Patience Is Waiting on the Lord
Patience is a positive virtue. It’s not merely the absence of sin; it’s the pursuit of righteousness.
In the end, God always keeps perfect time. He never underestimates the amount of time it will take to accomplish a goal or to bring about a certain result. He never misjudges his own ability; he never miscalculates the moment to act. Because he is sovereign over all, his plans and purposes unfold precisely when... Continue Reading
Why Do We Call It Evil In The First Place?
The “problem of evil” is the highest barrier to faith for members of Gen Z and second highest (after Christian hypocrisy) for Millennials.
The problem of evil, pain, and suffering is difficult to bear on a personal level. Christians should be careful not to too-quickly dismiss the concerns of people who have experienced these very-real realities. However, the presence of these in our world does not rule out the existence of God. In fact, the presence of evil... Continue Reading
Feed the Sheep by Any Hand
Fighting Envy in Pastoral Ministry
We seek to do the church good while hoping others do more good than we ever could. Threats become brothers to us again when we learn to long for others’ success where we have failed, when we long for others to take God’s people across the Jordans we never could. When we begin to pray,... Continue Reading
“I’m Sad”
A significant portion of the Psalms do the same thing – the author pours out his heart and bares his soul to a God who listens.
So easily we lose the childlike simplicity of prayer; a child speaking to his/her father. We start to think more about the people around us that we can see than the God above whom we cannot. We pile up stock phrases or mumble our way to an amen as we prematurely reach for our fork. Even when... Continue Reading
God’s not “They:” Divine Pronouns Matter
In this cultural moment, the call is to de-gender God altogether, along with everything else, including us.
The Bible’s gendered language is no accident of history. Rather, it tells us significant things about God and His attitude toward His Bride, the Church. It is not coincidental that our lives are given to us as gendered beings; rather, it reveals aspects of the greatest love story in human history. God is the Father,... Continue Reading
The Armor of God
It inflames the Christian’s heart with language that radiates strength and courage for the warfare we face “in the evil day” (v. 13).
Putting on the armor of God that Christ Himself bore is tantamount to putting “on Christ,” which we have already done when we were baptized “into Him” (Rom. 6:3 ; Gal. 3:27). This is tantamount to telling us to look to Christ in faith for all things. Our faith in Christ informs everything about our daily lives so... Continue Reading
The Haunting Effects of Sin
As it did with David, sin has a way of robbing us of peace and joy. It can weaken, embarrass, and grieve us years after the indiscretion.
In an extraordinary way, the Lord uses the haunting effects of sin to bring his child to the point where we will no longer be able to be haunted by them. By using them to conform us to His image, not only will we avoid sin in the future, but when the accuser rears his head,... Continue Reading
No Shortcuts to Growth
The key is not in the Bible; it is the Bible.
God’s work is easy for Him. He doesn’t look for shortcuts because He never grows weary. We get tired and frustrated, however. We’re tempted to look for the simple path, the quick answer, the effortless way forward. But there is none. Sanctification requires diligently attending to the means God has given us. The growth may... Continue Reading
Don’t Sin to Fix Sin
Whatever problem we may be faced with, however messy and difficult to untangle, the solution to it is not further sin.
As a general rule, we don’t want to sin in order to fix sin. Where we are in such a mess that every immediate choice looks like something we ought not to do, we want to put right as much as is wrong (such as we are able) and to press toward what will lead... Continue Reading
I Find My Delight in Your Commandments | Psalm 119:47
Do you love God’s law?
Indeed, now that Christ has taken upon Himself the curse of the law for us, the great dread of the commandments has been removed. We are now entirely free to obey out of love and delight, rather than out of fearing the consequences. We no longer look at the commandments as if they were an... Continue Reading
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