Habakkuk’s message is a definitive response to the problem of sin that so troubled the prophet. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ reveal both the certainty of God’s final victory over evil and the possibility of salvation through His Messiah. In light of these truths, we can celebrate God’s patience in withholding judgment... Continue Reading

God’s teaching on marriage and divorce can teach us to live not by our feelings but by the eternal word of God. It can help us practice real love and commitment. But marriage is not the ultimate source of love. An older single person once gave me a box of books. Tucked inside one book... Continue Reading

We must look at God’s Word, ask God to give us the right desires, and examine our life circumstances and limitations and see what our service will look like. We may have expectations for ourselves, and others may have them for us, but we also are finite creatures with limitations. And these limitations mean that... Continue Reading

By His grace, He clothes us with a robe a righteousness (Isa 61:10), not by our works, but by faith (Rom 4:5). Like Abraham who believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness (Gen 15:6), so we too place our trust in the Lord who declares us righteous.   I want to give... Continue Reading

The idea behind the cultural mandate is that God entrusts us with something and expects us to do something worthwhile with it, something he finds valuable. This mandate implies an expectation of human achievement.   “God has created us in his image so that we may carry out a task, fulfill a mission, pursue a calling.” —... Continue Reading

Elihu re-emphasizes the gratuitous nature of what God has provided and indeed accomplished for sinners in the great transaction of redeeming his soul from hell and granting him heaven (verses 29,30). Paul affirms his operation of redemptive intervention in writing, “He has translated us out of the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the... Continue Reading

Jesus came for the sick, for those who know themselves to be sinners in need of a Savior. He came for those who continue to struggle and repent and hope in him, day after day, year after year. He knew that saving us was not going to be a “one and done” kind of action,... Continue Reading

We do not need to be paralyzed by fear of the unknown. Our sovereign Father, who created all things, upholds, directs, disposes, and governs all creatures. Our Lord’s providence covers all actions and things, from the greatest to the least, by His most wise and holy providence.   Last week, during our vacation, my family... Continue Reading

Churches that have a true shepherd will be set up well to grow. They will see that their pastor has a hunger for the Scriptures, and this will encourage his congregants to have a hunger for the Scriptures as well. They will see a pastor who truly loves people, and this will encourage them to... Continue Reading

When Israel demanded a king other than God, the Lord warned that human government after the fall tends to overreach; Israel’s king would draft her men into armed service, and force other citizens into hard labor. He would confiscate the people’s land (1 Sam. 8:10–18). So it is today. This is the reality of life... Continue Reading