Steven J. Cole comments on Ezra 9, in our reading plan for today Because we are so desensitized toward sin, we fail to have the proper response toward it, whether it is our own sin, or sin in others. We minimize it, justify it, or ignore it and go on our way unaffected by it. … More What is the godly reaction to sin?
1 Timothy 4:12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. John Piper, in a sermon, “Let No One Despise You For Your Youth” This is one of Paul’s words to the younger Timothy who needed to be reminded that … More Low expectations of the impact of your life toward those who are older?
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:26, in our Bible reading plan for … More Grace and Collisions of Opinion
My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching. Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you. For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and … More Forsake not your mother’s teaching
Ezra was ashamed to ask King Artaxerxes for an escort because he previously had told him, The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him. (Ezra 8:22) He was trusting in God’s sovereign goodness. As Romans 8:28 encourages us … More Trusting God and His Goodness
I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery … More “Proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world”
Luke 14:16 -19 But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to … More No excuse can justify a man in refusing God’s invitation
For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and he ponders all his paths. Proverbs 5:21 (in our read-through-the-Bible plan today) The Bible often refers to our life as “a path.” As you ponder your path today, consider these verses below. Ask God to show you and keep you on the path … More Ponder your path today
Phillip Graham Ryken writes in Thermelios about our passage in Ezra 7 today: Ezra was a great man—one of the all-time heroes of the faith. He had the will to lead; he had a heart for holiness; he had a mind for biblical truth. If we want to follow his example, we should ask what … More “The hand of the Lord his God was on him”
1 Timothy 3:4-5, part of our reading plan today, He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? John Piper comments: The word “manage” is a wonderful word with at least … More What should be the aim of leadership?
Knowing God through His Word ... Day by Day 