For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.—2 Corinthians 10:17 John Piper asks: So the utterly crucial question for many of you, as you have prayed and thought about giving your life, or a … More 5 Missionary Tests
O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great. —Psalm 104:24-26 John Piper in “The Pleasures of God in His Creation:” It seems to me that … More O Lord, how manifold are your works!
As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. —2 Corinthians 7:9-10, from our reading plan John … More Godly Grief
Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.—from 1 Samuel 15-16, our reading for today John Piper, in a sermon, “The Pleasure of God in Obedience”, comments on 1 Samuel 15:22- … More God delights in obedience
“We have this treasure in earthen vessels (or clay pots!) to show us that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us.” John Piper comments on 2 Corinthians 4, in our reading for today: Too many people say, “I’m so ordinary, so average and undistinguished. I can’t do anything significant.” 2 Corinthians 4:7 shows that … More Ordinariness is not a liability; it is an asset
Pastor Coty Pinckney in a sermon, “Jesus, the Perfect King”: Today we consider Mark 11:1-11, Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. In this passage, Jesus clearly acts out his role as king. So we need to ask ourselves why does God ordain this? Why does God reveal Jesus to us as King? What are the parallels between … More Jesus clearly acts out his role as King
For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself. 1 Samuel 12:22, part of our Bible reading plan today) John Piper comments: We should learn from this how faithful God is to his own name. Look at verse 22: “It has pleased the … More What is the deepest foundation of God’s faithfulness?
John Piper, in the last sermon in a series on Ruth, “Ruth: The Best is Yet to Come” (Read Ruth 4 in the reading plan today) What one main thing does the author want us to take away from reading this story? Here’s what I would suggest as the main lesson: The life of the godly … More Frequent signs: “The best is yet to come.”
John Piper comments on 1 Corinthians 15:29-58, our “Read-through-the Bible” passage for today: Verse 50: “Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” What does that mean? Is it a wholesale denial of the bodily resurrection? No. “Flesh and blood” simply means “human nature as we know it”—mortal, … More Paul: A resurrection analogy
Today we read Ruth 2-3. Here is commentary from John Piper, in a series on Ruth, Ruth: Under the Wings of God But before we leave verses 1–7, did you sense a merciful providence behind all this? Notice verse 3: “So she set forth and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and she … More God is gracious and sovereign even when he is silent.
Knowing God through His Word ... Day by Day 