I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments. John Piper, on Psalm 119:176, in a sermon, “The Anatomy of Backsliding,” The truth about our experience is that we fail to live at the level of holiness that we know is fitting for a follower of … More The Shocking Last Verse
And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said: “O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has … More Pattern for prayer
John Piper, in a message, “Called to Suffer and Rejoice -that We Might Gain Christ” Why did God ordain and Paul accept the losses that it meant for him to be a Christian? Paul gives the answer again and again in these verses so that we cannot miss the point. He is not passive in this suffering … More Gaining something far more precious
Coty Pinckney on Luke 6: In verses 24-26, Jesus pronounces four woes: On the rich, on the full or satisfied, on the happy or laughing, and on those that people speak well of. Why does Jesus speak these woes? Because all the rich are lost? No. The Bible clearly teaches that some rich people are … More Why does Jesus speak these woes?
I hate and abhor falsehood, but I love your law. Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous rules. Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble. Psalm 119:163-165, ESV To love a law may Seem strange; but it is the only true divine life. To keep it … More Why do you keep God’s law?
Dr. D.A. Carson on 2 Kings 16 (from “The Love of God, Vol 1, Nov 3”) THE BOOKS OF 1 AND 2 KINGS, though they follow the fortunes of both Judah and Israel (the southern and northern kingdoms, respectively, after the division that followed Solomon’s death), lay more emphasis on Israel, the northern ten tribes. More space … More 2 Kings: Every once in a while a really evil or stupid king arises
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ Philippians … More Knowing Christ is a value that surpasses everything else
On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. 7 And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. 8 But he knew their thoughts, and … More The Sabbath Trap?
In the second year of Joash the son of Joahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem. And he did what was right in … More RIght in the eyes of the Lord…BUT
Philippians 2: 23-24….. I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me, and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also. Alec Motyer says, “Paul’s doctrine taught him that a sovereign God ruled all things: whether freedom or imprisonment, comfort or discomfort, … More Trusting in a sovereign God
