Proverbs: A Journey in the Right Direction
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
The fear of the Lord is not meant to be a fuzzy or opaque concept in Proverbs. It simply describes the posture of receiving from God. It is a willful choice to turn away from listening to oneself and toward listening to the Lord. With its intensely practical insight, Proverbs tends to be a... Continue Reading
What the Apostle Paul Teaches Us about Suffering
Though the light of this world’s sun and stars had disappeared, Paul kept his bearings by believing what God told him.
Paul proclaimed a message of hope in the midst of hopelessness. He knew that God never loses his bearings, no matter how bad things may seem, and that God would not promise what he could not do. And God did as he said, for God sovereignly controls all of life’s storms. He can—and ultimately will—see... Continue Reading
Singing The Songs Of Zion In Babylon
We sing the songs of Zion because we are exiles and pilgrims. We sing them in hope.
The writer to the Hebrews was reflecting on how we, in the New Covenant, sing the songs of Zion as we wait for the new heavens and the new earth. We have not come to Sinai but to Zion. The former was frightening but it is nothing compared to the the New Covenant reality. We... Continue Reading
When Solomon’s Fool Created a Social Media Platform
The fool of Proverbs is a vivid illustration of practical atheism; this foolish man lives as if there is no God, as if God isn’t concerned about human behavior.
None of this is to say that Twitter is intrinsically evil or that Christians must shy away from it. But it is to say that there are specific ideologies embedded within Twitter that can tempt the Christian with hasty, foolish, people-harming, God-denying words and actions. Those who use it must commit to using it well.... Continue Reading
What Is a Deity?
Worshiping the right deity is vital for salvation.
In monotheism, worshiping the wrong deity is quite significant. Historically, Jews, Muslims, and Christians have all believed that if you do not worship the correct deity, you are cut off from salvation. What is a deity? Now, that’s a good question. But it’s not one with a simple answer. In fact, there are several... Continue Reading
God’s Word Brings Order Out of Chaos
There is a longing in all of us for order.
Longing for order is one of the things that has been so difficult during this latest season of life. Because we have received so many—and so many different—definitions of reality, life has felt unordered and chaotic. There is a longing in all of us for order. Now, in fairness, that longing varies by degrees.... Continue Reading
Zarephath and Shunem vs. Nain
No one has power to speak to a dead man and raise him from the dead but God only.
What is the difference between the Jesus of the Bible and you, me, and the prophets of old? Is there a difference? The histories of the widow of Zarephath and the Shunammite woman are very beneficial for teaching us about the person and work of Jesus Christ. When Elisha came into the house there... Continue Reading
Miklòs Bethlen and the Independence of Transylvania
He learned to interpret every event as part of God’s gracious works of providence.
Born just a few years before the conclusion of the disastrous Thirty-Years War, Bethlen witnessed its lasting effects and was left with a distaste for belligerent divisions among those who had the same basic beliefs. Two examples, in his view, were the aggressive arguments about predestination and the Lord’s Supper. Sitting in prison, “as... Continue Reading
Purveyors of False Hope
Whenever anyone is offering you something that sounds too good to be true, assume that it IS too good to be true.
We all are so prone to believing the person telling us what we want to hear. The internet tempts us to believe that we can all be experts on any topic we decide to study. The problem is that the information on the internet is only as good as its source. Last week I... Continue Reading
The Abomination of Lying Lips
Our culture, both online and offline, is inundated in satanic deceitfulness, dishonesty, lies, slander, and gossip.
Avoiding dishonesty and the spread of falsehoods has to be a priority in our lives if we are to faithfully follow Jesus Christ. Lying, slander, gossip, deceit, etc. should not and must not exist among us. We are to be people who love the truth and speak the truth. There are a number of... Continue Reading