How to live a life that is faithful to our calling as followers of Jesus Christ......
Appropriating the Truth CH Spurgeon once said, "The same sun which melts wax hardens clay. And the same Gospel which melts some persons to repentance hardens others in their sins." This quote reminds me that the Word of God is going to have an impact in my life, whether I fully realize it or not. If I reject it, my heart will grow hardened, cold, indifferent, and callous ...
Keep Reading Jesus is the Reason for the Season Recently, while on a walk, I paused to observe people tossing coins, as they closed their eyes (perhaps praying?), into a water fountain located in a nearby shopping area. In particular, one elderly woman, heavily disabled, caught my attention. As she shed a few tears, prayed a prayer, and then tossed a coin into the water fountain, it...
Keep Reading Brothers and Sisters in Christ I remember growing up and often hearing the statement, "blood is thicker than water." Usually, the statement was said in the context of remembering that one's biological or physical family was more important, and more enduring, than people in the church. When I became a Christian, all of a sudden the statement made all of the sense in the wo...
Keep Reading Life-On-Life Discipleship Some time ago I read the horrifying news of a mother who, for whatever tragic reason, decided to dump her newborn baby in a local trash dump. Why did she do it? Perhaps she was scared, in despair, or just plain hateful. When we hear of news like this, we are literally shocked beyond belief! I mean, what kind of mother would do such a thing?! Sure...
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Glory to God Alone What is man's most fundamental problem? Depending on whom you ask, the answers you might get to this question will vary. Some would say "unfulfilled desires," "unfulfilled goals or dreams." Others would say, "a lack of self-esteem," or perhaps "a sense of feeling under-appreciated or admired." In our materialistic culture, some might say, "the pursuit...
Keep Reading Faith in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ Not too long ago, I was speaking to a professing believer, who with much enthusiasm was telling me about his life's goals. "You know, sometimes people want to rain on your parade, but to me, all you have to do is believe, and everything will fall into place." I thought to myself, "Believe in what? In whom?" The statement struck...
Keep Reading Saved by Grace Alone When he was a Roman Catholic "monk," Martin Luther would have said that grace alone was the "gasoline" that propels the car of salvation. However, the "Reformer" Martin Luther would have affirmed that Grace Alone was the "entire" car itself. In other words, all of salvation, from beginning to end, was by Grace Alone. For Luther, the issue of salvation...
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Running the Race of Life Together The writer of Hebrews exhorts his readers, "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you ...
Keep Reading Christ Alone is Sufficient for Salvation and Sanctification In C. S. Lewis' fictional masterpiece, The Screwtape Letters, Screwtape, an experienced demon, mentors his nephew, Wormwood (also a demon, but "in training") on the art of breaking down Christians. In essence, the devil's strategy is not to replace or remove Christ completely, but to promote a "Christ AND" ...
Keep Reading The Sufficiency and Authority of Scripture If you think about the Reformation "Solas" like a building, then the Foundation of the building was the great principle or truth of Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone). What did this mean? That Scripture Alone was the Ultimate and Final Authority in all matters of faith and practice, personally and for the church. It did not mean th...
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