Paul looked unflinchingly down at the grave, backward on his service and faith, and forward to an eternal crown and everlasting future with his Lord. Our blessed assurance, our great confidence, is not ultimately that we have lived a remarkable life on earth, but that Jesus did. By his life, his death, his resurrection, we... Continue Reading

God’s sovereignty is good news because it means he has the power to undo, fix, and heal the mess that we have made of ourselves and of his world. You see, while we don’t know why God allows the evil, painful, and unjust things that he does—the Bible does tell us what God can do with those things. God... Continue Reading

Jesus is called the “Day-Spring.” The dayspring is the dawn – it’s that moment, which ebbs and flows according to the season, when light first breaks over the darkness. But it’s more than that – it’s the first sign every day of the dispelling of darkness. It is the daily reminder that the mercies of... Continue Reading

Here we find the Apostle Paul highlighting how great our sin is, therefore how great a debt we have, but also how great a God we have who freely gives his grace to those who believe. I am well aware this is not easy teaching to accept. To understand our need for forgiveness means we... Continue Reading

The biblical concept of “gospel” does not just refer to Jesus work on the cross or one of the first four books of the NT. The gospel or “good news” is about God’s kingdom, his sovereign power and authority breaking into history in the person and work of Jesus Christ not only to bring us... Continue Reading

In its essence, ingratitude is a rejection of God. It is a rejection of Him as Creator and Ruler of all things. It is a rejection of God as the giver of life, the giver of every blessing, whether expected or unexpected, whether pleasant or painful. Even in prison, Paul rejoiced and exhorted the Philippians... Continue Reading

Dave was suddenly more human.  I now had the slightest bit more hope that maybe one day I could lead like he leads (though to this day he’s still a lot better at it than I am!)  Second, most of my experience with Christians involved watching them get offended, angry, and/or frightened when they didn’t... Continue Reading

Not all kids have the same privileges as my kids and not all parents have the same opportunities right now. But, we can all have the same goals. We can seek to raise our kids according the Bible’s commands and expectations. We can also seek to extend similar opportunities to other children. We can volunteer... Continue Reading

It has been said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I believe in many cases, this is true. With our current social situation, I’d like to offer a different picture. Those living in constant fear of saying the wrong thing, expressing doubt in the unapproved direction, or being found to hold... Continue Reading

Even though God never approves of sin, in his sovereignty he is able to take our sinful actions and use them for his good and gracious purposes, just like he did with Rahab. While God may use sinful means to good ends, this is decreed not by our flawed human rationale but rather by his... Continue Reading