He knew the depths of his mourning. Now he comes deliberately to him to announce His resurrection. God knows us. He gives us what we need when we need it. Even when we have blown it royally, He reminds us of His resurrected and powerful life—a life we enjoy because He lives in us.   ... Continue Reading

We’ve talked about how the bread and the wine are necessary. They each play a role in helping us to see in a visible way the death of Jesus Christ and through that sign to more deeply be encouraged in the gift. One by a faith revealed, and the other by a faith disclosed. The spiritual... Continue Reading

May God enable us to embrace the hope of the resurrection. May the Lord Jesus be an anchor for our souls in turbulent times, a source of comfort in sorrow, and a beacon of light guiding us toward eternal life. The resurrection of Jesus is not just an historical event but a transformative reality. The... Continue Reading

Genuine fruit is the evidence of a genuine heart being saved by the gospel. If people think they can be hard soil, rocky soil, or thorny soil and simply be in a growth phase as a believer, then they’ve missed the entire point of Luke’s gospel and the entire point of following Jesus. This gives... Continue Reading

Instead of looking for perfection, we should be looking for any desire to pray, any desire to meditate, and any desire to obey—however small. We should look for conviction when we fall short too. Is there any remorse in regard to your prayerlessness or lack of attention to Scripture or to obedience? If so, be... Continue Reading

The World Happiness Report reveals what many of us probably already knew about the condition of our nation: people are unhappy, disillusioned, and disappointed. This report might be the most hopeful news for our nation in recent memory, especially when we think about the prominence of Gen Z in this report. The prodigal son “came... Continue Reading

Those of us who tend toward introspection will, in most cases, also tend toward pulling away from people. Conversely, a proactive love toward others—family members, friends, neighbors, and enemies—is a powerful weapon against an unhealthy preoccupation with our inner life. Love is considered the distinguishing mark of the Christian.   The following is a response... Continue Reading

Jesus has selected a suitable furnace for me, not a hot and hasty one, which seems likely to harden and consume me–but one with a gentle and lingering heat, which melts my heart gradually, and lets out some of its dross. Though I cannot love the furnace, yet the longer I live, the more I... Continue Reading

There is nothing mystical or magical about remembering words, but thinking about, dwelling on and actively pondering the depths of Scripture is an absolute privilege. We can best do this by knowing a passage of Scripture, off by heart, and thinking it through properly. Take Romans 5:1-5, for example, it’s very short but it is... Continue Reading

Smeaton offers over 70 pages on the universal impact of a particular atonement. Lest anyone accuse Calvinists of restricting the impact of the cross to the elect only, Smeaton shows how a particular redemption touches all creation. As an aside, Smeaton employs the language of Christ’s lordship over “every square foot” years before Abraham Kuyper’s... Continue Reading