Do you find it easy to trust in the Lord? Before you answer that question consider the past year of your life. What was the most hurtful thing that happened to you? In what ways did you struggle to trust God in the midst of it? If you’re anything like me, you likely struggled to […]
A word that we often use today instead of kind is nice. Nice is nice, but it’s not kind. Love may not always be very nice, but it is always kind. If your friend confronted you for the harsh word you spoke to your wife, would you think he was being nice? You’d probably think, […]
Introduction When Paul begins his description of love in 1 Corinthians 13, he does something striking. Before kindness, humility, or endurance, he begins with one foundational virtue: “Love is patient” (1 Cor. 13:4). This is not accidental. Paul is not merely listing a trait; he is naming a foundati
A lawyer and a minister walk into a Scottish Kirk… It sounds almost like the beginning set-up of a bad joke, but the lawyer Archibald Johnson and the minister Alexander Henderson were not joking when, on February 28th, 1638, they put forth the National Covenant before signers to be acknowledged and
Jesus’ letter to the church in Philadelphia is full of commendation with, contrary to every other church, no condemnation. And yet, there is still exhortation for they, like every other church, have not yet persevered to the end. They must “hold fast [to what they] have, so that no one may seize you
Though God is not a communist – “thou shall not steal” – He is concerned with our idolatrous love of money. So attractive is the lure of wealth that, often times, God will describe his people’s love of wealth with the language of adultery! (see Isaiah 1:21-23; Jeremiah 5:1-13; Ezekiel 16; Hosea 2:1-
When someone rises up against you in anger who do you wish was by your side? When sorrow over suffering threatens to sweep you away which friend do you want beside you? When shame over sin threatens to undo you which person do you want to remind you of God’s forgiving love? When an addiction […]
Pergamos was one of the most influential cities of the ancient world. Built upon a massive rocky hill, it dominated the surrounding countryside both geographically and politically. The Romans made it the capital of the province of Asia, making it a center of wealth, learning, and imperial power. Its
What is there to say about Richard Baxter’s The Reformed Pastor that has not already been said? It is, perhaps, one of the greatest books ever written by a pastor for pastors. It challenges, encourages, and equips the man of God with the wisdom and skill needed to pastor the flock of God entrusted t
Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. Revelation 3:4 The Church is covered with phony-bolognas. Countless men, women, and children will take on the name of Christ by profession but lack possessio
