In his book ‘None Greater’, Matthew Barret tells us that God is not a mere instance of divinity. He does not measure up to some standard of divinity that exists apart from him. This is not so for us humans and our human-ness. There is a category of being called human, and you and I... Continue Reading

According to George Ellis, one of the world’s leading cosmologists, is that the multiverse hypothesis is itself a metaphysical explanation that cannot be tested. As he writes in “Cosmology: The Untestable Multiverse,” “The multiverse argument is a well-founded philosophical proposal but, as it cannot be tested, it does not belong fully in the scientific fold.”... Continue Reading

“Health is not the absence of disease.” It cannot be identified as the total absence of pain either. As those who exist in a fallen world, the frailty of the body and mind will never be completely cured on this side of eternity. Pain reminds image-bearers that their embodied selves are made for more than... Continue Reading

Now, my beloved, would you know the fountain and origin of these sweet and pleasant streams? It is the God of hope, and the power of the Holy Ghost. There is no doubt of power in God, to make us happy and give us peace. God is the chief object of hope, and the chief... Continue Reading

Sanctification is the result of loving Jesus more than I love sin. Godliness is not behavior modification, but heart transformation. I cannot take three steps to overcome lust forever next Thursday at 3 PM and be forever, sexually pure. The problem is my heart desires, which are not easily changed. Channeling and protecting the desires... Continue Reading

In his thirteenth resolution, Mather states, “When the children are of a fit age for it, I will sometimes closet them; have them with me alone; talk with them about the state of their souls; their experiences, their proficiencies, their temptations; obtain their declared consent unto every jot and tittle of the gospel; and then... Continue Reading

After looking at the various approaches, it seems the best way to understand Paul is that he finds the prophetic fulfillment of Hosea’s words in the church. This view makes the best sense in light of the broader context of Romans 9:24-29. Paul is citing the Old Testament demonstrating that the prophetic promises find their fulfillment... Continue Reading

As we travel on life’s journey as believers in Jesus Christ, we learn more and more about what God’s love for us means. We increasingly understand what God has done for us through His love in Jesus. The temptation to hatred radically lessens, even if much pain still remains, as we realize more clearly the... Continue Reading

When you read Deuteronomy 33:27 — “The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms” — you find a solid foundation for security. Our identity in him takes away the shame that society, with its competitive ethos, inflicts upon us. For “those who look to him [daily] are radiant, and their... Continue Reading

If Christ is “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Heb. 1:3), and if it is absolutely impermissible to portray God, as Rome herself says in Catechism 2129, then how can it be right to portray him who is the image and revelation of God? For if the... Continue Reading

The expectation of a future city of God runs throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. According to Hebrews, the patriarch Abraham looked forward to “the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Heb. 11:10, NIV). The expectation of a transformed Jerusalem is a dominant theme in the oracles of the Old Testament... Continue Reading

I think consumerism particularly bites hard against God’s plan for a church made of people who share little in common other than Jesus Christ. The fact is that we have the gospel at work in our lives, and we want to show it off. It’s like you have the special edition Camaro. You don’t want... Continue Reading

God employs loss and its accompanying grief to strip me of inferior objects of trust and sources of joy and anchor my soul more securely to Christ. Fear is a powerful enemy and an opponent of childlike faith. Suffering is the most powerful instrument of the Spirit for exposing my heart’s sin and false trust.... Continue Reading

For two decades, Jordan Hall, 52, had been on this hypercharged, neon-lit journey through the whirlwind of Web 1.0: Burning Man, Big Sur, Aspen, private islands, cross-country RV treks, the jungles of southern Ecuador. Then, in 2022, Hall and his then-girlfriend Vanessa arrived in the green, rambling, rolling Blue Ridge Mountains of westernmost North Carolina.... Continue Reading

Looking and sounding like the world mutes the true spiritual difference between the world and the Christian message. The entire progressive project is an attempt to create an ethos within the church to address the problem of church attendance as if that was the first concern of the church. Now the music, the message, the... Continue Reading

The UMC now joins the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church USA, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the United Church of Christ as being among those to ordain gay clergy. Christ has removed his lamp stand from these churches (Revelation 2:5), and the Holy Spirit is not there. Interestingly enough, the liberal African Methodist... Continue Reading

Tony Morgan died Sept. 4 following complications from a heart attack. Morgan was founder of the Unstuck Group, a church consultancy firm that “helps pastors clarify where God’s called the church to go in the future, and how you’ll get there.” Since its founding in 2009, the organization claims to have “helped over 600 churches... Continue Reading

We can draw no deadlines for God. He hastens or he delays as he sees fit. And his timing is all-loving toward his children. Oh, that we might learn to be patient in the hour of darkness. Darkness Is Normal It will be of great advantage to the struggling Christian to remember that seasons of... Continue Reading

The truth of God’s Word will sink deep into our beings, assimilated by the digestive juices of prayer to our spiritual nourishment and growth in grace. Our very beings are affected, sustained, fortified, and changed. By the Spirit, that embraced Word will accomplish the purpose intended for us in it.  Prayer in Nehemiah (15) “And... Continue Reading

 Few dare to plunge into the unusual laws and regulations of Leviticus, the troubling histories of Judges, the long prophecies of Isaiah and Ezekiel. Yet if each of these books is from God and ultimately about God, then each book teaches us how we can best honor God. The Bible is a canon, an authoritative... Continue Reading

“It pleased God, in His eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, His only begotten Son, to be the Mediator between God and man, the Prophet, Priest, and King, the Head and Savior of His Church, the Heir of all things, and Judge of the world; unto whom He did from all eternity... Continue Reading

Instead of having time to become bored, as it were, with resting and naturally begetting excitement for an upcoming event, we instead have no time amid the general rush to keep up with commercial demands. We find ourselves constantly too busy—not only for meaningful connection with other humans, but for celebrating holidays, living seasonally, and... Continue Reading

When the redeemed observe the faintly falling snow through the universe, their minds ought to turn to the Maker of both snow and universe, the One who crafts each and every snowflake individually, separately, uniquely. A great torrent of white snow settling on a blemished creation ought to remind us all of Him who delights... Continue Reading

 Humankind needs desperately to find this deeper meaning of Christmas which transforms people’s hearts and consequently their whole lives and relationships. This is the eternal mystery of Christmas, its great power and light, its everlasting gospel of love, unity and purity, its infinite joy and gladness. We must discover what it means that the kingdom... Continue Reading

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John... Continue Reading

Faith, like anything meaningful, needs nurturing. It’s not something that stays strong on its own—we must be intentional about it. These are a few practices that have helped me strengthen my connection to God. Over the years, I’ve learned that consistency matters more than perfection in these practices.   Life has a way of throwing... Continue Reading

There is wisdom in listening to and learning from doctors and experienced caregivers. But Christians have the full resources of the all-wise God available to them — by God’s Spirit, through his word, and among his people. Generational ministry lives in the church, Christ’s body; we are meant to work together as we honor the... Continue Reading

Faith makes us see preciousness in Christ; but unbelief sees no form, beauty, or comeliness in him (1 Pet 2:7; Isa. 53:1-3). By faith we have our life in Christ’s fulness; but by unbelief we starve and pine away (Gal. 2:20). Faith gives us the victory over the law, sin, death, the devil, and all... Continue Reading

The Lord uses His people similarly to provide for His church today. Generally speaking (again, these are proverbs for us today), God desires to bless our faithfulness with fruitfulness to care for ourselves, for others, and His church. Fruit may not always be in dollars and things, but a faithful life is generally a happy... Continue Reading

If you claim to follow Christ, your interactions—whether in person or behind a screen—are not neutral. Every word you type reflects either the flesh or the Spirit. Anonymity may shield you from others, but it doesn’t shield you from the Lord who purchased you with His blood. He calls you to holiness, even in how... Continue Reading