Colossians 4:2-4, “2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 3 At...
The Gospel and the Christian Life
When God’s Saving Work Causes Present Suffering
When I was eleven months old, I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The doctors, at...
A Christian Reading Manifesto
Modern technology has launched us into the stratosphere of learning. With the click of a mouse or...
How Paul Led from a Distance: A Model for Pastors Leading From A Distance
The apostle Paul led from a distance. His letters demonstrate deep affection for his readers, a longing to see them again, and his ongoing burden to lead well, even while apart. For example, Paul wrote to the Philippian church from a prison cell in Rome. But his...
Suffering Well in Community
I am most definitely not a fisherman. I subscribe to the old saying, “There is a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore like an idiot.” So, maybe I am not the one to use a fishing illustration to begin. However, there is something that even I have picked...
Manual Transmission: the Importance of Having Multiple Gears of Motivation
Few things are more important for spiritual growth than motivation. Unfortunately, many Christians are idealists when it comes to spiritual drive. They think and act as if there is only one sanctioned motive for obedience. The underlying logic of their spirituality is...
A Long Line of Grace
The Book of Genealogy When the time has come for you to begin reading the Gospel according to Matthew, we come across this opening line: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1). And then what is the next...
The Power of the Pen: Reflecting on the Word with a Pen
The pen carries more than ink; it contains eyes to see depths beyond our mind’s typical field of vision. Every morning, I sneak quietly down the stairs into the calm of an empty kitchen and open up the backdoor blinds to see the dim light of a new morning. I do not...
What Is Sanctification? A Gift of the Grace of God
God’s gift of salvation is something worth marveling at our whole lives. What an amazing moment it is when we grasp even a bit of how much God loves us and all he has done to reconcile us to himself. We have been given the chance to believe in Christ as a gift by...
Sighs and Tears: Imitating the Emotional Life of Jesus
I came to Mark 7:12 in my Bible reading today. There we are told that when enemies of Jesus came to argue with him, “he sighed deeply in his spirit.” That is worth noting. Jesus sighed deeply in his spirit; the sigh of grief and weariness; the sigh of sadness and...
Where Is Your Mind?: Setting Your Mind on the Word
Colossians 3:2, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” I crumble a piece of paper in my hand and throw it toward the trash can several feet away. I almost never name the shot on the first (or second or third) try. Usually, I’m too...
The World Does Not Know You: Encouragement for Estrangement
Not Fitting In? John Piper once stated in a sermon that for years, Christians once had the “home field advantage” in America. Meaning, that for a season to be a Christian in America was beneficial; it was a good thing in America. It meant you were trustworthy, kind,...
Four Traps to Avoid When You Suffer
4 Traps to Avoid When You Suffer from Crossway on Vimeo. The 2 Kinds of Doubt As I thought about my own experience, I wanted to organize my thoughts and experience for others in these two categories of traps that every sufferer faces and the comfort that is offered to...
Discovering Gratitude During COVID-19
Are you feeling down these days because of everything you are being denied? Are you feeling like you can’t face one more day of changing regulations and stay at home orders? Are you drowning in the sea of self-pity because you are stuck at home, an essential worker,...
Progressive Sanctification: A Divine Co-Op Part 3
Perhaps one of Luther’s most famous phrases gives insight into the Reformed view of sanctification.[i] The Latin phrase speaks to the issue of not perfectly practicing what God has declared us to be in position; it was simul justus et peccator. That little phrase...