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 John Piper comments: We should learn from this how faithful God is to his own name. Look at verse 22: “It has pleased the LORD to make you a people for himself.” What … 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.
But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did … More Six Gifts of the Resurrection
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit … More Save your life by losing it or lose it by saving it?
We start reading the book of Ruth today, one of my favorite stories. Ruth: Sweet and Bitter Providence, sermon by John Piper It’s a story that shows how “God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform.” It’s a story for people who wonder where God is when there are no dreams or visions … More Ruth: it’s a story for people who can’t imagine that anything great could ever come of their ordinary lives of faith.
Knowing God through His Word ... Day by Day 