Posts from August 2017
Don’t Say God Is Silent with Your Bible Closed
“Don’t say God is silent when your Bible is closed.” I don’t know who said or shared it first, but it’s clear this simple statement resonates with many, at least it has with me. These ten words rebuke our fear that God might be inactive or uncaring in the brokenness and messiness of our lives, and reminds us that he cares, he sees, and he speaks. But too often, we’re just not listening. God is always ready to speak into…
Reprobation: Does God elect people to hell?
“The concept of reprobation is biblical, and the actual word is used in a few places (Psalm 15:4, 1 Cor 9:27, 2 Cor 13:5-7). The doctrine of reprobation is best understood in contrast with the doctrine of election. Thus the discussion of the nature of reprobation is usually had by those who already believe in election—that God chose which individuals he will save before the foundation of time. And any consideration of reprobation leads to this question: “Does God predestine…
Just-Around-the-Corner Spirituality
“Have you ever thought, “If only I didn’t have this pressing deadline, I could spend more time in prayer”? Or, “Once I recover from this illness, then I’ll be able to concentrate and study God’s Word”? Or, “If I could just line up a retreat day (or better yet, a week of vacation) then my walk with Christ could be renewed and refreshed”? Or, “If only the kids were out of diapers, I would have more time to pursue God”?…
Two ways to look at the people in your church
“It is a display of God’s wisdom that he binds us together in local church communities. We know it is a mark of his wisdom, yet sometimes it can feel so much like folly. Sometimes we grow weary of being around people who are sinful, who are selfish, who still have so far to go. In other words, sometimes we grow weary of being around people who are just like us. At times like these, we can benefit from a…
John MacArthur on Self-Discipline
“Discipline is without a doubt one of the hardest things to master. As a young guy in ministry, I’m always looking for advice from men and women who live very disciplined lives. Recently as I was looking through my seminary papers I found a short article written by John Macarthur in response to this question: Practically speaking, how can a person develop self-discipline in his or her life?” Read more…