We all have difficulty relinquishing things that we cherish. I still remember my first ten-speed bicycle. It was a fully equipped, Schwinn beauty that I received as a Christmas present. Not long after I received it, I allowed a friend to borrow it for a quick ride. She proceeded to get hit by a car … Continue reading Advent Week #2: Relinquishing Riches To Make Us Rich
Jesus Christ
The Danger of Losing Your First Love
This past Sunday I preached from Revelation 2:1-7 where our exalted Lord challenges the church at Ephesus for abandoning their first love. The sermon focused on the five things that our heavenly Bridegroom does to woo back his loveless bride - the church. Preaching on this text has led to some serious soul searching for … Continue reading The Danger of Losing Your First Love
An Increasing View of the Infinite Dignity of Jesus Christ
Thanks to my good friend David Elmore I know of the esteemed Robert Hawker, an evangelical Anglican minister back in the late 1700s and early 1800s. His devotional The Poor Man's Morning & Evening Portions can be assessed here: Poor Man's Morning & Evening Portions Here is a lovely thought of his that I am thinking about … Continue reading An Increasing View of the Infinite Dignity of Jesus Christ
Temptation & the Loveliness of Jesus
The below three quotations remind us of the only real, lasting cure for resisting temptation. To respond to the distorting nature of temptation and sin you must set your affections on the beauty and glory of God, the loveliness of Christ, and the wonder of the gospel: Were our affections filled, taken up, and possessed … Continue reading Temptation & the Loveliness of Jesus
Welcoming the King on Palm Sunday
There is something exciting about being in a crowd. A crowd came from Jerusalem to greet him… to welcome him into the great city of David as the long anticipated Messiah… the deliverer for whom they had hoped. But Jesus rides into Jerusalem in a manner that shatters the expectations of his people of their … Continue reading Welcoming the King on Palm Sunday
The Sweet Exchange of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
There is not a better prayer that beautifully speaks of the mysterious, sweet exchange that takes place when we repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Love Lustres at Calvary My Father, Enlarge my heart, warm my affections, open my lips, Supply words that proclaim ‘Love lustres at Calvary.’ There grace removes my burdens … Continue reading The Sweet Exchange of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
William Wallace, Jesus Christ & The Fire of Virtue
This is the statue of William Wallace, the esteemed freedom fighter of Scotland. After Wallace's death, his successor Robert the Bruce begged to see his commander before he was buried: "Show me that heroic face from whose beams my heart first caught the fire of virtue!" May the Lord unveil to us that face that … Continue reading William Wallace, Jesus Christ & The Fire of Virtue
The Wonder of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ – Augustine of Hippo
Man’s maker was made man, that He, Ruler of the stars, might nurse at His mother’s breast; that the Bread might hunger, the Fountain thirst, the Light sleep, the Way be tired on its journey; that the Truth might be accused of false witness, the Teacher be beaten with whips, the Foundation be suspended on … Continue reading The Wonder of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ – Augustine of Hippo
Two Alternate Paths to Take in Life
Henry David Thoreau, in his classic Walden, sets forth two alternate paths that lie before each of us: One is broad, common and natural. The other is narrow, uncommon and supernatural: " The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them. What is … Continue reading Two Alternate Paths to Take in Life
One Neglected Implication of Jesus’ Incarnation
Donald Macleod, Scottish theologian and professor, writes: “How often is the incarnation brought before God’s people as their chief incentive and motivation to service. Paul urges us to think the way Jesus thought. He humbled himself. He made himself nothing (Philippians 2:3-8). He said, ‘I don’t matter!’ There is scarcely a month that a church … Continue reading One Neglected Implication of Jesus’ Incarnation
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