Why Comfort Is Spiritually More Dangerous than Suffering
If eternity is real, comfort is not the highest good. And if the spirit matters more than the body, then the greatest danger may not be pain. The greatest danger may be never needing God badly enough to seek Him.
The wisest man who ever lived still fell when there was too little back pressure and too few consequences. Suffering, by contrast, often breaks the illusion. It reminds us that we are fragile. It exposes false gods. It strips away pride. It teaches compassion. It forces questions we would rather avoid: Who am I? Why... Continue Reading
Complete What’s Lacking in Christ’s Afflictions
If you are going to share the message of the gospel, it will be costly to you.
I labor for this, striving with his strength that works powerfully in me. For I want you to know how greatly I am struggling for you, for those in Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me in person (Colossians 1:29-2:1). There’s an interesting phrase that appears in Colossians 1. Perhaps “interesting”... Continue Reading
Not Knowing Where You Are Going, Part 2 – The Adventure
God bless us all on the journey, and may we honor Him as we go.
This means we want our lives, wherever we are and whatever we do, to glorify God. Ultimately, we serve Jesus Christ (Colossians 3: 17, 23, 24). Sometimes feeling like I don’t know where I’m going, dealing with discouragement and doubts, I remember that even though things may not be making sense to me, they make... Continue Reading
Delightful Christianity
The Lord has more for you. But it is all found in Him.
The religion of most people consists in abstaining from sins they secretly love. Negative godliness is common; it is supposed by most that our religion consists in things we must do rather than pleasures we enjoy. (Spurgeon) What they do not realize is that genuinely abiding in Christ, drawing near and remaining near affords the... Continue Reading
A Father’s Work: God’s Holy Name
The Third Commandment is more than saying, “Do not verbally misuse God’s name and all is well.” There are other implications too.
How do God’s children live in a world that dishonors him? Fathers are the leaders of their families. As such, they are charged to prepare them for adulthood. By leading them in obedience to God’s law, fathers prepare them to glorify God. Christian families should look different from the families of the world, and not... Continue Reading
Washing the Dishes
Don’t grow weary in doing good. God is at work even when we can’t see it.
Sometimes our labor is preventing things from becoming far worse than they otherwise would be. At other times, the fruit of our work may not become visible until years later, perhaps even in the next generation. Sometimes, as pastors—or as parents—we wonder whether what we are doing is making any difference at all.... Continue Reading
The First Conspiracy Theory and the Dangers of Hidden Knowledge
Fascination with the mysteries to which God has not granted us access paves a road to decay, death, and ultimately, hell.
The problem in the garden was not curiosity, or even theorizing, it was not the seeking after truth, it was doubting God’s goodness and rightful authority. It was forgetting that he is truth. We all carry within us a longing for the garden, for a life of both freedom and connection. In Eden, there... Continue Reading
Not Knowing Where You’re Going, Part 1—It’s Okay
Abraham, by faith, went out, “not knowing where he was going.”
God is a goal setting and plan making God. We are made in His image and we can do the same. That doesn’t mean what we come up with will be perfect like His, or that our plans will happen; but often it will be part of the means to discover more about where we... Continue Reading
God’s Children Really Will Live Happily Ever After
The prospect of seeing God eclipsed all of Job’s heartaches. Surely it can eclipse yours and mine.
At last we see the restoration of God’s ideal universe, fulfilling His plan of the ages, culminating in a resurrected people living with Him on a resurrected Earth. Then, and only then, will we live “happily ever after.” In The Chronicles of Narnia, C. S. Lewis paints a beautiful picture of the New Earth in the... Continue Reading
They Can’t “Keep It Gay”
The inherent radicalism of same-sex marriage can’t help but lead to other rebellions against the created order.
The rejection of the normative reality of male and female for our lives is the source of the radicalism of same-sex marriage. It dethrones male and female from their place as essential aspects of who we are, degrading them into mere objects of subjective sexual desire. This is a denial of God and of His... Continue Reading