Helping you grow in God's all-sufficient grace and truth
Anger is a God-given emotion; it is part of being made in His image. It is a rising up of the human heart’s sense of right and wrong. Robert Jones defines anger well in his excellent, biblically faithful book Uprooting
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While meditating on John 15:1-8 the past few mornings, it has occurred to me that our interpretation of the sanctifying work that God accomplishes in the Christian’s life—especially during times of trial—is directly related to our understanding of pruning, which
Continue readingUnderstanding the role of the Holy Spirit and our role in sanctification is critical to a proper, practical outworking of the Christian life. In my twenty-two years as a pastor, I perhaps preached on this “necessary tension” more than any
Continue readingValley of Vision, a collection of Puritan prayers and devotions, has been a significant blessing in my personal, devotional life for many years. But a couple weeks ago, when I had to spend the good part of a day on
Continue readingHere’s a handful of articles to encourage your personal growth and your one-another ministry. Thomas Nettles Retires from SBTS – At the Books At a Glance site, Fred Zaspel interviews a faithful man of God and seminary professor. Be sure
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In light of the psalmist’s assurance of God’s protection: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble,” he instructs us to “Cease striving” (Psalm 46:10). The Hebrew word translated “cease” means to sink or relax. “Striving”
Continue readingIn Psalm 116:15, we read these words: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones.” God delights in the death of a believer because it stirs anticipation for the fullness of redemption. The death
Continue readingWhile reading a chapter in How Long, O Lord?: Reflections on Suffering and Evil, by D. A. Carson, I was struck by this excerpt, which introduced to me a poem I had not seen before: “Frequently it is when we
Continue readingCharles Spurgeon is real; that is one reason why we love him so much. In his writings, he bore his heart and soul to us—he took the risk of being transparent and, as a result, left rich words that continue
Continue readingIn the blockbuster film Frozen, one of the mother trolls believes, “people don’t really change.” But is this true, biblically? No, of course it isn’t. Salvation is about transformation, not merely forgiveness and eternal life. The good news of the
Continue readingIn Psalm 39:4 we read, “Lord, make me to know my end and what is the extent of my days; let me know how transient I am.” These words remind us that life on this earth is temporary and uncertain.
Continue readingNothing is more important than understanding what the Bible teaches about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. What we understand and personally believe about this historical and supremely spiritual event determines our eternal destiny. Therefore, there is no
Continue readingGrowing Up Gothard – I’m not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet, but I saw this coming when first exposed to homeschool guru Bill Gothard in Kansas City almost three decades ago. 8 Things Healthy Couples Don’t Do
Continue readingFollowers of Jesus Christ (myself included) have the habit of taking our eyes off of Him and, specifically, our identity in Christ and the beauty that is ours by virtue of our union with Him. In his book, A Shelter
Continue reading“But You are a God of forgiveness,” the Levites prayed on behalf of the repentant people of God (Nehemiah 9:17). What a marvelous declaration! The spiritual leaders continued to describe their covenant-keeping God: “Gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and
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A year-and-a-half ago, David Murray and his film-making team drove from Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan to our home in Plymouth, Wisconsin. The purpose of their trip was to spend two days with my family and me,
Continue readingA few weeks ago, I ran a series of posts on the major areas of theology and how they should impact our personal ministry of the Word to one another. Astutely, one regular reader emailed me to inquire why there
Continue readingThis morning, while reading a chapter in Wayne and Joshua Mack’s newest book, God’s Solutions to Life’s Problems (P&R, 2014), I was blessed by a wonderful excerpt from one of Charles Spurgeon’s sermons, “The Priest Dispensed With,” preached sometime in
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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.
