From the blog this week: The Covenant of Grace in the New Testament
When Discouragement Rolls In
“Discouragement rolls in like that sometimes. You can’t really account for it when life has been sweet and good and who can remember such a beautiful season? But you wake up one morning to the rumblings of a disgruntled spirit and the air is so thick with discouragement you could almost hold it in your hands. You start to evaluate what brought it on. Maybe I’m sinning too much and loving Christ too little. Maybe I need a change, a break, something to look forward to. Maybe I’m just tired.”
Divine Order in a Chaotic Age: On Women Preaching
“Whether a woman is called to marriage or singleness, women should not preach or offer public teaching in the gathered worship service in local churches. The call to local church leadership is not dependent upon gifting or talent; it is based on the creation order of Almighty God. For a woman to teach and preach to adult men is to defy God’s Word and God’s design. Elders must not allow such a sinful practice; to do so is to bring the church body into disobedience against God.”
A New Kind of Pharisee
“They find an external, cultural issue to rally around. After all, that’s much easier than embracing Jesus’ true spirituality of examining and mourning one’s motives; of repenting of invisible heart idols; of seeing, loathing, confessing, and fleeing the secret lusts in one’s own heart. They loathe true spiritual loathing. They hate the true spiritual hatred Jesus identified as a genuine, living spirituality.”
His Mercy is More–Some Lyrics Last a Lifetime
The importance of theologically rich hymns and teaching them to our children:
“These extraordinary lyrics joyfully infuse these very truths into the minds and hearts of those who sing them. It helps us understand what it actually means to be free and forgiven. Whether you sing it during a service or sing it as a response at the end, the message is clear and compelling.”
How Do You Know if You Should Adopt?
“Asking God if he has adoption or foster care for you is indeed a dangerous prayer. If God calls you, you will need to lean on Jesus every hour. Self-sufficiency will not do. But it’s also a deeply joy-filled calling, an opportunity to abide in our Father who loves the fatherless, and a chance to live out gospel love in your own home.”
