Essays and devotionals

Substack · David McLemore

The gospel's most personal promise.

Substack · David McLemore

What the Bible actually says about our future home.

Substack · David McLemore

What the Bible actually means by the resurrection of the body.

Substack · David McLemore

Why the return of Jesus is the climax of everything.

Substack · Things Worth Reading

If You Read One Western, Read This

Substack · David McLemore

Psalm 121 is a Song of Ascents, one of the psalms chronicling the journey up to Jerusalem for worship.

Substack · Things Worth Reading

A book that will help you enjoy the life God has given you

Substack · David McLemore

A time will come when everything is on the line – your reputation, your livelihood, your very life itself.

Substack · David McLemore

“Abide in me.” John 15:4

Substack · David McLemore

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” — 1 Timothy 1:15

Substack · David McLemore

“Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’” — John 21:12

Substack · David McLemore

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb.

Substack · David McLemore

42 And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took…

Substack · David McLemore

On the cross, Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He wasn’t crying out for someone to save him.

Substack · Things Worth Reading

Books worth your time. Reading that shapes your life.

Substack · David McLemore

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

Substack · David McLemore

In Bob Marley’s song “Three Little Birds,” he sings, “Don’t worry about a thing, ‘cause every little thing gonna be all right.” No matter what’s going on in our lives, we deeply want to believe that, don’t we?

Substack · David McLemore

One simple way to think about your life

Substack · David McLemore

A view of self in Christ that changes everything

Substack · David McLemore

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Substack · David McLemore

The Bible is not the story of man reaching God but of God coming down to man.

Substack · David McLemore

John’s gospel opens with these words: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…The Word became flesh and dwelt among us…the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him…

Substack · David McLemore

Writing Scripture-centered reflections to help believers know God more truly, trust him more deeply, and rest in his love.

Books

Another year has gone by. It’s cliché, but time flies. The older I get, the faster it goes. This post marks my 10th year of posting the books I read. That’s a long run! To celebrate, I created a new page on my website…

Book Recommendations

Here are the books I read in 2024.

Christian Life

The next time you step outside, look for the birds. You don’t even have to look. You can listen for them. They’re out there flying around, making music, gathering sticks for nests, poking at the ground for worms. They’re…

Books

The books I read in 2023.

Christian Life

A quote from David Powlison that will encourage your worried heart.

Christian Life

Forgiveness does not seem to us to be a missional strategy, but it is. It always has been. The felt forgiveness we experience from God should flow out through us to others. When we forgive rather than take offense, when…

Christian Life

God’s call on our lives to practice hospitality is an unignorable command throughout the New Testament. We cannot overlook this. If we want to be obedient to God’s word and a faithful presence as witnesses for Christ in…

Christian Life

A quote from J.I. Packer on salvation.

Christian Life

Highlighting an article that needs more attention.

Christian Life

Christianity says that we are guilty, but we aren’t condemned. Jesus comforts the rightly accused.

Christian Life

Jesus is the shepherd we’re all looking for—the one who can care for us powerfully, relentlessly, and everlastingly.

Bible

The Pharisees were the most diligent Bible readers the world has ever seen, but Jesus said they missed the entire point because they didn’t see him. That means it is possible to read the Bible and miss what it says.

Bible

You can read the Bible. And you can start right now.

Bible

Reading the Bible is a life-long pursuit. For some of us, it’s still a very daunting book. Maybe you’ve tried to read it several times and can’t seem to make it through. Perhaps you’ve read it multiple times all the way…

Christian Life

A quote from Richard Lovelace on what to tell yourself each morning.

Bible

Two week ago, I argued that Jesus is the main character of the Bible. Last week, I argued that grace is the main theme of the Bible. This week, I will explain how the gospel is the main application of the Bible.

Bible

Last week, I argued that Jesus is the main character of the Bible. This week, I will argue that grace is the main theme of the Bible.

Bible

Jesus is the main character of the Bible. Miss that, and you misunderstand the Bible. Get that, and it all suddenly starts making more sense.

Christian Life

A few quotes on the intercession of Christ.

Christian Life

By virtue of his all-sufficient atoning sacrifice, Jesus stands at the Father's right hand in heaven, working and praying for us to accomplish our full salvation. Here are five more applications of this doctrine.

Christian Life

By virtue of his all-sufficient atoning sacrifice, Jesus stands at the Father's right hand in heaven, working and praying for us to accomplish our full salvation. Here are three applications of this doctrine.

Christian Life

Tim Keller is now with Jesus. It’s the one place he longed most to be.

Christian Life

“The LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.” — Deuteronomy 30:6 Circumcision is…

Christian Life

A meditation on Psalm 88

Jesus

Any contemporary observer, who saw Christ die, would have listened with astonished incredulity to the claim that the Crucified was a Conqueror. Had he not been rejected by his own nation, betrayed, denied and deserted…

Christian Life

Let’s thank God, using Psalm 100 as our guide.

Christian Life

A mediation of Psalm 143

Jesus

The true miracle of the cross.

Christian Life

A quote from J.I. Packer on discerning God’s call on our lives.

Jesus

He does all things well.

Jesus

A quote from Augustine on the healing of Jesus.

Christian Life

A quote on one result of the resurrection.

Christian Life

The wonderful thing about the gospel is that when we step inside God’s sacred light, we find healing in ways nothing else can provide.

Church

A quote from Ray Ortlund on gospel doctrine and gospel culture.

Christian Life

Thomas Brooks on the amazing grace of Jesus.

Quotes

A quote from Fyodor Dostoyevsky on the power of humble love.

Quotes

Tim Keller on the four elements of forgiveness

Quotes

A quote from Tim Keller on the security found in Christ.

New Testament

A riff on Judas.

The Gospel

John Stott on the concept of substitution.

The Gospel

Only a dead Jesus saves. Only a dead and buried Jesus experienced the full wrath of God against our sin. Only a dead and buried Jesus can resurrect.

Book Recommendations

The books I read in 2022.

Christian Life

God will hear us now because, on the cross, Jesus wasn’t heard. We will never be forsaken because on the cross, he was.

The Gospel

Amid the darkness all around, the spotlight is on the cross. There, our savior hangs, mangled and marred. It’s messy, and it’s bloody because it must be. This is the only way to forgiveness.

Christian Life

We all have earthly masters. Some of them are good bosses. Some are not. But we all have a higher master who is good and does good, and he is who ultimately matters.

New Testament

The Christian gospel speaks to all people in every situation all the time. You cannot get any socially lower than a slave. But Jesus doesn’t ignore the lowly. He speaks directly to them.

Christian Life

A quote from C.S. Lewis on praise.

Christian Life

We give thanks to God for all things because he is good and because his love will never end.

Church

When we gather, let’s pray to the big God for this big world with its big needs.

Christian Life

Christ who is the content of the gospel leaves no one in a neutral state. —Herman Bavinck, The Wonderful Works of God, page 399 The one thing the gospel never does is nothing. Under the preaching of the gospel, no one…

Christian Life

One of my favorite phrases is “the finished work of Christ.” When Jesus died on the cross, he did not say, “My part is done, now your turn.”

Christian Life

Roland Bainton, in his biography of Luther, shows us the way the gospel changed Luther’s heart from a fearful man into a fearless leader of the Reformation.

Christian Life

As John Webster says, “Everything that is to be said of the church is said by saying, ‘We point to him.’”

Jesus

In the beginning was the Word, and in the end, there he will be too,

Christian Life

In Ryle’s book, he wrote about “the many ways in which the faith of Christ may be marred and spoiled, without being positively denied…the very reason that so much religion called Christian, is not…” He then laid out four…

Christian Life

Some gospel-soaked encouragement from Martin Luther.

Christian Life

Colossians 1:15-20 is one of the most magnificent descriptions of Jesus in all of the Bible.

Christian Life

We’re all asking questions no one can really answer, and our only responsibility is to try and find out.

Old Testament

Abram had 99 problems, but a name wasn’t one. Exalted father ain’t too shabby, unless, of course, God says it’s not enough.

Christian Life

Hope in an increasingly hopeless world is shrouded in mystery. But it is there. It is real. It is available. It is a gift—and that is the thing we must all remember.

Church

A prayer for Ukraine.

Books

The books I read in 2021.

Christian Life

We cannot bear very much reality. So we go into virtual reality. Strapping on our headsets, we depart from this world to another. We fight fake battles and climb mountains of pixels. We bowl alone, our eyes wrapped in…

Christian Life

There is a very simple and basic truth I want to share with you. But before I do, I want to emphasize that it’s a truth. It’s not an idea. It’s not a theory. It’s not even a hope. It’s a reality that’s as true as the…

Christian Life

Paul says he cannot understand his own actions. There is much controversy over exactly who Paul is referring to in this passage. Throughout verses 7-25, he uses the personal pronoun I. So who is he talking about?

Christian Life

In Romans 7:7-13, Paul talks about the Christian as if he is two people in one body. There is the Moral Self with a high moral compass, wanting to obey the law. Then there is the Law-Breaking Self who breaks the law.…

Christian Life

No matter how strong we start, time has a way of eroding our zeal. No matter how good the effort is initially, time’s strain wears us out. No matter how righteous the thing is, we grow weary of it. The worst enemy of…

Christian Life

The Bible warned us about this. Putting our faith in someone other than Jesus will inevitably lead to disappointment. And we do it anyway. That’s why it hurts so bad when our heroes fall.

Christian Life

The story of a friendship and the necessity that only appears when life falls apart.

Book Recommendations

The books I read in 2020.

Christian Life

For the first time, I decided to create a year-end round-up of sorts for my writing life. Here are links to articles, sermons, and resources published this year. I hope these are an encouragement to you.

Christian Life

It’s in the Christ where once upon a time becomes happily ever after. Maybe not in this life, but surely in the life to come. The good King wins, not by his might but by his weakness, not by his circumstance but in spite…

Christian Life

I never called him Fred. To me, he was Granddad because that’s who he was to Sarah. He was married to Gammie. They were family from the start. I never, even on that first visit, felt like an outsider.Sixteen years later,…

Christian Life

Baseball innings consist of three outs. Get three outs and you’ve won the inning. Even a long inning only lasts a matter of minutes. With life as crazy as it is, let’s not over-complicate it. Getting through 2020 sounds…

Christian Life

The fire’s sparks jump skyward like dancers to the rhythm of a beat I cannot hear. One after another—jumping, jumping, jumping. The constancy reminds me of the order of things, built into the very warp and woof of life.…

Christian Life

Then my mind wandered to the other things I forgot. That email at work I meant to respond to. The request in my personal inbox with an invitation to join a conversation on a podcast. The sermon prep I meant to get a…

Christian Life

The play of a child when no one is watching is beautiful. It is who we all want to be: lost in a world of our own making, where it’s all ours. I left that place long ago, but my children still live there. They haven’t…

Christian Life

God’s excellent greatness is that he’s not too great for you. He’s never too busy. He always has time. And nothing ever goes against his perfect plan. Who God is for you is all you need him to be at every moment of your…

Christian Life

Of all the benefits of the gospel offers, none is higher than this truth of the Fatherhood of God.

Christian Life

What we need to get from our drab, everyday doubts and fears is a big vision of the big God who created this whole world, and who is re-creating it in the redemption of Christ.

Christian Life

Remember the old school-yard debate? “My dad could beat up your dad.” In a boy’s eyes, no one is stronger or mightier than their dad. It should be this way. Dads are strong and mighty. But though our earthly fathers…

Christian Life

The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. But the Lord said to Moses,…

Christian Life

This world, with its in-your-face-ness, forces us to make opinions about many things. We are judged based on them. But the God of the Bible asks us to be convinced of one thing only—that he is God who saves.

Christian Life

What is Jesus doing? He’s telling us that salvation is not something man can accomplish. No matter how much we do, we can never gain heaven. We’re a big, smelly camel trying to fit through the narrow holiness God…

Jesus

Let’s beware of missing Jesus. Let’s beware of standing in the presence of God and missing the hope of the gospel. Let’s beware of our knowledge and agreement shielding us from repentance and belief. Let’s not merely…

Christian Life

We have two options: we can make rules to exclude or remove barriers to include. If God’s church is a house of prayer—a house of worship—then everyone is welcome. Everyone has a chance to meet Jesus.

Old Testament

Why was she here? What was her purpose? History has struggled to answer. She’s been a bit of everything, really. She’s been in bondage and she’s been free. She’s been valued and discarded. She’s been used and abused.…

Books

The books I read in 2019.

Christian Life

Looking back now, my decade probably wasn’t too different from yours. Babies were born. People died. Life was lived. Tears and joy mingled to make a portrait of something bigger and more complex than we could ever…

Jesus

The two disciples began the seven-mile walk home from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Despairing recent events, they didn’t notice the man joining their party until he began talking. Had they known him? They certainly had, though…

Christian Life

A year ago, we gathered in a cemetery chapel next to a coffin that seemed too small to be real. That beast Cancer had taken another. This time, little Finn.

Christian Life

When your sin puts you in the depths of despair, and you have no way out on your own, there is a God above who rules and reigns and forgives and saves.

Christian Life

A little over a hundred years ago, God broke through in Korea. As the Spirit moved, public confession flowed. Here is one account of the impact.

Christian Life

I recently prepared a talk to my church’s men’s gathering on Psalm 85 and revival. During that time of preparation, I was reminded of a sermon from Ray Ortlund in September 2018. During that sermon, he answered five…

Christian Life

I had a friend who used to answer a common question in an uncommon way. He has since moved to another city, but his response has never left me. For a long time, when I would ask how he was, he gave a three-fold…

Church

I have only a small vantage point compared to the all-knowing eyes above, but what I saw that Sunday was breathtaking.

Christian Life

I recently read Randy Alcorn’s book Money, Possessions, and Eternity. The entire book is a ball of conviction. His argument is so impactful because it comes from the pages of Scripture. This part particularly got me.

Ministry

When it first launched, www.ImmanuelNashville.com was a picture of a coffee cup, a space for an email address, and an offer to meet for coffee. So I entered my address. A few days later, my friend Jared and I were…

Old Testament

How “covenental” are our prayers? How centered are they on God’s revealed word? How much do they lean on his promises? How many are merely selfish desires robed in Christian language?

Church

Every church has something at the center. Something driving the gatherings, the activities, the functions. Something serving as the engine powering everything that moves. What’s at the center is what’s all around.

Christian Life

Repentance is part of the good news of the gospel. It’s how we get free. We need that kind of freedom over and over again. Repentance is saying, “I was wrong” to the One who has never been wrong and cannot sin, and,…

Christian Life

If we are to build and maintain gospel-centered churches, we must allow the gospel to make us honest people.

Old Testament

Yes, we fail, but God is good and worthy to be worshiped. He accepts us by the blood of Christ. We can draw near to him right now.

Christian Life

Miracles point us not only to what God can do but to who God is.

Jesus

When Jesus entered our world, he came all the way down. He lived no middle-class life. He was invited into the places of power only to be condemned. His withstood the full weight of temptation but never gave in. His…

Christian Life

In calling his first disciples, Jesus made certain they understood the cost of following. He said that God’s kingdom, for God’s people, must be the first priority.

Jesus

Here’s Christ’s kingdom offer: all our striving and trying for all his finished and accomplished.

Christian Life

Here’s the question: will we hold onto the status quo or will we make room for Jesus and join the wedding celebration?

The Gospel

We are all—everyone us—diagnosed with a sickness unto death. And the sinners and tax collectors he sat among saw it. They saw their sickness. So they welcomed the Physician. But the Pharisees didn’t.

Jesus

In this world, abuse of power comes as no surprise. That’s why when Jesus comes, his use of power is so surprising. With all the power in the universe, he uses it to lay down his life as a ransom for many.

Christian Life

Genesis 12:1 shows us what happens when God speaks to a man. Before God speaks, deadness and darkness; after God speaks, life abundant. Abram’s redemption—like every believer’s—began with God speaking. No one comes to…

Christian Life

At 9:00 AM last Friday, I signed the closing papers on the house my wife and I owned for nearly eleven years. Immediately after, we signed the papers to purchase our next home.

The Gospel

It’s too easy for us to misunderstand the heart of God. From the beginning, the enemy has come with his damning question, “Did God really say…?” Since Adam and Eve answered, “No,” it’s been a disaster for the rest of us.…

Bible

Why is suffering, like taxes, so ubiquitous? Joshua Chatraw and Mark Allen take up that question in their book Apologetics at the Cross: An Introduction for Christian Witness. They ask, “Does the Bible give an apologetic…

Books

At the end of the year, I look back with gratitude that God gave us the gift of language, the ability to write, and for all the writers who labored over every word to give the world a treasure.Here’s what I read in 2018…

Theology

God moves in two directions: toward himself in holiness and toward his people in righteousness.

Christian Life

Friendships are an amazing discovery in life. But strong friendships don’t just spring from nothing. Friendships require wise effort. They require forging. And in his grace, God has given us wisdom in the book of…

Christian Life

Jesus is not only the Sage we need; he’s the Savior we need. The wisdom of God is more than just right thinking; it’s the glories of his righteousness and the wonders of his love.

Church

A wise community says so much about the person and work of God because a wise community shows this foolish world what shalom looks like, what true peace is.

Christian Life

The wisdom we need does not rise up from within us; it comes down from the wise God above as we seek him out. God offers his wisdom from his book for his people.

Christian Life

Humility is the currency of God’s kingdom, not because it’s easier to get but because it’s more joyous to have—and God’s kingdom is a kingdom of joy. True humility is true freedom because it looks beyond one’s self to…

Christian Life

When we face our sins, openly and honestly, and turn to God with open hands of faith, God will swallow our sins in Christ.

Christian Life

Jonah thought he ran from God’s presence. He thought his sin was his own personal issue. But his sin found him out. God knows, no matter where you are, if you're faithful or not. Others may not know your sin yet, but God…

Church

You may say, “I can be part of Christ’s cosmic church without joining a local church.” To that, I would say, “Try it.”

Church

The entire New Testament speaks not only of the church but to the Church.

Christian Life

Simply put, church membership is a commitment to join Christ on his mission with his people for his glory.

Christian Life

Ray Ortlund, in his commentary on the book of Proverbs, comments on the culture of life wisdom creates.

Christian Life

A Christian is safe insofar as he leans upon the Lord’s goodness to him. We may search for safety outside of God, but the further in we go, the safer we are.

Book Recommendations

I've always loved poetry. I write it from time to time, but you'll probably never see it. I'm not a good poet, even if I do enjoy good poetry. And during the month of July, I read a good deal of poetry, with a little…

Other

Imagining the disciples on the Emmaus Road. A fictional first-person narrative I wrote. %t %u

Christian Life

When the Holy Spirit comes down, he changes our culture. We go from selfishness to selflessness, from pride to humility, from fear to courage.

Christian Life

The Bible calls us to live with wise urgency. How are we going to do that? By being filled with God himself.

Christian Life

When Christ calls us to himself, he calls us immediately. There is no ramp-up period. We don’t ease into new life with Christ. He starts his work immediately, and he never lets up.

Christian Life

If you’re in Christ, God relates to you not like a king to a servant or a boss to an employee but as a father to a child, with warmth and depth, tenderness and care, attention and intention.

Christian Life

As he began the most important work the world has ever seen, Jesus invited a group of complicated sinners to come along. Discipleship was important to Jesus. His choosing of them, his investment in them, and his…

Books

Here's what I read in June 2018.

Books

May was the freest month I've had so far this year. I didn't preach during the month, and I was only obligated to write one article. So, how did I fill my time? Well, baseball was one way. The other was reading.Here are…

Jesus

In his latest book, Some Pastors and Teachers , Sinclair Ferguson considers how God changed the city of Geneva through the ministry of John Calvin. He questions how Geneva was “transformed from a quasi-political…

Christian Life

The Christian has a hope that a non-Christian cannot have. It is the hope that everything in this life is meaningful.

Christian Life

At the start of the year, I stood before my church and presented an opportunity for each of us to enter into a daily experience of joy. I held a Bible in one hand and a reading plan in another.

Christian Life

True grace gives us the backbone to stand up for God’s purpose in the world. We become willing to suffer for the cause of Christ because Christ is the purpose of all human history. He’s the only thing ultimately worth…

The Gospel

Union with Christ means that who Christ is we are.

Christian Life

I wonder: have I made a god out of productivity?

Books

April is always a slow reading month for me. I'm not a big TV-watcher. But when April rolls around, we get into what I consider to be the best TV time of the year: Major League Baseball opens their season and the NBA and…

Christian Life

I had no idea the whole night was a test of my approval. Andy believed he passed. He did. But he was the only one testing. He had my approval all along.

The Gospel

Your sin can’t kick you out of God’s love because your righteousness never put you in it. God saves by grace through faith. It’s a gift. All you must do is receive it.

Jesus

Jesus was the smartest man to ever walk this earth. He’s still the smartest man alive. So much of his recorded teachings have far more Old Testament allusions than we modern Gentile readers can fathom. As we were…

Books

It's hard to believe we're already a quarter of the way through 2018. Time goes incredibly fast. Good books help us make it along the way. Here's what I read in March 2018.

Christian Life

Imitate the prostitute is not a familiar cry. But the Bible is not an ordinary book. Christianity is not a run-of-the-mill religion. The claims of Christ are sweeping, gathering up prostitute and eunuch alike. Only the…

Christian Life

David’s sin didn’t start with Bathsheba in his bed. David’s sin started with Bathsheba in his mind. David should have nipped it in the bud. Instead, he let it flower, growing with anticipation as he awaited Bathsheba’s…

Christian Life

Remember Galatians 2:11-14, when Paul opposed Peter to his face. Why did Paul oppose him? When certain Jews came from Jerusalem, Peter withdrew from eating with the Gentiles to eat with the Jews. Peter, who knew the…

Christian Life

Jesus was asking them a simple question: how far does God’s grace go? How far does his love stretch? How deep does it plunge? To the worst sinner? To the deepest depravity? To the best Pharisee? To the smartest scribe?

Ministry

“In 1949 I had been having a great many doubts concerning the Bible. I thought I saw apparent contradictions in Scripture. Some things I could not reconcile with my restricted concept of God. When I stood up to preach,…

Book Recommendations

Here's what I read in February 2018.

Christian Life

Jesus is the heir of all things, and that all things includes you.

Christian Life

Throughout Ephesians 1, there is a goal. Three times, in verses 6, 12, and 14, is a call to praise God for his grace. I wonder what you think of that. I wonder if it sounds a strange goal to you?

The Gospel

God is the true and better Leonardo. But rather than taking a blank canvas and layering paint drop by drop, he takes a soiled heart, made hard by sin, and softens it, reworks it, in fact, remakes it into his image.

Christian Life

The scene: Exodus 12. God sends the final devastating plague to the Egyptians.

Books

January means it's time to start on the year's reading goals. Here's what I read in January 2018.

Christian Life

Spiritual leaders must do many things. They must shepherd and serve and teach, but they must not turn our attention away from Jesus. How can they paint the picture of heaven if they’ve only seen the outskirts? They must…

Christian Life

For Schaeffer, spiritual leadership was comprised of two things. First, spiritual leadership maintained a neutral outlook on leadership itself. Second, spiritual leadership held closely to gospel doctrine without…

Jesus

In the story of the sacrifice of Isaac, we see something of the heart of God for his people. Abraham's faithfulness takes us into God's faithfulness.

Christian Life

Today's blog post kicks it to another great blogging platform, Gospel-Centered Discipleship , where I have an article reflecting on one of Jonathan Edwards' resolutions. While you're there, check out some other great…

Christian Life

Jesus is there with you in your need, not only before or after the need. Help is help only when it comes on time. Jesus is never late.

Bible

Reading the Bible in a year is not spiritual benchmark whereupon those crossing the finish line arrive at a new spiritual plane. It is not the indication that one is more serious about Christ than any other Christian. It…

Books

It's the time of year for lists. Here are the best books I read in 2017 as well as the rest I read throughout the year, categorized, but in no particular order.

Jesus

At Christmas, Jesus became the only person ever born on a mission to die. He became the only priest to ever walk the road of a sacrificial lamb.

Christian Life

What could God do if we used 2018 to reach out beyond social media to the real persons behind the avatars? It would be costlier, yes. But it would be more beautiful and more satisfying. And, in the end, it may be the…

Christian Life

no matter who we are or what we have or where we may be, God has entrusted something to us. What shall we do with it? That is the question to which we must find the answer. All our hopes and dreams must circle that…

Christian Life

The default assumption I bring to my relationship with God is that he loves me for what I do. I bet you assume the same thing, too.

Hebrews

A little over seven years ago, one phrase in the first chapter of the book of Hebrews grabbed my attention. “He upholds the universe by the word of his power.”

Books

David Robinson was a basketball player—and a really great one. But Robinson’s life was bigger than basketball, and when it was over, he passed the baton to his friend Tim Duncan and got to work making dreams come true…

Christian Life

Sin makes us illogical. It muddies our mind, causing us to choose things contrary to the right path. Paul highlights this lack of logic in selecting the law over Christ.

Christian Life

As every age does, we search out wisdom apart from God. But we cannot find it. Until we turn away from evil and to God we never will.

Christian Life

There is a spirit behind every religious message. John tells us it’s either from God or from the Antichrist. What should we believe? That's such an important question, isn’t it? What we believe forms what we worship, and…

Christian Life

I want my kids to be good people. I want them to know right from wrong. I want them to stand up for the oppressed, the bullied, and the outcast. I want them to be influencers for good in the world. Doesn’t every parent…

The Gospel

We have a choice: embrace the shame of the cross, or become ashamed of the cross. In God’s Kingdom, laying down your life gives life back, and holding on to life takes it away. The choice seems obvious, but it must be…

Christian Life

Jesus said one characteristic would set his people apart. “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). But love for one another isn’t an automatic. It’s a…

Christian Life

In Hebrews 11, the author gives example after example of what faith looks like. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. But faith does not guarantee an easy life. An easy life isn't…

Christian Life

What we do with God’s word is a pointer to what we would do with God himself. If we treat his word as worthless, disgusting, imposing, violating, or offensive, then we will also treat God himself that way.

Christian Life

In Matthew 18:21-35, Jesus tells a parable about an unforgiving servant. Through it, he's helping us see two kinds of radical, radical forgiveness and radical unforgiveness, and what will happen if we ignore the former…

Christian Life

Gaining the Kingdom doesn’t cost us anything. Receiving the Kingdom costs us everything. And it’s a happy trade-off. Everything we’ve ever longed for is inside. In his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that…

Ministry

I just returned from the For the Church Conference hosted by Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, MO. It was the best conference, with the best content, I’ve ever attended. Here are three reflections…

Christian Life

In J.I. Packer's book, Knowing God's Purpose for Your Life, he gives ten statements that help us discern God's call on our life.

Christian Life

In all human history, God has not yet failed one person who has trusted in him. Will he fail you now?

Christian Life

We are complex beings. Ancient moments never forgotten shape and mold us into the men and women we are today. The slight grin of others when you were a kid and fell going down the stairs. The disappointment you caused…

Church

[caption align="alignnone" width="2500"] Photo by sergio souza on Unsplash [/caption] Over a year ago, I wrote a piece on what church planting is teaching me. That was a few months before the public launch of Refug…

Christian Life

This was originally posted June 7, 2016 on thingsofthesort.com. In light of the recent flooding in Texas, I wanted to repost. I understand the fear, heartbreak, and sadness a flood brings. The Nashville flood in 2010…

The Gospel

In Matthew 13, Jesus begins telling parables, explaining what the kingdom of God is like. He begins with the sower, moves on to the weeds, and then, to further answer the question of the kingdom, Jesus gives two more…

Christian Life

All Isaiah’s hearers had to do was listen and repent. But they couldn’t. Can you?

Christian Life

We may struggle through this life, but the marks we bear on our body will one day match the marks Jesus bore on his. And when we enter eternal life we will find, amazingly, we have the garment necessary for entrance into…

Church

Our churches should seek to fight the American pastime of loneliness. We want to push against the cultural call to isolation and push into the gospel call to loving our neighbor. The Christian life is hard enough as it…

Christian Life

The Christian life is not easy. It’s messy, bloody, sacrificial. It is a constant walking our sin toward the cross, offering the flesh, nailing it to the wood, and leaving it until it suffocates. It’s horrifyingly ugly…

Christian Life

What is true freedom? In our day, everyone wants it, but no one can find it.

Christian Life

The biggest “Why?” question we must answer is this. Why are we reluctant to rest in God’s finished work? Why do we insist that we have our hand in our salvation? Why would we, who have never succeeded fully at anything…

Christian Life

In the Bible, God tells us the story of everything culminating in the most important thing: the gospel of Jesus Christ. But walk into any group discussion among American Christians and listen for the conversation to…

Christian Life

We are too often tempted to sell our sonship for slavery. That’s where our heart leads when we forget the gospel.

Church

Some of us are more outgoing than others. Some of us can talk in groups better than one-on-one. But all of us have a responsibility to welcome others into the church God has called us to. There are countless ways to do…

The Gospel

When the gospel comes first in our message, obedience flows from it. When obedience comes first in our message, the gospel becomes a side dish rather than the entire meal.

Christian Life

We have a problem, and what we need is not a simple removal of guilt. We don’t need our guilty slate wiped clean. We need a new slate altogether. Our problem is not one of degree, with some being more guilty than others.…

Christian Life

We look at our lives and, if we’re honest, we see very little glory. We see struggle and hardship and failure. We wonder what happened to the dreams we once had. We have been beaten up and cast aside. But the gospel…

Christian Life

f we're not resting in God's free gift of grace, we will hold others to a different standard, and it will a standard that we ourselves set but that we attribute to God.

Christian Life

Paul’s Judaism led him to persecute the church of God. What Paul was doing was an attack on the people he thought he was protecting: God’s elect. His desire for the purity of God’s word drove him to approve the killing…

Church

Paul closes his letter to the Romans with a list of greetings. In our Bible study with my brothers of Refuge Church a few weeks ago, we looked at this passage and fought to mine some usefulness out of it. What do you…

Christian Life

Paul puts the burden of building and maintaining gospel culture on the shoulders of the strong. He is not excusing the weak. He’s simply telling the strong that they set the tone.

New Testament

As J.B. Lightfoot says, “The gospel is a rescue, and emancipation from a state of bondage.”

Church

Many churches never go beyond Romans 1.

Christian Life

We want to be sure the God we think of is the real God of the Bible, not the false god of our imagination. We want to relate to him rightly, and that happens when we get to know him.

Christian Life

Fred is a true hero, like all veterans who served and gave and sacrificed. He will be 94 in September and he can recall vivid details of the war, of D-Day, and the cost of it all, with tears in his eyes.

Christian Life

Foregoing judgment on non-primary issues is serving Christ because in doing so you are serving his people. We all have so many stumbling blocks in coming to the gospel. We trip over our own feet as we approach the altar.…

Christian Life

I know what Jared means when he says, “when our vision is constantly occupied by small things, we are tempted to yawn at the glory of God.” Do you know what he means?

Christian Life

I cannot be ready until I am cleansed; but when I am cleansed, then I am ready. And I may come back for cleansing as many times as I need, on this basis.

Christian Life

"The focus of meditation is always the God-given external word, the inspired text of Scripture, not the innermost recesses of the human psyche."

Christian Life

We live in an age of differences. If you follow Christian Twitter, for example, you will see disagreement every day over what appears to be a minute detail. I can't keep up with the outrage. I often step back and ask…

Christian Life

Christians are marked by how they live. They don’t live like people on their way to death; they live like people on their way to life.

Christian Life

The greatest treasures in the world stacked on top of one another and handed to us with a golden certificate of authentication would not be worth one ounce of grace dripping from the throne room of God.

Christian Life

We have the ability now to love God because of the great love with which he loved us.

Christian Life

One of the great wonders of the Christian life is reconciling who you are now in Christ with who you once were without him. We are like one who marvels as he sees his empty bank account become one with an infinite sum.…

Christian Life

Repentance is not only turning from your sin. It is turning to God. It’s not just feeling sorry without changing. It’s feeling convicted and turning from sin to God. It’s being inwardly humbled and visibly reformed. It’s…

Church

Leadership change in the church should not be a cause for alarm. It should be a cause for rejoicing.

Christian Life

We drift from God because we believe the Devil’s lie that God is holding us back. We are like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, considering the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge Good and Evil when the Tree of Life has…

Christian Life

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Christian Life

Recently, I heard on NPR the results of a study. Here was the title, “Has the human life span hit the ceiling?” We have made so much progress in the diagnosis and treatment of disease that some scientists were wondering…

Church

Here are 10 ways you can encourage your pastor, or pastors.

Bible

Adam, as the first man, represented all humanity to follow. The result of his life is, therefore, universal and inescapable. In Adam, all die. But in Christ, all live.

The Gospel

God didn’t wait until we became savable. He’s not like us, weighing the options, trying to decide if action is rational at this point or that point. God had a plan for the world, and he worked out that plan.

Christian Life

In Romans 5:1-5, Paul is leading us to one place: God’s love. Justification by faith grants us access to God in a new way. Thus, there are four big advantages that the Christian now has.

Hebrews

In Jesus, the shadows of the Old Testament have faded away. Jesus is the founder of the new covenant. The terms he brings are different, they are more gracious and more merciful.

Christian Life

Every area of our life matters, including our work. There is not a square inch in the whole domain of your work over which Christ does not cry “Mine!” What are the implications? Specifically, what are the implications…

Jesus

There are two types of people – those who listen and those who don’t. Which one are you?

Christian Life

33 thing I'm thinking as I turn 33 years old.

Christian Life

Hebrews 7:25 is the heart of the entire book of Hebrews. There is not greater point that the author wishes to make. This is the climax, the supreme word from God to these people through this author. It is the highest…

Christian Life

When we suffer, our heart breaks open to God in ways that it can’t otherwise.

Christian Life

Nearly every one of us has a family member that we can’t imagine will ever believe the gospel. How can we break through the barriers to share the gospel with them?

New Testament

It’s Valentine’s Day - the day most people pretend to hate because they either don’t feel loved, or don’t want to show love, but also because they always wish the love they had was more intense, more real.

Ministry

There are times so awkward or painful or frightening that I have no words. In those times I repeat to myself, “it’s not about me.” That phrase reorients me. The sooner I can recognize my inward turn the sooner I can make…

Church

Here are five indicators that a church is on its way to experiencing gospel culture.

Bible

Those moments of awareness in the midst of our sin – those moments where we are surprised by our actions or thoughts – are moments of grace from the throne. Here’s what we can do.

Christian Life

There is a strain of Christianity that says, “Let your hearts be troubled.” And there is a proper place in the Christian life for true conviction of sin. But the gospel does not consist in a troubled heart. There is a…

Bible

When we open the Bible, we are confronted not just with words on a page but a person speaking through a page. We are confronted by God himself. To read the Bible is a risky thing. We cannot read it, put it down, and…

Reading

One popular ice-breaker question goes like this: "If you could have dinner with one famous person, living or dead, who would it be?" The supposition is that this person would be someone you find fascinating and would…

Christian Life

You know those moments when you’re giving into temptation? Those moments when you’re in the midst of sin and you surprise even yourself? Those moments when the rest of God seems so far away? What do you do at that…

Christian Life

4AM has, day by day, changed my life. I bet it could change yours, too.

Ministry

A healthy leadership team doesn't see one another as competition but works together as one unit. Each person has their role and they work hard to perform in that role as best they can. But there is one competitive verse…

Christian Life

Oxford Dictionary added a new word this year. They called it the word of the year for 2016. Know what it is? “Post-truth.” Definition: “Relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential…

Jesus

There is an ordinariness to the resurrected Jesus. But there is also a glory. He is a man like us yet unlike us. It is the likeness that draws us in, but the unlikeness causes us to bow down in worship.

The Gospel

We have relentless memories. Our failures hang onto us like an evergreen’s leaves. We grow, and they grow with us. How do we deal with this? What does the Bible say?

Book Recommendations

My list of the best books I read in 2016

Hebrews

How could sin seem a better option? Because sin bends our hearts toward sin. We are not good people who do bad things from time to time. We are bad people who do good things by the power of the Spirit.

Bible

“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with…

Bible

Jesus is an apostle, High Priest, faithful, appointed, worthy of more glory, worthy of honor, builder of the house of God, builder of all things, Son, and our hope.

Christian Life

Here’s how we nourish. Your wife needs to hear you say, "I love you." Your wife needs to hear you say, "God loves you." Would Eve have taken the fruit if Adam was whispering against Satan's lies?

Christian Life

Your marriage is a metaphor for the gospel. God tells us that husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church. We should nourish and cherish her. We do this in many ways but one way is by opening our mouths…

Christian Life

Why do we feel so inadequate communicating to our wife? That feeling of inadequacy is a result of the fall. In Genesis 3, we see that God holds Adam responsible for Eve’s actions. Why? Because Adam was charged with…

Christian Life

Most of us want to grow. We are dissatisfied with some part of our life. Some of us are dissatisfied with most parts of our life. We can take one of two paths. We can just settle into the "this is as good as it gets"…

Christian Life

How do you do the Lord's work in the Lord's way when God feels distant? How do you get back into the presence of a God whom you've talked about but not talked to?

Bible

The school of Christ’s suffering has become the nursery for your wounded heart. Where he was hurt, you can be healed. Jesus allowed his flesh to be broken so that when ours breaks his pierced hands can put us back…

Bible

Nothing is outside of our control because nothing is outside of the control of Christ. He upholds the universe by the word of his power.

Bible

The book of Hebrews presents to us the Savior of the world. He’s not just a good man, or a good idea, or a great hope for the future. He’s a kingly priest who, through his prophetic word, has proclaimed salvation to our…

Christian Life

No Christian can stand alone. The idea of "lone ranger" Christianity is not found in the Bible. It is a human invention. After all, God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone" (Genesis 2:18). God's creative…

Bible

I love “lost at sea” stories. In each of these stories, it is vitally important that you know which direction you’re heading and that you stay pointed in that direction. You don’t want to drift off course. Why? Because…

Bible

How do we hear from God? Some would tell us to go on a journey. God is everywhere, and when we search for him, we find him. The more in touch with the world we become, the more we will hear from God. Others would tell…

Jesus

5 But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. 6 And when they co…

Jesus

1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them…

Bible

We cannot understand the totality of God. He is too big, too complex, too separate from us. But we can understand a lot of who he is. We can understand his heart because he reveals himself to us. The primary way he does…

Theology

In many churches and Christian circles today, the gospel-centered movement has made a significant impact. There is a laser-focused emphasis on the cross of Christ. The beauty of the hideous cross is preached, discussed,…

Christian Life

Jesus is fully God and fully man. He’s the God-Man. Without the divinity of Jesus, he lacks the ability to save us. Without the humanity of Jesus, he lacks the experience to comfort us. With both, he is perfectly…

Bible

Every Christian wants to read the Bible. That desire is something God places in your heart upon conversion. We are transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light and inside that new kingdom the Lord…

Christian Life

Hospitality can change the world. An open home, filled with open hearts, welcoming others as Christ has welcomed us, can influence the world around us in deep and abiding ways. The Bible calls us to be hospitable, but…

The Gospel

The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Matthew 13:44 I remember my grandfather owning a…

Church

“The central problem of our age is not liberalism or modernism, nor the old Roman Catholicism or the new Roman Catholicism, nor the threat of communism, nor even the threat of rationalism and the monolithic consen…

Bible

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Ecclesiastes 12:13 As Solomon concludes his teaching, he sums up everything he’s been trying to say with…

Bible

Over the course of three months, in the summer of 1947, as Europe picked up the rubble of World War II, Francis Schaeffer took a trip. His goal was to gather facts about the Church in Europe as the American Secretary of…

Church

Gospel-culture is God-worshiping, Jesus-loving, Holy Spirit-empowered people trusting in Christ alone, loving one another for Jesus's sake. It’s a culture of peace and openness and joy because we have been redeemed and…

Ministry

Sleep is a gift from God. It is also a gift that he will withhold if he sees a more urgent need. Certain times demand more of our attention, and nothing grabs our attention as quickly as disruption of our rhythms.…

Christian Life

[caption align="alignnone" width="1080"] desert[/caption] Excuse making is at the heart of disobedience. I am a professional excuse maker. Unfortunately, that’s my inheritance from Adam. He left me some nice things,…

Jesus

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—8 but God shows his love for…

Christian Life

We live in an age in which we make demands of one another while repudiating demands others make of us. Our outrage gauge is always on the high side, but wonder how others could find any problem in us. We demand what we…

Christian Life

"Pride," observed Mary, who piqued herself upon the solidity of her reflections, "is a very common failing, I believe. By all that I have ever read, I am convinced that it is very common indeed; that human nature is…

Christian Life

Become utterly convinced of God's love for you. Fill your mind with truth through scripture and prayer. Be open and honest. Confess quickly. Then do your best all day long. Keep short accounts with everyone, forgiving…

Christian Life

God really likes caring for you. His disposition is not that of a disappointed father, with scowl and grumpy voice to match. He is not waiting for you to get your act together before you deserve the grace he has at his…

Bible

“Exhausted yet pursuing.” Judges 8:4. If anything can sum up the life of ministry so simply, this is it. Exhausted yet pursuing. Following Jesus is tiring. Not in the “I want to give up and take a vacation” way, but in…

Christian Life

Death comes like a thief. You are never prepared, and it always takes more than you thought it could. It is jolting, stunning, unbelievable. It is unnatural. We were not made for death, but it has its way with us all.…

Christian Life

The greatest need of our moment is to take a good look at the reality of our heart before God, confess the many sins that are there, and rejoice in the forgiveness flowing down from heaven. Nothing is more urgent.…

Church

Acts 9 tells us of the conversion of a man named Saul. He was a Jewish man, opposing the church of Jesus Christ, and even arresting and approving of the death of Christians. He was an enemy of God’s church. And then he…

Jesus

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.…

Christian Life

Sometimes we actually empower Satan by the way we speak of Christian conversion. We highlight the testimony of the ex-alcoholic who says, "Since I met Jesus I've never wanted another drink." Now that happens sometimes,…

Christian Life

We are at war. It's an old war, as old as the earth. It's an invisible war that, at times, reveals itself in the visible world. We are at war, and we would do well to recognize it. Our enemy is as real as flesh and…

Church

Christians always want to put themselves in positions to be used by God. On Sunday, August 7, 2016, a group of Christians will do just that at 10:30 inside of a school cafeteria. Refuge Church will officially launch in…

Christian Life

The Christian life is crafted by listening. We can’t save ourselves. We can’t change our hearts. We can’t turn the corner of obedience by will-power. We can’t please God with our flesh. We need something from outside of…

Christian Life

The Lord is sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up (Isa 6:1). He is there and he is not moving. He will not be voted out. He will not be overthrown. He won’t stumble and he won’t fail. He will be there ten billion…

Christian Life

“I love you. We aren’t crazy.” I see those words light up on my phone sitting on top of the black coffee table. I believe those words, especially the first three. But the last three are just as meaningful. I am tempted…

The Gospel

Something about the way the sunlight shines through the green leaves of a tree in August stirs my soul. Isn’t that odd? Something that happens, and has happened, every moment since the world was constructed so many…

Christian Life

If Acts 2 shows us the favor of the early Christians in the beginning of the church, Acts 4 shows us the persecution of the early Christians in the beginning of the church. They once had favor will all the people ( 2:47…

Theology

God gave us Jonathan Edwards years ago during the time of a great awakening in America. Edwards himself has been heralded as arguably America's greatest intellectual, but it is his dedication to seeing things as God…

Christian Life

Death changes things. It changes more than removing the presence of someone. It changes cars, porches, beds, tables, atmospheres, homes. A home once filled with laughter and love becomes a place of sobs and sorrow. It’s…

The Gospel

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.…

Ministry

Francis Schaeffer, in his book, Joshua and the Flow of Biblical History , recites the story of Joshua from assistant to Moses to leader of Israel. In doing so, he wisely reminds us that for Joshua to make the leap he…

Jesus

John Calvin, in his Institutes, defines repentance: “It is a true turning of our life to follow God and the path which he shows us, a turning produced by a genuine and unfeigned fear of God, and consisting in…

Church

Life together in community is a defining attribute of the Christian life, or at least it should be. For many Americans, life together in community is more of a theory than a reality. Many desire community but find it…

The Gospel

[caption align="alignnone" width="2500"] cross.jpg [/caption] Death comes as a thief. You are never prepared, and it always takes more than you thought it could. It is jolting, stunning, unbelievable. It is unnatural.…

Jesus

There is a sign that sits above the hutch in my dining room. It’s a simple sign, with regular paint on some old barn wood. For all its ordinariness, it bears a profound truth, “Jesus is Better.” How can such a simple…

Christian Life

As a Christian, I long for more people to know my Lord. I want Jesus to be cherished in every heart, because he is worthy of such love. So I pray for unbelievers, and I share the gospel when I have an opportunity. Then…

Christian Life

[caption align="alignnone" width="1080"] honor.jpg[/caption] “Outdo one another in showing honor.” Romans 12:10 This may be the only competitive verse in the Bible. Paul is calling us to outdo one another. Unlike the…

Christian Life

My wife and I were married in June 2008. The next summer we got a dog, a border collie, named Glory. We started building our life in our new home in our new marriage with our new dog and our new jobs. Everything was…

Christian Life

[caption align="alignnone" width="2500"] twitter[/caption] I don’t think social media is evil. It has evil things on it, sure, and yes, it is a great distraction for our attention-less age. But it is not evil. Much good…

Christian Life

Jack Miller once said in a letter to a missionary in Uganda, “the book of Acts is the story of the acts of Christ done in history in response to the constant corporate prayer by the leaders of the church.” One clear…

Christian Life

Christians are a triumphant people. Those are strange words to write, because if you look throughout the history of the church it does not look very triumphant. It looks at times very weak. It looks often broken and…

Christian Life

Every Christian wants to be on mission. It’s part of the way God recreates us when he saves us. Our new heart wants other people to know and love Jesus and to serve others out of love for him. But not every Christian is…

The Gospel

[caption align="alignnone" width="2500"] light.jpg[/caption] On the evening of January 6, 2016 outside Tampa, Florida, my father-in-law suffered a fatal heart attack on vacation with my mother-in-law. On the morning of…

Church

Almost a year ago, my wife and I decided to follow the Lord's call to go out from our beloved church to help plant a new church in our city. It wasn't an easy decision, but it wasn't all that difficult either - it was…

Ministry

“Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not…

Ministry

Francis Schaeffer, in his book Joshua and the Flow of Biblical History , shows us in one remarkable chapter, entitled “Joshua’s Preparation”, how the Lord himself prepared Joshua to lead God’s people. It serves as a…

Jesus

“She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased.” Luke 8:44 What kind of person walks up to Jesus and touches him? A person who understands two things. First,…

Jesus

The gospel is freedom: a message proclaimed by men and women that have been captured by freedom. Captured by freedom; an oxymoron, I know. But that’s the way it is. Slavery is normal, freedom is not. We must be captured…

Jesus

The world is a hard, cruel, and mean place and you and I add to it. The cross of Christ absorbed all of that hardness, cruelty, and meanness for us. Inside the grave, as the body of Jesus rumbled to life, the very reign…

Poetry

A thousand little things go unnoticed. Piles, like dirty dishes, of tiny sins That softly declare the kind of man I am – Or the kind that I am not. There are no soap suds to soak in, No water hot enough to release the…

Christian Life

Unless we have tangible proof of our weaknesses, we immediately get inflated ideas of our own abilities, and readily imagine that they can prevail over every conceivable difficulty. So it is that we develop an empty,…

Christian Life

It was a long winter. The days were short and the nights were long. Joy is hard to hold on to in times like that. The sun was afraid to come out, as if Punxsutawney Phil had sent it into exile. But winter is gone. …

Christian Life

“Come on, Bubba! Let’s go upstairs.” Jack screamed, as he screams everything, on his way to get his brother, Luke. It’s 7:30. Breakfast has been digesting for nearly an hour. We’ve run around the house playing “trains”…

Bible

“I will not let you go until you bless me.” Genesis 32:26 These ten words make up one of the great acts of faith in the Bible. Knowing with whom he wrestled, Jacob demands a blessing from the One who made a promise to…

Christian Life

A time will come when everything is on the line - your reputation, your livelihood, your very life itself. When you're staring at the end of the rope with the threads so frayed that you can't believe a rope even once…

Christian Life

It was one of those summer nights that come along in your mind during winter. The humidity was palpable but not too high. The sun was low in the sky, a summer evening winding slowly down into night as if the day is…

Jesus

God’s plan from the startFor this world and your heart Has been to show His glory and His grace Those words from Steven Curtis Chapman sung over me from the radio. Driving to church in the rainy November autumn I saw a…

Theology

Psalm 73 is fascinating. Go read it and then come back to this. The author opens up his heart with pure honesty. He wipes the dew from the window of his soul and places glasses on our eyes so that we can clearly see.…

Bible

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith f…

The Gospel

It’s Valentine’s Day. The day that most people pretend to hate because they either don’t feel loved, or don’t want to show love, but mostly because they always wish the love they had was more intense, more real. So,…

Poetry

Captured, blind, I knew it not, in my sinful cave. Collapsed, the mouth, years ago – light began to fade. Choice within, and nature-born, dug, I did, my grave. Darkness growing darker still; left alone would I have…

Bible

And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”…

Jesus

A few weeks ago I sat down and read through the book of Hebrews slowly, writing down everything that I saw that described who Jesus is. Here is the list. According to the book of Hebrews, Jesus is: God’s Son (1:1,5,8;…

Jesus

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. - Hebrews 7:25 Hebrews 7:25 tells us three important things about sin: 1)…

Jesus

"Jesus the healer of our souls! God knows, we need Him still. When past sins rise up to mock our best endeavors, when our strength is sapped by the power of evil, when our lives seem to be a hopeless tangle, unlike…

The Gospel

The Lord loves us. Because he loves us, he disciplines us. Because he disciplines us, he brings us into his presence. If it were not for the Lord’s disciplining love, we would not find ourselves in his presence. It is…

The Gospel

God is infinitely exalted about all created beings in goodness. Goodness and royal bounty, mercy and clemency is the glory of earthly monarchs and princes, but in this is the Lord, our God, infinitely exalted above…

The Gospel

After his ejectment [from his church], Watson preached occasionally whenever he could do so with safety. Fines and imprisonments were insufficient to close the mouths of the witnesses of Jesus. In barns, kitchens,…

Jesus

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of…

Jesus

“The Father himself loves you” John 16:27 What do you think God thinks of you? Do you think he’s angry at you? Do you think he’s apathetic? Do you think he’s waiting for you to fix yourself up? Do you think he’s…

The Gospel

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. Psalm…

Jesus

Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no…

Christian Life

Seeing Jesus suffer helps give us more patience in our own sufferings. While we are waiting for our suffering to come to an end, we are still covered by the love of Jesus. Jesus understands. He knows what it is like to…

Church

“So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.” 2 Samuel 15:6 When a wrong doctrine comes into the church, there must be a swift defense against it. Leaders of the church cannot wait and hope their people are…

Jesus

“Hear another parable…” Matthew 21:33 We know Jesus was patient with sinners. We see it in the gospel accounts in the Bible. He’s constantly eating with them, talking with them, spending time with them. The Pharisees…

Jesus

[24] And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. [25] And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, [26] and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she…

The Gospel

We glorify God by working out our own salvation. God has twisted together his glory and our good. We glorify him by promoting our own salvation. It is a glory to God to have multitudes of converts; now, his design of…

Jesus

When we see that the whole sum of our salvation, and every single part of it, are comprehended in Christ, we must beware of deriving even the minutest portion of it from any other quarter. If we seek salvation, we are…

Bible

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7 Confession of sin glorifies God. Here are 3 ways: 1) When we…

Jesus

I highly recommend this sermon series by Ray Ortlund. (The Real Jesus series) This year, Ray is preaching through the Sermon on the Mount at Immanuel Church. He just finished preaching through the beatitudes of Matthew…

Church

Those words are spoken each Tuesday night at Immanuel Church in Nashville, TN. They are our rallying cry. Every Tuesday, from 7PM -9PM, somewhere between 40 and 50 men gather together in a run-down building, sitting on…

Bible

For you formed my inward parts;you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you,…

Bible

An excerpt from Ray Ortlund's sermon on Matthew 5:7 preached at Immanuel Church on April 1, 2012. Read the rest here . If you have the time, I highly recommend you listen to the podcasts of the Real Jesus series. Ray is…

Bible

And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.(Colossians 1:17) “All things” includes rolling dice (Prov. 16:33), falling sparrows (Matt. 10:29), failing sight (Ex. 4:11), financial loss (1 Sam. 2:7),…

Bible

The problem some people have with certain parts of the Bible is not an issue because of what the Bible says; it’s an issue with who we are. It points to our sin. It points to our lack of willingness to accept all that…

Jesus

Now therefore let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it is the LORD who has stirred you up against me, may he accept an offering, but if it is men, may they be cursed before the LORD, for they have…

The Gospel

The main practical reason for learning how to think well about the eternal life of the Trinity is that it is the background for the gospel. The blessedness of God's inner life is the only thing that is even better than…

Jesus

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace,…

The Gospel

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have seen saved – and raised us up with him and…

Poetry

Grown another year with me; We see the best may yet to be. Deeper in truth and life I see God’s graceful hand touched to thee! Life and breath do we share; ‘Round us praise and prayer. Such beauty lies in the stare.…

Jesus

Seek the Lord all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the Lord. - Zephaniah 2:3 The prophet Zephaniah’s name…

The Gospel

Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass. - Joshua 21:45 The Israelites had finally made it into the Promised Land. It took 40 years of wondering…

Jesus

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. - Habakkuk 2:14 The world as we know it is going to end. If you believe the Mayans it may happen this year. Even if…

The Gospel

The Lord has taken away the judgments against you - Zephaniah 3:15 For those in Christ: Genesis 3 tells us that sin entered the world. The rest of the Bible shows the reality of what that sin has caused. There is sin…

The Gospel

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. - John 12:24 I’m not humble. I want to be, but I’m not. I have a white board at…

Church

Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. - Colossians…

Church

This is an editted version of a sermon I preached on the gospel call to mercy ministry. I need to say up front that I'm not good at mercy ministry. I'm not heavily active in it right now. But I have given much though to…

Jesus

Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and he who testifies for me is on high. - Job 16:19 In chapter 16 of the book of Job, Job is in a terrible spot. He’s suffering greater than most of us could bear. His friends…

The Gospel

How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warms and tender. I will not execute…

Jesus

The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent. - Exodus 14:14 The Israelites are standing on the brink of freedom. They’ve been led out of slavery in Egypt due to no might of their own. All that stands in…

Bible

He grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God - Romans 4:20 I hear a lot of people say they wish they had more faith. They say they need more faith. Well, yes, that’s true. Don’t we all need more faith? Wouldn’t…

Jesus

And he said, “O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.” And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” - Daniel 10:19 We…

The Gospel

[6] Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, [7] casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV) Is there a thought more…

The Gospel

“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, ‘How have…

The Gospel

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. – John 1:12 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we…

Jesus

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. History is rich with promise. Our own lives are rich with promise. We’re promised things all…

Bible

Charles Spurgeon on Micah 5: We notice, next, the position of Bethlehem. It is said to be "little among the thousands of Judah." Why is this? Because Jesus Christ always goes among little ones. He was born in the little…

Jesus

[12] Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. [13] Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I…

Jesus

[23] The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, [24] but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. [25] Consequently, he is able to…

Poetry

I have been married to my wife, Sarah, for 3 years now. I love her so very much and as each day passes I get a greater glimpse into the gift from God that she is. She is truly a blessing to me. Proverbs 31 rings true:…

Bible

“As the Word of God is enclosed in the Scriptures, so the Scripture is our theology, to such an extent that we assign complete authority to every part of it, and to each and every truth contained in it. This declaration…

Jesus

"On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have…

The Gospel

"I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark." - Stephen Hawking…

Jesus

[14 ] Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, [15 ] and deliver…

The Gospel

"For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ." - Galatians 1:12 In Paul's letter to the Galatians, he spends a bit of time explaining the way in…

Jesus

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.…

Jesus

I have just finished re-reading the story of David as told in 1 and 2 Samuel. As I was reading, this section in 2 Samuel 16 jumped out at me: 5 When King David came to Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the…