Helping you grow in God's all-sufficient grace and truth
“Your testimonies also are my delight; they are my counselors.” – Psalm 119:24
O FOUNTAIN OF ALL GOOD, Destroy in me every lofty thought, Break pride to pieces and scatter it to the winds. Annihilate each clinging shred of self-righteousness, Implant in us true lowliness of spirit, Abase me to self-loathing and self-abhorrence, Open
Continue readingOne of the beauties of God’s wisdom is the way he uses our trials to equip us to counsel one another—just as it says in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. As a result, many times the best counselors are those who’ve “been
Continue readingPeriodically, questions are submitted to this blog by email. Since this Q&A interchange will surely help others, in addition to the one who posed the question, I will sometimes post answers here in generic form. Here’s a few questions from
Continue readingIn yesterday’s post, we began looking at Paul’s admonition to the Thessalonians: “We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone” (1 Thess. 5:14). We considered the first two kinds of people he
Continue readingWhen Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church, he was calling all believers to a ministry of corrective love, which he faithfully modeled as a minister of God. A key verse to consider regarding this one-another ministry is found in Paul’s
Continue readingOne of the most common counseling-related questions concerns the place of medicine in the treatment of emotional or psychological problems. And one of the most helpful and thought-provoking books that I’ve read on the subject is Will Medicine Stop the
Continue readingRomans 6 presents the right way to win the battle against sin through the ongoing recognition that, by virtue of spiritual union with Christ, the believer in Jesus Christ is “dead” to sin and “alive” to God. Since we know
Continue readingThis old Puritan prayer ministered to my heart today as well as to my congregation. It was very fitting. This morning, I preached from 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 as part of a sermon series Disability and the Glory of God. In
Continue reading“Often I will illustrate the difference between a need and desire this way: ‘If you held me underwater in a swimming pool, I would fight you to the end because I need air. A need is something you cannot live
Continue readingThe future return of Christ is clearly a biblical motivation toward godliness. The Apostle Peter includes the hope of Christ’s return as an essential part of the believer’s mindset, which must be disciplined in order to be sanctified. We are
Continue readingYour young adult son needs to listen to Sex & the Single Man, by Mark Dever from the 2004 Desiring God Conference. Listen to the download first—yourself—in order to decide which of your sons are mature enough for its teaching.
Continue readingNuggets for Counselors contains some posts that I think will encourage your personal growth, cultivate biblical thinking and discernment, and strengthen one-another ministry. 10 Pillars of Gambling – John MacArthur finishes up a 3-part series on the perils of covetousness. Is
Continue reading“What counseling models are ‘popular in the church’?,” asks David Powlison of the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF). “It’s immediately obvious that churches provide homes to countless approaches to the problems in living – more approaches than grains of
Continue readingChristian love requires that we must at times confront one another about sin patterns that hinder growth toward spiritual fruitfulness and maturity. However, before we embark on what I like to call “the ministry of confrontation” let’s be ready to
Continue readingGod is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. – Psalm 46:1 When circumstances are beyond our control and seem to be working against us, we must hold on to the truth that God loves us and
Continue readingJim Berg has given us a very helpful book on biblical discipleship entitled Changed Into His Image. If you are looking for a basic, solid introduction to the doctrine of sanctification, I recommend this book. Here are a just a few
Continue readingEmotions are God-given responses in the inner man that are activated by one’s desires and thoughts and are often reactions to the words and actions of others, including God. They are complex reactions with both mental and physical manifestations. They
Continue readingWhen we hear the word “slave,” we think of someone who is helpless under the power of a dominating force or influence. If you are a slave to food, your time and thoughts are devoted to eating it. It seems
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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.
