Helping you grow in God's all-sufficient grace and truth
FATHER, forgive me. I’ve been so self-sufficient the past few years and have fallen away from the pattern of daily, scheduled prayer. Yes, I pray. Many times with intensity and focus and sometimes even fasting, but the habit of substantive
Continue readingYesterday, in our adult Bible class at church, we broke into small buzz groups and surveyed the Scriptures on the subject of hospitality, the friendly reception and treatment of guests or strangers. It was a very challenging and profitable time
Continue readingWhatever the cause is that brings about a single parenting situation, moms who are parenting alone need our compassionate help, encouragement, and biblical counsel. Therefore, I’m thrilled to let you know about an extremely helpful new booklet that will equip
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A seminary student of mine, who is also a pastor, called this week to ask how to begin a visiting the sick ministry team in his church. Here’s the counsel I gave to him: Do the following simultaneously. Teach your
Continue readingO LORD, Thou knowest my great unfitness for service, my present deadness, my inability to do anything for Thy glory, my distressing coldness of heart. I am weak, ignorant, unprofitable, and loathe and abhor myself. I am at a loss to know what
Continue readingAs an appendix to the last Q&A, which addressed the meaning of 1 John 4:18, let’s consider another application of the same principle (mature love casts out fear), which I believe is legitimate given the larger context of John’s epistle concerning
Continue readingQUESTION: Does 1 John 4:18 mean that anyone who fears judgment isn’t saved? ANSWER: Here’s what the verse says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears
Continue readingYesterday, while listening to the audio version of John Stott’s The Cross of Christ, I was hit between the eyes, i.e. convicted, by two sentences: “Envy is the reverse side of a coin called vanity. Nobody is ever envious of
Continue readingDo the troubles of life ever leave you so wiped out physically, mentally, and emotionally that all you can do is squeak out “God, help me!”? Then Psalm 121 is for you. Yesterday, our congregation spent its morning worship time
Continue readingToday, I have the privilege to officiate the funeral service of a man in our church who became a friend over the past half-dozen years. When he cautiously first came to a Thanksgiving dinner at our church he did not
Continue readingHere are a few more links that will encourage your personal growth, cultivate biblical thinking and discernment, and strengthen one-another ministry. Backward Porn Addiction, by Rick Thomas, tackles the issue of modesty and exhorts Christian women to dress for the
Continue readingOne of the tasks that I both love and hate as a seminary professor is grading papers. I hate it because it can be so laborious. But I love it because I get to see if I succeeded in stimulating
Continue readingIs lust and porn a male problem? The answer is a resounding NO. For all of human history lust has damaged the human soul and wreaked havoc on relationships, destroying too many marriages to count. Yet the church has largely
Continue readingAccording to 1 Peter 1:7, God’s purpose in our suffering is “that the genuineness of [our] faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at
Continue readingThere are at least 6 reasons why it is spiritually profitable for us to mimic the psalmist’s resolution, “I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word” (Psalm 119:16). Delighting in the Word leads to spiritual
Continue reading“Abuse is a growing problem. In 2007 there were over three million reported cases of child abuse in the United States, involving as many as six million children. Estimates of the number of incidents of domestic violence range from just
Continue readingHe who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords; who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see (1 Tim. 6:15-16). Let us draw near
Continue readingIn addition to the daily, private feeding on the Word (yesterday’s post), public intake is also necessary for sanctification. The growing disciple is also one who places a high priority on listening to the public reading and preaching of the
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By God’s grace, I’m a husband, dad, grandpa, and pastor at Cornerstone Community Church in Mayfield Hts, OH. I love Christ because He first loved me.
