Natural Disaster and Pastoral Comfort
Though the sufferer is brought low and will often struggle though immense pain and loss, there is a realistic hope for him.
God intends either discipline or testing by what is suffered, and both produce the good of improved sanctification.[29] We are not allowed to take “natural calamity” out of that package of necessary suffering for the believer. God in His providential care designs the calamity as a blessing in sometimes macabre dress. We are to “consider it... Continue Reading
Godly Parenting as a Witness to the World
The goal of godly parenting is not just to raise well-behaved children, but to raise children who know, love, and serve the Lord.
The Apostle Paul writes, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). Both the negative (discipline) and the positive (instruction) are in view here. Disciplining and teaching children involve more than just passing on biblical knowledge or enforcing rules. It means... Continue Reading
The Uncarnation of Christ?
The devil loves to see people live with an uncarnate “Christ.” Live from the incarnation with the incarnate One. Jesus is real.
We need the truth about Jesus, but not without Jesus himself. Who would ever settle for accuracies of a friend and yet never experience friendship? Systematic theology, which we love, doesn’t love us in return. But Jesus loves us. The doctrine of the virgin birth cannot comfort us when the news of cancer hits home—but... Continue Reading
The Ordinary Means of Ordinary Outreach: Reaching Our World without Losing Our Way, Part 2: Sacrament
I pray that the Lord will use His people’s zeal for the sacraments to kindle a quickening jealousy in the hearts of the lost, leading them to Christ’s saving mercies.
Our secular world tells us to look inside ourselves so that we might find the good within, but at the Lord’s Table, we are asked to examine ourselves so that we might find our weakness and sin so that we might be taught to rely more and more upon Christ’s sacrifice, which becomes more endearing... Continue Reading
Holiness in an Age of Worldliness
If you want a place with singing, celebration, joy and feasting, then live for the place where you get all those things forever.
The temptation to do whatever it takes to be prosperous is very strong. It is a kind of magic spell that beautiful Babylon puts over us. It’s like a potion that dulls our spiritual senses so we cannot fathom living any other way. Babylonian worldliness leads people to trust in their prosperity. It perpetuates the myth... Continue Reading
Distracted Worship
How frequently do we mentally "check out," not realizing that every ignored sermon, skipped reading, and lukewarm worship service violates this commandment?
It’s easy to think, “Well, I’ve never bowed before a golden calf. I’ve never kneeled before a shrine.” But idolatry isn’t just about tangible images; it’s about worshiping God in ways He hasn’t commanded. Every time we sit through a sermon and let our minds wander, playing with our phones during worship, or when we’re... Continue Reading
My Story and the Book of Hosea: The Grace of Exposed Sin
Even as you see how deeply sinful you are, trust the Lord and his goodness as you walk through the painful grace of exposed sin.
Like Adam and Eve in the garden, I found myself scrambling for the nearest fig leaves to cover my nakedness. But being in the hand of the Lord is the safest place. It is God’s disciplining grace that exposes our sinfulness so that we will be cleansed, purified, and conformed into the image of Christ.... Continue Reading
Why Is Baptism a Means of Grace?
As a means of grace, baptism becomes effectual in the lives of the elect by the sovereign regeneration of the Holy Spirit.
Many refer to baptism as “an outward sign of an inward profession of faith.” While professing believers and their children certainly receive baptism as a mark of discipleship (Matt. 28:18–20; 1 Cor. 7:14) in obedience to Jesus, the covenant sign is not first and foremost pointing to something we have done. Rather, it is the... Continue Reading
Watch Out for Weeds
We shouldn’t just ask, “How do I do all of these things?” We should ask, “Are these the things I am convinced are the things worth doing?”
Life gets in the way. Good intentions don’t always lead to good, godly practices. The things we ideally should be doing don’t get done and we cultivate weeds and not valuable plants. Busyness is not a mark of importance. Weeds have been dominating my garden lately. I have all kinds of beautiful plants I... Continue Reading
The Greatest Gift My Father Gave Me
May God strengthen us to instruct, that our little ones learn the way of wisdom, and that by it they may live.
To be a parent is to be a teacher. Have times of both organized and organic Biblical learning in your home. This isn’t novel stuff, but simple steps in accomplishing a miraculous source in the life of our children, cultivating the Word of God to keep them walking in the wisdom of God. One... Continue Reading
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