Exploring the greatest question of this century

In his book The Passion of Jesus Christ , John Piper has gathered from the New Testament fifty reasons behind the crucifixion of the Christ:

The most important question of the twenty-first century is: Why did Jesus Christ suffer so much? But we will never see this importance if we fail to go beyond human cause. The ultimate answer to the question, Who crucified Jesus? is: God did. It is a staggering thought. Jesus was his Son. And the suffering was unsurpassed. But the whole message of the Bible leads to this conclusion.

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5 words for Mom

From Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson, Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus (coming this month from Crossway):

Here are five simple words for you to take with you every day: Manage, Nurture, Train, Correct, and Promise. The beginning letters of these five categories are MNTCP. You probably know how making an acrostic can help you remember certain important facts. This is one that will help you remember these categories and will also remind you of one more very important aspect of your parenting—prayer . . . . The acrostic can also stand for Moms Need To Constantly Pray.

• Does this circumstance simply call for management?
• Now that the situation has calmed down, do I have an opportunity tonurture his soul with the gospel?
• Is this the time to train him in how to apply what Jesus has already done for him?
• Do I need to correct her attitudes or actions so that they are more in line with the good news?
• Should I remind him of God’s promises, either of blessing for faith or of punishment for unbelief?
• Finally, is this just a time for me to pray and ask the Lord to show me how the gospel applies to my own heart? Do I need clarity to understand why my child is struggling or resisting right now? Do I need clarity into my heart’s responses so that I am not sucked down into her unbelief, anger, and despair? What is it that bothers me about his attitude? Why?

HT: JT

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Hope for today 05.09.11

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, ” (Ephesians 3:20, ESV)

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