We are such unlovable creatures. We’ve given God every reason to hate us, yet he loves us with an everlasting, covenantal love. His redemptive love for us has nothing to do with how good we are, smart we are, or interesting we are. In fact, the Bible speaks fairly bluntly about how God loved us... Continue Reading

God’s purposes are not undone by human limitation. He works through imperfect servants who see differently, judge readiness differently, and sometimes part ways. That does not make conflict desirable, but it does mean it is not sovereign. God remains sovereign.   They were not unfaithful men. They loved Christ and still could not walk the same... Continue Reading

Even if everything else in your life seems to be falling apart, take hope because one day, you will be with the Lord in paradise (Luke 23:43). Nothing in all of creation will be able to separate you from your King (Romans 8:35-39). Even when it seems as if there is nothing for you to... Continue Reading

Noah knew he and his family and the animals would be saved; God had promised this. Yet as to when, he did not know. The outcome was sure; the timeframe was not. Every day, is this it? No. Still waiting. Christians are called to wait as well. We know that the future will be bright,... Continue Reading

The judgment of death perhaps shakes the believer with greater weight than the unbeliever precisely because he really knows the holiness of God, he knows the depths of his own sin, and he believes that God is just. In light of these truths, saving grace really is surprising and in the frailty of sickness or... Continue Reading

But I’m not interested in society, which is doomed to pass away (“the world is passing away along with its desires,” 1 Jn. 2:17), but in the church. Tell me, reader, how can the church be guiltless of partiality, inconsistency, and hypocrisy if it makes certain unnatural immorality nameable in polite Christian society, but wishes... Continue Reading

We Christians must stop mistaking cultural memory for Christian faith. Nostalgia is not belief. Border enforcement, while a great beginning, alone is not enough. Some may place their hopes for renewal in political or cultural shifts. Others place their hope in a model of assimilation where immigrants replenish the ranks but hold to American values—this... Continue Reading

Sabbath rest is a regular nudge for Christian pilgrims: Stop here and orient yourself. Reflect on your journey. Set your heart on your goal. One day a week, we have a chance to take stock of where we’ve been.    Everyone I know is longing for rest. The teenagers in my life are worn out with studying, extra-curriculars,... Continue Reading

Let me be blunt: if you think praying, singing, preaching, Scripture reading, and the ordinances are cold and stale, the problem isn’t with those elements of corporate worship. The problem may be your heart. Now it is certainly possible that leaders and church members can go through the motions of a service’s liturgy and be void... Continue Reading

The Puritans were not content with a mere head knowledge of God and Christ. Their chief desire in their meditation was to fan the flames of their desire for Christ and to look more like him in their thoughts, words, and deeds. Consequently the Puritans have given us a wonderful example of how faithful biblical... Continue Reading