Your marriage matters

“To whom,” you ask.

It matters to you, to God, to your spouse, to your children, to the church!

Dan elaborates here! Read it and pray God will use it to strengthen your marriage!

Read Full Post »

The wrong gift but the best gift

An “accident” + the “wrong” birthday present = a great gift to the church!

Justin Taylor tells us how a few events in the life of a young boy resulted in the gift of many great books to the church.  I would likely not know God as well as I do nor the blessing of the Puritan writings as I have had it not been for this man.

Read all about it!

Read Full Post »

Quieting your noisy, stressed soul

At the end of a helpful article on “Handling Stress“, Brent Aucion gives these ten reminders to help believers quiet their “noisy, stressed souls.”

1. Trust that the sovereign God is in control of all pressures in your life, using them for His good purposes to transform you into the likeness of Christ (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28–29).
2. Recognize that guilt is a big “stressor” in life. Certain pressures come as consequences of our own actions (Galatians 6:7–8). Irresponsible debt is an obvious example. Confess any known sin. Begin growing in Christ, putting away the ungodly actions and attitudes that may have led to your stressful circumstances (Proverbs 28:13).
3. Pray with specific requests and thank God for His good purposes in trials (Philippians 4:6–7).
4. Repent of any self-willed efforts to change circumstances that are beyond your control. Often believers—caught up in their pride—seek to do things only God can do (such as ensuring that our kids turn out right, avoiding job loss, fixing the economy, and converting an unbelieving spouse). Clearly when we seek to control things that only God can do, we will become stressed (Psalm 131).
5. Seek to return good for evil when pressure arises from the sinfulness of others (Romans 12:18).
6. Pray that God will help you to control your thinking so as not to worry, fear, or despair (Matthew 6:25–34). Cultivate the godly thinking that Paul describes in Philippians 4:8–9.
7. Work hard to solve problems within your control today (Matthew 6:34;Ephesians 4:26–27). God has given each of us enough challenges for today. We need to take proper care and concern for today’s issues while we plan wisely for the future (Proverbs 6:6–8).
8. Seek wise, biblical counseling in the areas of your greatest stress. Start with the most significant issue first (Proverbs 27:9).
9. Seek regular accountability to help you respond biblically to the pressures of life (Proverbs 13:20; Hebrews 10:24–25).
10. Attempt to establish helpful routines of diet, exercise, and adequate rest (1 Timothy 4:8).

Read Full Post »

An cross-centered appeal

Peter Adams recently preached from Galatians 6:11-18 at the funeral for John Stott in Melbourne. (Just for the record John Stott had some doctrinal views that I disagreed with. On the other hand I have been blessed by some of his writings.  However, that’s not the point of this post).  Here was his final appeal to all those in attendance.  It’s worthy of our consideration:

• “If you have never thanked God for the death of Christ in your place, if you have never thanked God for forgiving and accepting you through Christ’s death, if you have never boasted in God’s grace and your weakness, if you have never gloried in the cross Christ, and never set aside other boasting, then please do so now. Boast in Christ’s cross.

• If you have gloried in the atoning death of Christ, boasted in the cross of Christ in the past, but neglected to do so more recently in your own life, or in your ministry, then please repent now, ask for God’s forgiveness and change your practice. Boast in Christ’s cross.

• If you have gloried in anything other than the cross of Christ, in your achievements, your success, your promotion, your recognition, your popularity, your gifts, your experiences, then please repent now, ask God for forgiveness, and change your practice. Boast in Christ’s cross.
• If you have gloried in Christ but not in his cross, not in his atoning death as our substitute and our Saviour, then please repent now, adore your Saviour, and boast and glory in his cross.

I appeal to you now, that you would, like Paul, bear the marks of the cross of Christ in yourself, boast in Christ’s cross, and let that Lord Jesus Christ and that cross shape and form your life and ministry. ”

Read Full Post »

Giver of All Good

Giver of All Good,

Streams upon streams of love overflow my path.
Thou hast made me out of nothing,
hast recalled me from a far country,
hast translated me from ignorance to knowledge,
from darkness to light,
from death to life,
from misery to peace,
from folly to wisdom,
from error to truth,
from sin to victory.

Adapted from “Comforts,” Puritan Prayers & Devotions (Kindle Edition)

HT: Aaron Armstrong

Read Full Post »