Is the goal graduation? College acceptance? Or to raise moral citizens? As Christians, our highest aim for our children should be that they are brought up in the nourishment and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).     I have noticed a growing trend in my area due to changes in state laws that allow... Continue Reading

Humans love to-do lists. It is part of our nature to assemble a set of goals that, when or if accomplished, will somehow settle a debt we owe God. In the garden of Eden, we see Adam and Eve were the first humans to rebel against the God who made them. In a world where... Continue Reading

Suffering often presses this truth deeper into the heart than calm days ever could. Many believers carry the quiet discouragement that faith should remove the hardest seasons of life. Scripture speaks differently. The presence of the Shepherd does not always remove the valley. It assures us that we will not face it alone.    ... Continue Reading

Society’s slide into moral and spiritual degeneracy seems sometimes unstoppable, yet from time to time the Lord grants relief. The Scottish Parliament had been considering a reckless piece of legislation to allow assisted suicide in Scotland, yet at the last minute this appalling wrong has been averted.   Enough MSPs to provide a clear majority... Continue Reading

God’s gifts aren’t the problem, of course. He gives good gifts to his children (Ps 84:11, 34:10, 103:5). Our problem is the weight we misattribute to these gifts. We want them to be and to bear too much. When we hoist a crane on the back of a horse, we shouldn’t expect any galloping around... Continue Reading

You may not always feel close to God. Seasons of dryness, grief, or confusion may cloud your awareness of him. God’s presence is constant, whether or not you perceive it. Feelings do not determine reality.     The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. (Psalm 23:1) In times of fear and danger—when we... Continue Reading

Preparation involves prayer before the service, attentiveness during the preaching, and meditation afterward. It assumes that hearing the Word is one of the most important spiritual activities of the Christian life. In other words, the catechism assumes a responsibility of the hearer. Preaching matters greatly, but so does listening.     For many Christians, the... Continue Reading

Even someone as truly loved and esteemed as the great Augustine of Hippo can leave me saying: “There has to be more than that. If I was to present this (perspective) to a person in the world, as I was seeking to evangelize him–I would not be surprised if he would have no interest in... Continue Reading

If perseverance depended on our free will, we would fall every hour. Our wills are fickle; God’s will is rock-solid.     We have traced the golden chain of salvation from God’s eternal election, through His effectual calling, to justification, adoption, and the ongoing work of sanctification. But a terrifying question often haunts the sensitive... Continue Reading

The “road” to this joy may be “rocky,” (as via repentance); or it may seem “smooth,” (via sweet visitations of the Holy Spirit)–but it ends in and with the Person of Joy, (our Lord Jesus).     The Joy of the Christian Life, in four words, is, our Lord Jesus Christ.  No one or nothing... Continue Reading