Helping you grow in God's all-sufficient grace and truth
Two days ago, I preached my farewell sermon to the church that God—by His grace—gave me the privilege to serve for twenty-two years. During the final weeks before this sermon, I thought much about what I might say and finally
Continue reading“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). The word “condemnation” is from katakrima, meaning penalty. It is the word that Paul used to speak of the consequence of Adam’s choice to rebel against
Continue readingA pastor needs a pastor. A counselor needs a counselor. Perhaps that comes as a surprise to you, but it should not. As a son of Adam, I am cut out of the same bolt of fallen cloth that you
Continue readingThe doctrine of the believer’s adoption into God’s family is rich with assurance of the continuing love and commitment of the Heavenly Father. We may define adoption this way: Adoption is the gracious act of God by which He places
Continue readingAs believers in Jesus Christ it is easy to lose our bearings when we forget who we are. This is every Christian’s identity crisis. The answer is for us to recognize the false identities that have robbed us of our
Continue readingOver several months, Bob’s stress levels had soared. As he accepted more and more responsibilities, he had less energy to bring to projects. Assignments were forgotten or neglected, people were disappointed, and Bob’s anxiety and frustration grew. As it turns
Continue readingContinuing yesterday’s post on the privileges of adoption in Christ let’s think for a moment about the fellowship with Christ that we experience as adopted children of God and siblings of Jesus (what John Owen called ‘communion with the Son’).
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The doctrine of the believer’s adoption into God’s family is rich with assurance of the continuing love and commitment of the Heavenly Father. We may define adoption this way: Adoption is the gracious act of God by which He places
Continue readingContinuing my meditations in the book of 1 John, the Holy Spirit has focused the eyes of my heart on another important truth about my position in Christ. According to the Word of God, I am loved by my heavenly
Continue readingContinuing my meditations in the book of 1 John, the Holy Spirit focused the eyes of my heart on another important truth about who I am in Christ. By virtue of my union with Christ by faith, I am completely
Continue readingThis morning’s meditation in the book of 1 John ministered grace to my heart and mind by reassuring me of God’s love for me in Christ. Specifically, the Spirit repeatedly highlighted the truth that in Christ I am already accepted
Continue readingYesterday, I shared with you some of the truths, or biblical concepts, that the Lord has been impressing upon me in recent weeks and months. Most importantly, that I must consciously think on things that are true of God, and
Continue readingA pastor needs a pastor. A counselor needs a counselor. Perhaps that comes as a surprise to you, but it should not. As a son of Adam, I am cut out of the same bolt of fallen cloth that you
Continue readingOne day, last week, I posted an excerpt from my first book, which gave a brief account of how the Lord opened my eyes to how performance-driven my nature is and how it negatively affects my “feeling” of acceptance with
Continue readingSixteen years ago, I was gifted a book written by one of my favorite authors, Jerry Bridges. The book is entitled Transforming Grace. I immediately read the first few chapters and set it aside for no memorable reason (Providence had
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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.
