James urges us to be quick to hear and slow to speak. Akin to slowness of speech is knowing when to stay silent. Sometimes the wisest person in the room is also the quietest. They don’t feel the need to spout their opinion or justify themselves constantly. Instead, they sit back, listen, and speak only... Continue Reading

We find that Creation and the Flood are intimately linked in the plan of God. In response to man’s sin, God undoes his miraculous creation—miraculously—and then returns it to its original state, despite the presence of sin. He shows his mercy more spectacularly than he did by creating humans to begin with. And he can... Continue Reading

Jesus was grieved, stricken, smitten, afflicted, pierced, crushed, chastised, and wounded—all to bear us up under our greatest burden: the soul-crushing weight of guilt and the penalty of the never-ending death our sin deserves (Isa. 53:4–5). On the cross, Jesus bore the heaviest burden, the sharpest thorn, and the most excruciating relational loss there is... Continue Reading

The tongue, so tiny, is immensely powerful. It is indeed mightier than generals and their armies. It can fuel our lives so that they become fiery furnaces, or it can cool our lives with the soothing wind of the Spirit. It can be forged by hell or it can be a tool of heaven. Offered... Continue Reading

The first thing to learn from this parable relating to feeling small and insignificant is, that you are neither small nor insignificant, because you are using what you have been given to honor the Lord. God sees it, and He sees you as important, valuable, significant. Therefore, in prison, the Apostle Paul was a success... Continue Reading

Marriage should not be treated as a purely individual decision detached from family, church, and counsel. A young man and woman may be the ones getting married, but they are not the only ones affected. Families are joined. Households are shaped. Future children are impacted. Congregations are often involved.   It may surprise some people... Continue Reading

Remember that 2 Corinthians 10:5 encourages us to “take every thought captive to obey Christ.” When doubts arise, we’re to challenge them with the truth of God’s Word. 1 John 1:9 reassures us: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”... Continue Reading

What we behold shapes us. Our allegiance must therefore be pure and undivided. The call to holiness is ultimately the call to imitate God. Jesus commands, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Peter echoes this command: “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15–16). We are to... Continue Reading

When we look backward, we often do so wondering whether or not God has been faithful. When we feel that sense of loss, we begin to question whether or not He has actually faithfully provided. Or sustained. Or guarded. Or strengthened. But what if we changed our lenses?     The type of lens makes... Continue Reading

In spite of all appearances during that year of waiting in the shadows, God was not finished with Luther, and Luther was not finished with the Reformation. To quote a popular line, things were not falling apart—they were merely falling into place.      I love studying the Reformation at this season of the year.... Continue Reading