The Gospel

Tamar: God’s Wrath and Imputed Righteousness

Tamar: God’s Wrath and Imputed Righteousness

The outcast Tamar was languishing away from God’s covenant family because of superstition and neglect of duty. God had promised to bless Abraham and his offspring (Gen. 12:1-3). This blessing would extend to all the families of the earth—as far as the curse is found. We caught a glimpse of this when God sustained Hagar and her boy for Abraham’s sake (Gen. 21:13, 20). Would this blessing stretch to Tamar too?

Dear Wormwood: Screwtape’s Letter on Bible Study

Dear Wormwood: Screwtape’s Letter on Bible Study

My Dear Wormwood,

You report in your last letter that your patient intends to purchase a “good study bible” with the determination to begin regular readings in the New Year. My dear nephew, calm yourself, as you seem rather troubled by this decision. If well managed, there is no cause for concern. You fail to remember the countless patients, firmly in the grip of Our Father Below, who own multiple copies of that dreadful Ancient Book!

Warning to Self: Don’t Make your Child your Idol

Warning to Self: Don’t Make your Child your Idol

I love my children easily and naturally and of course there is nothing wrong with that. But I also have a heart that is desperately idolatrous and prone to leave the God I love. Whenever I place my full satisfaction in something created, whenever I wholly delight my mind in something made, whenever I wrap my value and identity in someone or something apart from Christ, I have molded an idol.  And sadly, these self-made gods are easily made; evidence of the residual effects of sin that dwell even in the justified heart (Romans 7:14-25).

Remember Lot’s Wife - and Gaze on Christ alone as Savior

Remember Lot’s Wife - and Gaze on Christ alone as Savior

Lot’s wife was surrounded by men and women of faith. She witnessed God’s work through the lives of these others – and even had angles stay in her home, later escorting her personally to safety (Genesis 19:1-22)! Yet she falls into eternal judgment for her gaze was on her possessions and her life in Sodom rather than on the Savior. The Lord Jesus uses this woman as an example in Luke 17:29-32. He states that when judgment comes, remember Lot’s wife, for whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it but whoever loses his life will keep it.

The Fear of Death and the Fear of a Wasted Life

The Fear of Death and the Fear of a Wasted Life

My prayer today then is to have an attitude like that of Calvin’s – a disposition that fears a wasted life over death. I want to do well for the Lord – an alert and useful servant who keeps a lamp burning and whose Master finds her dressed in the hour of His need (Luke 12:35-40). My prayer is that my heart would not be captured by dissipation, distractions, and the cares of life but would be consumed by a love for Christ (Luke 21:34). How ever many years there might be for me, I want to live each one jealously for His glory.

If you’re Hungry to Consume the Word, God is Gracious to Feed

If you’re Hungry to Consume the Word, God is Gracious to Feed

I believed myself a Christian long before I was. I grew up attending church, affirming the existence of God, and even praying to the Lord Jesus but there was nothing much beyond this. I had no affection for Christ: no true worship; no fervency in prayer; no hunger for His Word. Was I wild and unruly? Not at all. I was motivated to do well in school and so made straight A’s. I was eager to please at home and so assisted in the care of younger siblings. I enjoyed simple contemplation and so read volumes of Jane Austen in quiet corners. I was even made an example by some as a good girl – but saved I was not.

God's Grace to a Pharisee like Me

God's Grace to a Pharisee like Me

I would have been a good monk and a great Pharisee. I like rules. I like order. I like disciplining myself, especially if it brings the commendation of others, particularly those in authority. This inclination is constant and often reveals itself in self-judgment. I can be hard on myself—all the while justifying my strict tendencies as a desire for progressive sanctification. But even godly pursuits can be perverted if not seen in light of the gospel.

Parental Failures and the Gospel

Parental Failures and the Gospel

I often feel inadequate as a parent and I thank God for it!  For it drives me to lower my head, bend my knees and seek His perfect strength in my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). The blessing is not in the weakness or inadequacy itself but in the humility it offers that draws me nearer to God for help--which then increases my dependence and confidence in the One who  works in me, both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). Praise be to God from whom all blessings flow!

The Greatest Adoption Story Ever Told

The Greatest Adoption Story Ever Told

There is a story told of a man whose teenage son was brutally murdered by another boy – a member of a gang. Unfortunately, this part of the story is nothing new, a gang related shooting is no surprise to the ear. What happens next however will not only stun the ear but also blow the mind! The father of the murdered boy pays the associated fees of the case and adopts his son’s killer as his own! Kirk Cameron, in the Biggest Question, recounts the tale here as he describes a meeting with this father and his adopted son!

Choose Christ over Willpower in Temptation

Choose Christ over Willpower in Temptation

We have all tasted temptation. For the Christian, temptation is both a pre- and post-regeneration reality. James, writing to Jewish believers, states: “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death” (James 1:13-15).

Eve and her Pain and Hope East of Eden

Eve and her Pain and Hope East of Eden

This woman—who had obeyed the voice of the cunning snake—deserved nothing but death. Yet there she was, alive and producing life. Eve knew that her child was God-wrought and not the product of her own strength or merit. She called her son Cain. The name sounds like the Hebrew word for “gotten.”1 God had given her offspring—would this one be the serpent-crusher she longed for?

Run to Win - Christ is the Prize!

Run to Win - Christ is the Prize!

I begin this post with a little self-disclosure: I don’t know how to run! What do I mean? Let’s just say, if you saw me running, you would understand perfectly well what I mean. To be specific, I was never taught (or perhaps I failed to learn) how to properly bend my knees when running. The result is a stride that slightly resembles a duck.