1 Thessalonians 1:2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. John Piper, in a sermon “The Fruit of Hope: Endurance” Let us probe the connection … More Must or shall?
J.C. Ryle on the Transfiguration account in Luke 9, in our reading plan for today: …this passage shows us that the Old Testament saints in glory take a deep interest in Christ’s atoning death. We are told that when Moses and Elijah appeared in glory with our Lord on the Mount of Transfiguration, they “talked with Him.” … More Christ dying for our sins, and rising again for our justification, must be our only plea, if we wish to be saved.
John Piper on Psalm 135, in our reading plan for today: The psalm begins by calling us to praise the Lord: “Praise the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord.” Then, starting in verse 3 the psalmist gives us reasons for why we should feel praise rising in our hearts toward God. It says, for … More God has pleasure in all that he does.
David and the chiefs of the service also set apart for the service the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who prophesied with lyres, with harps, and with cymbals. The list of those who did the work and of their duties was: Of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asharelah, … More Prophecy, thanksgiving and praise
ABSTRACT: At the end of Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he writes, “Remember my chains.” Thousands of Christians around the world today could write the same words. Some are locked behind bars; others are threatened with intimidation, discrimination, and violence. Yet as persecution grows in many parts of the world, so too does the gospel. From … More Remember Our Chains
In Luke 9:20, part of our reading plan today, “Then he said to them,“But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” J.C. Ryle: We should pray frequently that God would raise up more Christians of the stamp of the apostle Peter. Erring, and unstable, and ignorant of his own … More Wanted: Those who will cleave to Christ when the many are against Him
Psalm 133:1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! In John 17, Jesus prays for us as believers to have this unity, that we should be one. And in Acts 4:32, we read that, “Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul.” As in music, … More Sweet harmony
But King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” —1 Chronicles 21:24 ESV Are there some principles for us to follow or some application to our own lives here? David … More The cost of true sacrifice
Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. Colossians 4:2 John Piper relates this story in a sermon, “Devote Yourselves to Prayer” There is a story about D. L. Moody making a visit to Scotland in the 1800’s and opening one of his talks at a local grade school with the rhetorical question, … More Piper: The God who loves to be asked for things
And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of … More Learning from leftovers
Knowing God through His Word ... Day by Day 