
We know what it feels like to be entitled. But do we know the true destructive nature of entitlement?
Entitlement is banished when the Lord is your portion. Consider, for a moment, just how exhausting it is to live with that sense of entitlement. You are constantly evaluating others. You are always dissatisfied with who and what you have. You long, incessantly, for more. Asaph, the writer of Psalm 73, had a near... Continue Reading
A Common but Misguided Perception
Presuming you are acceptable to God on your own is perhaps the main barrier to becoming a true Christian.
The starting place for acceptance with God is a true understanding of grace, that is, that salvation is a gift that is entirely undeserved and is provided only because God is merciful. Acceptance before the Father is provided in Christ alone rather than any supposed worthiness. It is misguided and a dangerous misconception to... Continue Reading
Theology and the Church
The mature church listens eagerly to the Word to learn and be trained in discernment and righteousness.
The church needs theology to make disciples, both those who are brought into the church and those who are built up in the truth. Theology, the truth that is from God and about God, is for the life of the church. Jesus is building His church by making disciples who follow Him, confessing the... Continue Reading
Standing Up for God’s Word is Hard to Do
When you feel the hostility of the culture, remember that you are not the first one to go through this.
Don’t measure truth by popularity. There were times when the vast majority of the culture were convinced that the sun revolved around the earth, or that bleeding people with leeches cured all kinds of diseases. If you are a Christian, there is a great deal of evidence that backs up what you believe. In... Continue Reading
Exodus 32: A Few Words
This is a terrifying passage. This is a sobering passage.
The Israelites were at the foot of the mountain where God’s very presence passed by! The Israelites had just seen God’s 10 plagues and great miraculous victory at the Red Sea. When temptation arises we must always strive against it! We must remember how near the Lord is to us, indeed for those of us... Continue Reading
Romans 6:14, 7:14, And 8:14 Are All True Of The Christian At The Same Time: Simul Iustus, Et Peccator
Sola gratia, sola fide, believers are united to Christ. We have died to sin and we have been made alive to Christ.
Romans chapters 6 through 8 are a unit, written by a Christian, for Christians, about Christians. We are in a covenant of grace, not a covenant of works. We are sinners. We have been freely saved and justified and we are, therefore, being sanctified. It is all true at the same time. We should not... Continue Reading
Praise When You’re Struggling
The Christian life cannot and must not be lived based on mere feeling.
His Word, His promise, this is to be the ground of all our faith; resting in it, we can praise in the midst of our struggles. Because, in His Word, we see all His promises brought to yes and amen in Jesus Christ. The Christian life cannot and must not be lived based on mere feeling. We all... Continue Reading
The Christian Creeds
While they are not substitutes for Scripture, the creeds do model a succinct way of talking about the whole biblical storyline of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration.
Thoughtful reflection on the creeds and their expressions of biblical truth can result in meaningful, Spirit-filled expressions of Christian worship. But the creeds also remind us that we are part of God’s church throughout history. From the very beginning, creeds and creedal formulations have played a crucial role in the beliefs and practices of... Continue Reading