"Watch your life and doctrine closely"
Our greatest desire guides every decision we make. When faced with options, we will choose what we want and what we perceive to provide the greatest benefit. Oftentimes, we have competing desires and we’ll make our choice based on the greatest desire in that moment. For example, I might have a desire to lose fifteen…
There are certain prayers in Scripture that so perfectly capture the cry of one’s heart that they are worth repeating. I often pray “I believe, help my unbelief” because it perfectly communicates both my faith and lack thereof. One such prayer that has been on repeat for me since I read it as a high…
Check out this collection of links to encourage your growth in grace! The Fruit of Confessing Sin “Confessing in this way purifies our hearts, deepens our humility, maintains our fellowship, and enables us to see the glory of Jesus all the more clearly. Repentance does not just give us a clear conscience before God; it…
Scripture provides vivid warnings of judgment and eternal hell for those who don’t repent and believe in Christ. Such warnings occur throughout the Bible and in Jesus’ earthly teaching. In Revelation 14, those who reject Christ and instead worship the beast “will be tormented with fire and sulfur…and the smoke of their torment goes up…
Still half-asleep, I stumble to the kitchen to turn on the Keurig. I hear the boys’ bedroom door open followed by a miniature stampede of pattering feet running my direction. The two youngest stop and look at me, but I’m not prepared for anything but coffee. Immediately, my 5-year-old points at his brother and proceeds…
A collection of links to encourage your growth in grace! From the blog: What is Regeneration? 6 Sins that Enable Abuse “We claim, ‘As Christians we extend grace to sinners,’ yet we neglect to extend grace to traumatized children and heartbroken wives. We justify our silence, saying, ‘Love covers a multitude of sins,’ as if…
He stealthily traveled by night, so as not to be seen. Finally, he arrived and saw the one who had caused so much commotion, the one some called a miracle-worker but who others called the Messiah. Nicodemus had pondered these events in his head, but when he reached Jesus he said to him, “Rabbi, we…
A collection of links from around the web: From the blog: Why I Write If Justification is Once-for-All, Why Do I Need to Keep Repenting? “The reason we pray “Forgive us our debts” is not because we’ve lost our state of grace and need to be re-saved. Justification is permanent. Rather, confessing our sin reminds…
In a recent conversation with a group of writers, we were ruminating how writing, like most things, has both mountaintop experiences and desert seasons. Such ‘ups’ and ‘downs’ are inevitable and one must learn how to navigate and persevere especially during the ‘down’ times. There seemed to be agreement that knowing why we write is…
A collection of links to encourage your growth in grace! From the blog: God Sees Your Intentions American Culture is Broken. Is Theonomy the Answer? “The simplest observation to make about Theonomy as a hermeneutic is that it misunderstands the relationship between the old covenant and the new covenant—which leads to misapplications today.” Character Matters…