This election year, many of us are already finding the political commentary and news exhausting. Never have God’s people needed the reminder more that the key to influence and change in this world is not, and never has been, politics. It is faithfulness to Jesus. Of course, we should look over the candidates carefully and […]
Every person is an emotional being, yet some Christians have been taught that strong emotions are categorically sinful and therefore unacceptable. In and of themselves emotions are neither good nor bad, they simply are. Questions of right and wrong relate to how we handle our emotions. Feelings aren’t part of the Curse; they’re part of […]
Philip Yancey, a writer I often appreciate, wrote an article about his own struggle to carve out focused attention for reading, and how his own personal experience reflects our culture at large. The decline in reading books is something I feel strongly about, as those who aren’t dedicated readers most likely won’t be dedicated readers […]
Though the answer wouldn’t be obvious to unbelievers or even to most Christians, the Bible is clear on this: it’s Jesus. Psalm 45:6-7 is quoted in direct reference to the Messiah, in Hebrews 1:8-9, where the Father says of His Son: “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you […]
Seeing positive outcomes of some suffering should lead us to trust that God can bring good from all suffering. Consider three people who through suffering became extraordinary: Doctors once thought that Joseph Merrick, “The Elephant Man,” had elephantiasis, though now they believe he suffered from Proteus syndrome, which causes abnormal growth of bones, skin, and […]
While Scripture does not say as much as we’d like about circumstance-control, it says a great deal more than we like about self-control. Scripture warns, “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls” (Proverbs 25:28). Such a city, and such a person, will be left unhappy. Without self-control on […]
One of my favorite bloggers, Tim Challies, linked to a fascinating article in his daily A La Carte feature: Your smartphone is making you stupid, antisocial and unhealthy. So why can’t you put it down!?️ Here are some notable sections from it about the impact smartphones are having on our lives and minds: They have […]
Position yourself for prayer by reading Scripture first. “In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years” (v. 2). 2. Follow Scripture’s lead toward what you should pray for. (If […]