Helping you grow in God's all-sufficient grace and truth
Light-bulb moments occur frequently while I am preaching. A fresh understanding, or application, of Scripture jumps off the page as the Holy Spirit illuminates, connects dots, and snaps mental puzzle pieces together to help me see a clearer, more beautiful
Continue readingThe God of the Bible—our God—is absolutely sovereign over the nations of the world. There is no nation, government, political party, or ruler that can escape His scrutinizing oversight. He raises and lowers kings. And yet, somehow, in the mystery
Continue readingAccording to Romans 12:2, believers can count on the will of God for their life being good, acceptable, and perfect. Therefore, there is never any good reason to not fully surrender to it. In The Christian’s Reasonable Service, Dutch Reformer
Continue readingA regular reader of this blog writes, “Dear Paul, a friend of mine is extremely, extremely confused about the ‘leading of the Spirit’ etc., very mystical, continuously telling me about experiences she had and how the Lord explained them to
Continue readingHe was in every one of my high school gym classes. He was on every athletic team I ever played on. Whether basketball, soccer, football, or baseball, he was there. Most of the time, he possessed exceptional athletic abilities. But
Continue readingBelievers in Jesus Christ are called to live like soldiers, strengthened by grace as members of God’s army—involved in the lives of other soldiers in God’s battalion. That was the emphasis in yesterday’s post, as we began to consider the
Continue readingHaving a son in the U.S. Army has made me a bit more alert to the “soldier” analogy in Scripture. One passage in particular is Paul’s admonition to Timothy, his son in the faith. “You therefore, my son, be strong
Continue readingOn this day of remembrance—without neglecting to thank God for the men and women who have given their lives to purchase our earthly freedom—let us consciously turn our attention to God who has freed us from our sin through Jesus
Continue readingO God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, We hope in thy Word. There we see thee, not on a fearful throne of judgment, but on a throne of grace waiting to be gracious and exalted in mercy. There we hear
Continue readingOne of the mantras here at Counseling One Another is “counseling is a targeted form of discipleship.” It’s a truism that, frankly, I seek to find multitude different ways of saying through this blog. However, today I’ve decided to simply
Continue readingCrucifixion was a form of the death penalty used by the Romans in Jesus’ day. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia records the history and development of the cross as a form of punishment. The solitary cross as a form of
Continue readingI’ve been meditating on the goodness of God toward me in Christ Jesus, His infinite love and patience, and the well-spring of His grace that transcends my ability to merit an ounce of it—even if given 10,000 lives to try.
Continue readingIt is time for Christians to regain a biblical understanding of the important role that an assembly of believers should have in their lives. The sooner we learn that we are not called to be consumers on the hunt for
Continue readingIt’s been silent here at the blog for a couple days because I’ve been immersed in the 9Marks Weekender at Capital Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. For several years, I have wanted to attend this four-day event, but made
Continue readingThe longer I am a Christian the more I marvel at the genius of the local church. The longer I am a pastor the more I marvel that God’s grace would be sufficient enough to save, call, and equip a
Continue reading“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms” (James 5:13). And if you are somewhere in between, do both. Sing a psalm while you pray or pray while you sing a psalm. Try
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Other than the Psalms, which deal with life in such raw honesty, there hardly seems a better place to turn when in the midst of trials than the book of Job. Job lost everything in a matter of moments; his
Continue readingIn the first chapter of the book of Acts, we peek into the window of a second-story meeting of early believers who were gathered for the express purpose of praying together. As we look closely, we see “Peter and John
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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.
