Thorns—an expression of God’s faithfulness to us. Therefore I will hedge up her way with thorns, and I will build a wall against her, so that she cannot find her paths (Hosea 2:6).   Jason lay in bed, weakened and restless, unaware that the thorns piercing his life were the very tools God was using... Continue Reading

Let us slaughter the fattened calf. Light the fires. Fill the glasses. Let us propose toasts and heartily enjoy the fellowship of the faithful. Even if it is around the simplest of meals. Let us eat, drink and be merry. Not because we die tomorrow. But rather because we live forever.    The saying “eat,... Continue Reading

Hedonism and cynicism are unbiblical and ineffective ways of dealing with our natural desire for joy. If you pursue joy with reckless abandon, you will end up striving for more and more while never attaining lasting joy. If you give up the pursuit of joy, adopting a morbid expectation about the future and people, you... Continue Reading

Consider setting aside the wrongful attitudes moderns bring against the Bible of Jesus. A place to start is taking on the attitude of Jesus toward his Bible. We should own it. Study it. Be humbled by it. Teach it. Tell others what it says about Yahweh’s mercy. I invite you to read it for yourself.... Continue Reading

I’m not about to write a book on the proper technique for keeping mums alive. It was just a seed planted in good soil. Honestly, there’s just not much to say about the sower. And so it is with evangelism. We throw the seed, and God grows the seed. Paul shifts the credit off of... Continue Reading

When Zephaniah describes how God supernaturally transforms human hearts and turns their desires to him, the prophet consistently integrates the relational, behavioral, and internal dimensions of this change. Those who holistically embrace his will pursue righteousness (v. 3), unity (3:9), proper worship (vv. 9–10), and humility (2:3; 3:11). In the end, God’s saving work will... Continue Reading

After removing the stone, Jesus called with new creation power, “Lazarus, come out.” The heart that stopped four days before pulsed with new life. Lazarus walked out of his grave. Lazarus’s resurrection and gives a picture of what it is like for God to resurrect people who are dead in their sins spiritually. God takes... Continue Reading

The problem isn’t that there is too much individualism.  Pure individualism can still result in people seeking God because God is the source of their highest good.  Nor is the problem merely that people want to be happy because a consequence of knowing God is happiness and joy. The gender cult is simply an expression... Continue Reading

Mere intellectual knowledge that Jesus is the only Mediator and the One who fulfills the covenant promises is insufficient for us to receive the promised blessings—we need to exercise personal faith in Christ as the object of the blessings. God has chosen to make faith the instrument of union with Christ. This affects our invocation... Continue Reading

What we have seen is that the “day of judgment,” or “day of wrath,” will be the day of Jesus’s judgment and Jesus’s wrath, acting by the appointment of God the Father. Therefore, when Paul says that Jesus “delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thess. 1:10), we are not to think of the... Continue Reading