Helping you grow in God's all-sufficient grace and truth
In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found
Continue readingHow To Weep With Those Who Weep – “Just as we are commanded to weep with God’s people, so we are commanded to weep with him. God gives us grief in order that we may share his heart for his
Continue readingPsalm 30 reveals David as a man who ultimately triumphs in joy, and through joy. But it was not always that way, all of the time. In his journey from sorrow to joy, we see why the Holy Spirit preserved
Continue readingCount it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in
Continue readingHow Not to Help a Sufferer – “The problem with Job’s comforters isn’t that they’re heretics. Much of what they say is true. The problem is the moralistic worldview that governs their engagement with Job, and compels them to reason
Continue readingFor from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Rom. 11:36) In the most basic sense, the word theology refers to how we think about God. In light of that, and
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He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. Psalm 91:4 God is attentive to the needs of his children. And he is aware of your fears.
Continue readingThis morning, while meditating on Psalm 1, I read the following inset in the Beyond Suffering Study Bible. The title of the inset is “Suffering and Disability Themes,” but I think these insights are encouraging reasons to spend time in
Continue readingThe Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.(Psalm 34:18) Loss comes in many different forms. Loss of a spouse, child, or another loved one to death. Loss of relationships through betrayal, estrangement, divorce, or a
Continue readingOctober is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Therefore, I want to bring to your attention a unique mini-book for every woman, HELP! I Have Breast Cancer, by Brenda Frields. One of the beauties of God’s wisdom is the way he uses
Continue readingWe all go through times of trial. We are all tossed here and there by the storms of life. But how do we ride through the storms without sinking or drowning? Psalm 46 directs us to shift our focus from
Continue readingHere’s some articles I encourage you to read this weekend. Thoughts on Being a Father – Tedd Tripp reflects on 1 Thessalonians 2, drawing truths about a faithful father’s example and instruction. 5 Marks of a Servant Leader – What
Continue readingTrusting God is one of those challenges we as Christians talk about, but may not necessarily define. We encourage one another to “trust the Lord,” but we are not sure what it really means. We also tend to view it
Continue reading[This is the first of four posts encouraging you to study the Old Testament book of Lamentations.] In truth, all suffering can be traced back to the entrance of sin into our world; that is, before sin entered the world
Continue readingElisabeth Elliot was widowed twice and, therefore, understood grief better than most others. In a simple tract entitled “Facing the Death of Someone You Love,” which I recently discovered on one of my favorite book websites, she brings words of
Continue readingJob started so well. His faith was as invulnerable to Satan’s onslaughts as a turtle snuggled up inside its shell is to the frantic pawings of a dog. Job tucked his head and feet inside his faith in God and
Continue readingOur life in this fallen world will be filled with many expected and unexpected forms of suffering. The curse in the Garden announced this, Jesus confirmed it in His teaching, and the experience of the New Testament church testifies of
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As God performs his sanctifying work in us—conforming us to the image of his Son, “the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2)—there will be times when answers to prayer seem out of all possible reach. When we try
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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.
