Helping you grow in God's all-sufficient grace and truth
According to John 15:1-8, our interpretation of the sanctifying work that God accomplishes in our lives—especially during times of trial—is directly related to our understanding of pruning. This, in turn, affects our response to personal suffering and to others in
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The Christian life is about walking with God, with our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ. But how do we walk with Christ? How do we walk with One whom we cannot see? We walk by faith. In 2 Corinthians 5:7,
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When God saves our soul he doesn’t intend for us to just coast to Glory. Jesus didn’t go to the cross to simply purchase our ticket to Paradise. For the rest of our days, God calls us to bear spiritual
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Every week, each of us has 168 hours. If we were to try to account for those hours, we may allocate about 56 hours to sleep and 40-60 hours for employment, including commutes. That leaves 50-70 hours/week for shopping, education,
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If you were to ask the average person to name someone in their lifetime whom they considered to be a saint, one name that you would surely hear is Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa was a Roman Catholic nun who dedicated
Continue readingThe more we progress in the sanctification that is promoted by exposure to the Word of God, the more we see the hidden motives of our heart. Indeed this is one of the purposes of Scripture: For the word of
Continue readingOne of the favorite metaphors used by New Testament writers to describe the Christian life is that of the race. For example, the apostle asked the Corinthians, Do you not know that those who run in a race all run,
Continue readingThis week, a brother in Christ asked me this question. So, I thought I would pass on my brief answer. First John 5:16 is a difficult verse. However, before explaining its meaning, read the full context. 14 And this is
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God is always searching for men who will be men for Him. The Bible confirms this truth. Samuel said to Saul, the Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). Jeremiah 5:1 says,
Continue readingFive years ago, this month, I published this article. Since then 44,000 people have read it. Therefore, I thought it may make a good Flashback Friday post. I trust it will encourage your growth in grace. A local church is
Continue readingAs I near the end of reading Isaiah By the Day: A Devotional Translation by Alec Motyer, I want to pass on to you some really important thoughts from the author which serve to challenge each of us. Today’s reading
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The past two Lord’s Days, our congregation has been considering what the apostle had in mind when he declared his heart’s longing, “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like
Continue readingWhy We Do Not Punish Our Children – Sara Wallace makes the same distinction that I’ve been making in my teaching and writing for several decades (HELP! My Toddler Rules the House, for example). So glad for this TGC post!
Continue readingSometime in the early months of 1984, I met Jesus Christ. Before that moment, I knew about Him, but I did not know Him. I had a religion, but I did not have a relationship with God. By God’s grace
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Today is the third, and final, post in a series of reflections on the conscience stimulated by a chapter in A Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life. First, we thought about the nature of the conscience as first created by God.
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Continuing from yesterday’s post, I’d like us to think for a few more moments about what the Puritans taught concerning the conscience. In this post, consider a summary of six kinds of evil consciences which, again, are drawn from A Puritan
Continue readingIt’s Friday again! So here’s an article from July 2012. Earlier this week, the citizens of the United States celebrate their independence as a nation. We truly thank and praise God for the political and religious freedoms that we have
Continue readingBrethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and
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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.
