Pastor Steven J. Cole of Flagstaff Christian Fellowship comments on Ezra 9: 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. If … More How a person reacts to the news of sin tells a lot about that person.
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 Expectations
Luke 14:26 “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. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. J.C. Ryle comments: We learn, firstly, from … More Give Up Everthing?
Proverbs 6:20-23 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, theywill 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 … More “…and 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) Almost as if Ezra knew Romans 8:28 says, And we know that for those … More Trust in God’s Good Hand
Here is a taste of John Calvin, in a sermon, “The Mystery of Godliness” 1 Timothy 3:16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. When we hear … More John Calvin: “The Mystery of Godliness”
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, and not coming to Christ.
The ESV Study Bible comments on Proverbs 5: Proverbs calls unabashedly for seeking fulfillment in the sexual intimacy of marriage (Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight . . . be intoxicated) as the relational context where these desires are rightly fostered for the enjoyment (rejoice in the wife of your youth) and good (Let … More Be intoxicated? Check out Proverbs 5
Phillip Graham Ryken writes in Thermelios: 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 made him so great and so good. What … More Ezra’s Unrelenting Ambition
1 Timothy 3:4-5 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 two dimensions of meaning to it. It … More John Piper on what the church needs: “leadership that has a caring heart, and a caring heart that has the strength to lead.”
Knowing God through His Word ... Day by Day 