Helping you grow in God's all-sufficient grace and truth
“Your testimonies also are my delight; they are my counselors.” – Psalm 119:24
Here at the blog we have been thinking much the past week about forgiveness and the root of bitterness that grows in its absence. Today, let’s think about what may be the two most important New Testament passages concerning horizontal
Continue readingAccording to Hebrews 12:15, bitterness is a “root attitude” of the heart that grows where there is a shortage of grace. Roots grow downward, going deeper and getting more deeply embedded. The root of bitterness also causes other sins to
Continue readingAs you prepare your heart to worship the Lord together with other believers tomorrow, consider making this song your own personal prayer. I long to know You like never before, trust and surrender my life to you, Lord, Lay down
Continue readingYesterday’s post examined the first characteristic of the heart that is always ready to forgive: A forgiving heart is energized by a healthy awareness of personal sin (v. 12a) Characteristic #2 – A forgiving heart is expected of the one
Continue readingSince Jesus taught that a heart that has been forgiven much loves much (Luke 7:47), our thinking will be affected by how often we meditate on God’s forgiveness of us in Jesus Christ. If we regularly ponder the depth of
Continue readingA proper understanding of Romans 6 is critical to maintaining the biblical view of sanctification. If we are to grow in God’s goal of conforming us to the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29), we must consider our old sin
Continue readingHebrews 10:23-25 exhorts us, Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling
Continue readingHere’s another handful of profitable links I’d like to pass on for your edification. 5 Signs of Spiritual Maturity – Clint Archer explores some marks of spiritual maturity. Are Mormons Christian? – Be sure to watch this 3-minute video with
Continue readingEvery biblical counselor loves small booklets that can be used as tools for discipleship. One of my favorites is Changing Your Thought Patterns by George Sanchez (no longer in print). I always keep a supply of this little tool on
Continue readingAs I was thinking about the Thanksgiving season it occurred to me that one of the things that prevents us from being truly thankful is the sin of envy. Let’s take some moments to counsel one another about envy and
Continue readingLiving godly in an ungodly world requires mental preparation for the spiritual battle that exists. Consequently, the apostle Peter urges his readers to “prepare your minds for action” (1 Pet. 1:13). The word translated “prepare” means “to bind, to gather
Continue readingYesterday, we began looking at some applications of Paul’s twofold exhortation: “Pay attention to yourself and to your teaching” (1 Tim 4:16), concentrating on the yourself part of the verse. Today, we turn to our teaching. Pay Attention to Your
Continue readingBe sure to read these interviews with authors of vital counseling resources at the Biblical Counseling Coalition website: HELP! My Teen Struggles with Same-Sex Attractions by Ben Marshall HELP! I’m a Slave to Food by Shannon McCoy HELP! My Teen
Continue readingFighting the good fight of faith—as a pastor—boils down to the constant maintenance of two areas of life: Our personal lives and our doctrine (pastoral failure is almost always the result of unfaithfulness in one of these areas). While teaching on
Continue readingEarlier today, I read a helpful little booklet written by Susan Heck entitled A Call to Scripture Memory. In this 21-page booklet from Focus Publishing, the author answers five questions: Who should memorize Scripture? Why should we memorize Scripture? What
Continue readingThroughout the New Testament epistles believers in Christ are exhorted to put away pride and follow the humility of Jesus. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans, through the grace given to me I say to every man among you
Continue reading“For my life, I have pictured [the purpose of my ministry] with one word: Coach. I am writing this book because the passion of my life is to coach people to coach others,” writes Bob Kellemen, and he does not
Continue readingThanks to all of you who’ve prayed for my wife and me as we traveled to Russia, teaching on the family. Today, with time changes, we spend an entire day in the air. Looking forward to being home again. If
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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.
