Humanity is often guilty of mockery towards God and His providential judgments. Franz Delitzsch explained, “The sin of Jerusalem is expiated by the giving up of the sinners themselves to death.” Ironically, this prophecy becomes a warning more than an actual foretelling of an event where the Assyrians face destruction from Jerusalem.   “And behold... Continue Reading

Not only is it a biblical doctrine and a big doctrine, but it is also a beautiful doctrine. It can so often be caricatured as nothing more than a cold and lifeless calculus. But what does Paul say in Ephesians 1? That it was in love he predestined us (Eph. 1:4-5)! Thus, it has been... Continue Reading

I trust that God is pleased with my intentions even when my deeds have been so faulty and my desires when my words have been unsuitable. Yet imperfect deeds and optimistic intentions would be the shakiest grounds of confidence before God. Thankfully, God gives much firmer grounds: I trust him to be pleased with my... Continue Reading

God doesn’t give you grace so you can live how you want. His agenda for grace is to transform you into a person who humbly recognizes your need for authority. Grace leads you to celebrate the holy, loving, and benevolent authority of God.   I think we misunderstand true freedom. Freedom that satisfies your heart... Continue Reading

If you don’t actively embed habits into your life then they won’t get there any other way. It takes, depending on who you ask, between three and seven weeks to form a habit. Once they’re formed they last until a strange sequence breaks them, and then they need forming again. Discipline your life, like an... Continue Reading

We must take heed to our ministry, when we consider what a great Lord and master we have received it from. His eye is always on us, to see how we manage this trust, as it was on the angels of the seven churches. The fact that He wrote to them after He ascended, exposing... Continue Reading

He shines His light on us, but there are still dark shadows.  At this very time those trust Him can celebrate His full and free forgiveness.  At this time those who trust Him can be comforted that He guides us and fathers us in love.  But we too look forward.  For one day he will... Continue Reading

The posture of our hearts soon matches the posture of our bodies. We acknowledge that God is the one whose providence has directed our every high and every low, our every joy and every sorrow, our every laugh and our every tear. And as we pass through the trials with a faith that is unbroken... Continue Reading

This is more than the power of positivity or a gratitude journal. The goodness of God alleviates more anxiety than a swaggering self-confidence because it frees you from that dreadful cell of…you. The antidote to anxiety is basking in the truth—God’s got this.   Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word... Continue Reading

Never forget that what the devil plans for bane God permit to bless. Brace yourself in advance so that you won’t be shocked by dark days in your life. Be resolved to keep going, not faint, and get the intended benefit of character forged like Christ. Ask for all His wisdom that you need to... Continue Reading