Have real goodwill toward the other person Put the other person first Be eager in meeting the needs of others, not begrudging and reluctant Be proactive, not reactive, in doing good Avoid a self-protective mindset and take pains to do good for others Be creative and competent in doing good, not lazy and shoddy Matt…
Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 1:20 “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.” But what does it mean that all the promises of God find their Yes in Jesus? Jerry Bridges…
Change is hard. Read Jeremiah 13:23; 22:21 – what is Jeremiah referring to? Wrong interpretation: referring to sinful nature with which men are born. However, Calvin insists that it should be understood as a description of “the habit that is contracted by long practice.” Jeremiah makes the point elsewhere in Jeremiah 22:21. Change is a cooperative act (Phil…
What Nicodemus needs, and what you and I need, is not religion but life. The point of referring to new birth is that birth brings a new life into the world. In one sense, of course, Nicodemus is alive. He is breathing, thinking, feeling, acting. He is a human created in God’s image. But evidently,…
As long as I am inside the gospel, I experience all the protection I need from the powers of evil that rage against me. If is for this reason that the Bible tells me to ‘take up’ and ‘put on’ the whole armor of God; and the pieces of armor it tells me to put…
What are the characteristics of God’s forgiveness? God’s forgiveness is gracious. He offers forgiveness freely. This is not because forgiveness is free in terms of cost. It is a very expensive gift that can be offered freely because, motivated by love, God send his one and only Son to pay the price for it. God’s…
Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 7:10-11 reveal the seriousness of exemplifying a worldly remorse or sorrow over against a godly remorse or sorrow. A worldly sorrow brings regret that leads to death, whereas a godly sorrow does not bring regret and leads to salvation. Barnett in his Second Corinthians Commentary writes, “the structure of Paul’s…
This post was originally posted at Desiring God on August 20, 2014. The original post can be found here. Every summer the same thing happens to my inbox. I open it to find a steady stream of emails from concerned parents, youth pastors, and older siblings, asking me to check in on so and so…
Heath Lambert, who serves as the Executive Director at the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors recently wrote a book called Finally Free: Fighting For Purity With The Power Of Grace that our pastoral interns recently read and discussed. His book was particularly helpful, insightful and full of practical wisdom. One such chapter was on how to use…
Walt Mueller shares in his book The Space Between: A Parent’s Guide to Teenage Development a few suggestions on how to offer stability to teenage emotions when they seem to be out of control that I wanted to pass on. He says… Treat your teenagers’ emotions as important. Don’t be insensitive. Make every effort to ensure that your…
Theology Along the Way 