We get so caught up in being counter-cultural that we begin to do it for counter-culture’s sake. Maybe we hold on to long-held beliefs, not because they’ve been carefully tested, but because they’re the sacred cows we’ve made idols of. Perhaps we shut down conversations that challenge us because we are scared to death of... Continue Reading

Assumption 3 – Prayer does nothing. Here’s where it gets more complicated. Can you, as a believer, honestly say that you’ve never entertained that doubt? Just like the sneer that Christianity is a crutch opens the door to proclaim that it’s not a crutch, but a wheelchair, so the attack on the impotence of prayer opens... Continue Reading

What we should do is what Martyn Lloyd Jones encourages us to do: preach truth to ourselves rather than listening to the lies in our own heads. That night, I had to preach to my own soul to remind myself that God is with me. I turned to the truth in God’s Word, and flipped... Continue Reading

Jesus did not experience the joys of earthly marriage, family, and sex that we so easily regard as our rights. Instead, he set aside his rights for the sake of his bride, the church. For her — for you — he went to the cross and laid down his life so that he could clothe... Continue Reading

Many New Testament verses on Christian ethics can be applied to technology, but I’ve found the book of Proverbs especially helpful as a source of divine wisdom for the digital age. Why not read through it asking God for light on how to apply these ancient wisdom principles to modern times. God is wiser than... Continue Reading

“Christian maturity is not only marked by sins that have been put to death, but by a deeper personal knowledge of and intimacy with God, and a deeper commitment to his people, the church (Ephesians 4:13). Yes, sexual immorality, anger, and deceit are being put off. But something breathtaking is being put on in their... Continue Reading

“It has been suggested that, however much Paul’s emphasis in chapter 3 is on the distinction between Moses and Abraham the point of chapter 4 on the continuity between Moses and Abraham or even their identity in the allegory in 4:21–31.”   In part 3 we considered the difference between the Reformed view that the covenant... Continue Reading

God’s word tells us that conformity to the image of God’s Son means we cry, “Abba, Father” in the midst of a life of suffering to become like him (Romans 8:12-17). The written text of God’s word through the work of God the Holy Spirit is the primary means through which we experience sanctifying sufferings.... Continue Reading

“People can be tempted to give up on God, looking for a quick a fix, weighing God’s closeness by a feeling, experience, or sense. And, God may give a sense of his presence. He may show up in some way that’s visible and evident in what happens—a change of circumstances.”   So Crushed in Spirit... Continue Reading

“The first step is to have a reading plan that takes you through the whole Bible in a reasonable amount of time (1-3 years). Anything slower is too slow. Second, use a Bible that does not have subheadings in the text. Instead, once you have read through your reading for the day, go back and... Continue Reading