Melissa Kruger reminds us that the Christian life is entirely paradoxical. She wrote the following in a recent blog at Ligonier:
…He who gains the most trinkets and toys does not win contentment in the game of life. When the world is gained, it may provide momentary happiness, but it is impossible for lasting joy to be sustained from temporary pleasure.
In contrast, the upside down way of the gospel leads us to deny
I recently finished Tim Keller’s new book, Prayer. Per usual, Keller has found the balance between writing accessibly while leading the reader through deep waters. His book on prayer will be my go-to book (outside of the Bible, of course) to recommend to Christians who want to learn to pray. Keller spends the first half of the book explaining what prayer is, why it’s important and why we should want it. In the second …
You’ve likely seen a preacher raise his leather bound copy of the Bible over his head and say something like, “This book is the inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God.” If you haven’t, welcome to the South. But how many church members have heard these kinds of powerful words and never understood what the preacher meant? What’s inerrancy? Why does it matter?
In 1978 a group of evangelical theologians who were concerned with preserving a …
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Psalm 119.105
Few things will deepen your spiritual growth and love for Jesus like abiding in and memorizing God’s Word. To many, it’s the cardinal discipline every Christian should adopt.
Do you wish you thought of God more throughout the day? Memorize his Word. Is there sin that you need power to defeat? Bury his word in your heart! Those times …
We live in a week to week world, especially when it comes to the spiritual life. My guess is that the spiritual EKG of the average church member spikes once every 7 days. We receive a boost of spiritual life through meeting with the body of Christ only to descend from Monday onward. How can you as a church member become a better worshiper in between worship services, and how can pastors help you?
I love following the ministry of Ray Ortlund. I listen to just about every sermon he preaches from his pulpit at Immanuel Nashville. He recently posted a few thoughts I’d love every church member to hear on God, music, and the gospel. Ray, like me, believes that God gifts all humans with abilities that we, as Christians, can glorify God for and enjoy. Here’s a sample of what he shares:
…“The glory and honor
In this blog series “The Bible” my hope is to introduce Christians to some basic claims the Bible makes, resources to aid study, and offer instruction on reading and applying God’s word. This first post asks a fundamental question: who wrote the Bible? I’m not trying to prove divine authorship. I’m just asking the Bible to speak for itself so that new and growing believers may be instructed and encouraged. So, who wrote the Bible?…
Christians, by definition, know the love of Christ. Yet, Paul’s prayer for all Christians (Ephesians 3.14-21) is that Christ would continually dwell in them. He asks that we may be strengthed to know what surpasses knowledge: the love of Christ. He wants us to see the difference between knowing the love of Christ, and gazing at it until our hearts are transformed. Every Christian knows the love of Christ, and yet, we don’t fully know …
How can I study my Bible better? It’s a question I hear all the time, and there’s a million ways to answer it. In this post I cover the first Bible study resources that I’d purchase if I was starting from scratch.
Here are a couple books I’d tell you to buy if you’re just starting to study the Bible seriously.
I …
I recently spent some time counselling a father in our church whose child has some doubts and fears. He’s a great dad and wanted to know how to help his child through doubt.
How can you trust God when you don’t understand why things are happening the way they are?
That’s the question he was asking. That’s a tough question for anyone to answer. How can you learn to trust God even when it seems …