My God, In Whom I Trust
Life is filled with twists and turns that trouble us. An evil person may intend us harm. Our home might lie in the pathway of a terrible storm. A child may have made poor decisions leading to addiction. A family…
Tag Trusting God
What David Needed Most
When the reader of second Samuel arrives at chapter eleven, he can hardly believe what he is reading. The previous two stories give us no warning about what is to come. We have no preparation for the David we are…
The Essential Law of the Vineyard
The metaphor of God’s kingdom as a vineyard is one that has Old Testament vintage, which is appropriate when talking about a vineyard. Long before Christ’s first advent, the prophet Isaiah described the Kingdom of Judah as a vineyard well-supplied…
The Order of Salvation: Faith
Once the Spirit of the Lord has resurrected a dead sinner by the divine breath, life begins. This is the monergism that theologians reference in the work of regeneration. The dead sinner lives through God’s singular work. He initiated the…
Romans 8: Creation on Tippy-toes
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.” – Romans 18:18-19 Paul…
Total Depravity & Shepherding
Let us consider then how the doctrines of grace are good and necessary for the shepherding of souls in the churches of Jesus Christ. And let us begin with the doctrine of total depravity. The expression total depravity summarizes scripture’s…
Guard Your Steps
Have you ever considered that it is important to “guard your steps when you go the house of God” (Ecc. 5:1)? Perhaps we don’t often think of church as a dangerous place, and yet it is a very dangerous place…
The Supremacy of Christ
What thoughts are first and foremost in your mind these days? Do you awake only to be overwhelmed by thoughts of your sin and shame? Are you paralyzed by thoughts of your suffering? When you go to bed are you…
Live Not by Nonsense!
I know what it’s like to suffer at the hands of anxiety and I also know the debilitating effects of what has been called OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). The two are often partners in crime. If one is near the…
Charles Chao – Translator and Refugee
From the earliest days of Protestant missions, foreign missionaries understood the need of training local pastors. The priorities given to this task varied. In many cases, circumstances helped to hasten the process. This is what happened in Manchuria, a…