How Long Is the Dash?
Encapsulated in that line is the story of a life lived then lost, a life begun then ended, a life celebrated then mourned.
I am both challenged and comforted by the thought. I often lament the brevity of Nick’s life, the abruptness of his departure. I often wonder what significance there can be in a life that was only 20 years long. But if our dashes extend endlessly into the infinite reaches of time and space, there is... Continue Reading
Where Do Christians Go When They Die?
Heaven, as wonderful as it is, is not the final resting place for God’s people. He never meant it to be.
Heaven, like God himself, is a world we understand truly, and yet fall far short of understanding fully. As the apostle John wrote, “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he... Continue Reading
One Another Texts: Living in Harmony
Much like music, harmony in relationships and in the church is difficult.
An unbelieving world is always watching in at the church. It has too often seen division and disunity over minor issues. Let us ask that God grant His church to live in harmony with one another as we love and serve one another, both for His glory and so that the watching world can hear... Continue Reading
The Corridor of Time
The Arminian rejects the Reformed option, but the remaining options are either self-contradictions or blasphemy.
For the events of history to exist in the mind of God prior to their existence in external reality would require something like the divine decree, but Arminianism rejects the divine decree. For the events of history to exist “outside” of God prior to their existence in external reality would require either that they both... Continue Reading
Children Who Bloom in an Instant
Just as there are mysteries in the natural world there are mysteries in the human heart, and the ways in which different Christians express their faith is among them.
Nature teaches us many lessons and the lesson of the blooming is one of them. God created some plants to open their flowers in an instant and others only over a much longer stretch of time. Both reflect his design. We cannot slow the plant that opens in an instant or rush the plant that... Continue Reading
Holiness Begins in Intimacy with Jesus
When you sit down to read, pray, or hear God’s word, do not settle for anything less than communion with the living Christ.
Your life — your true life — is hidden with Christ, the Holy One. Your union with him now makes you holy (Colossians 3:12). But in order to live out that holiness here, you must “seek the things that are above, where Christ is” (Colossians 3:1). In other words, holiness is the flower of our union with Christ,... Continue Reading
An Autopsy of the YRR Movement
I would argue that part of the issue with fundamentalism is an inability to leave the growth of another believer in the hands of the Lord.
“Because Christ has long since acted decisively for my brother, before I could begin to act, I must leave him his freedom to be Christ’s; I must meet him only as the person that he already is in Christ’s eyes.” (Bonhoeffer 26) All of the unhealthy cases of church discipline gone wild, spiritual abuse, cult... Continue Reading
An Encouragement to be More Encouraging
Political idolatry, a mysterious pandemic, race-based issues and a whole host of other matters have plagued the church and the need for encouragement has skyrocketed as well as the temptation for fighting.
You have great power in your tongue and in your typing to be an instrument of encouragement or discouragement. I pray that as the day of the Lord’s return draws near that we who call ourselves Christians would increase in our encouragement. That we will be more mindful over what we say and type. That... Continue Reading
A Perfect Place for Imperfect People
The church is a hospital for sinners, a refuge for the broken, and a shelter for the oppressed and outcast.
How do you invite people to church? Try being honest. Tell the truth. Churches are filled with imperfect people trying to live into God’s love and grace and to proclaim it to a lost and dying world. Churches are filled with people who have been delivered from sin, addictions, pain, and hopelessness. In other words,... Continue Reading
One Another Texts: The Manner & the Means
The command to be devoted to one another is a declaration of a state of being, not a verbal process.
We are to show mutual esteem for one another. This is not accomplished by means of lip service or saccharine sentiment. Instead, it is fulfilled with honor. Paul here paints a picture of two Christians who are not only seeking to honor the other Christians in their lives, but who are actively competing to see... Continue Reading
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