“I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.”- John 17:9 ESV Jesus prays not for the world but for those the Father has given Him. What joy this brings! Our safety rests not in our own strength but in … Continue reading Jesus is Praying for You
Jesus
Persistently Pleading to a Gentle Jesus who Delights to Answer Prayer
“When the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ ” And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight. Jesus answered and said to … Continue reading Persistently Pleading to a Gentle Jesus who Delights to Answer Prayer
The Danger of Worldliness & Becoming What You Worship
Worldliness is whatever any culture does to make sin seem normal and righteousness to be strange. When we embrace the Zeitgeist (the spirit of the age) of worldliness, it feels strange to think like a Christian. Acting according to the Bible’s mandates becomes difficult. When we think the world’s thoughts after it, our actions align … Continue reading The Danger of Worldliness & Becoming What You Worship
Where Are Your Eyes Focused?
A quote from one of my devotional readings for today encouraged and strengthened my heart, and I hope it will strengthen yours as well. Samuel Ward “O you say, but my sins are scandalous!Did not Christ say 'all things are possible for one who believes?' (Mark 9.'23).Are not all your faults easily pardonable by infinite … Continue reading Where Are Your Eyes Focused?
Strategies for Our War Against Temptation
If you are facing temptation today, these words of challenge from John Piper which I have edited just a bit are sound, biblical counsel. Your temptation may be to grasp for power when you feel vulnerable, or to succumb to lust, or to despair when something doesn’t work out like you had hoped: Here is … Continue reading Strategies for Our War Against Temptation
Love Stoops to Conquer – Worship Reflections for John 13
The foot washing episode of John 13 serves as “a rebuke to the disciples’ ambitious strife, far more powerful than words could have spoken: Such a rebuke that never again do we see a hint of the old question, ‘Who should be greatest?’ It was Christ's answer to their unseemly conduct, and a lesson to … Continue reading Love Stoops to Conquer – Worship Reflections for John 13
Maundy Thursday and the Mark of a Christian
The Mark of the Christian (John 13:31-38) The text upon which this teaching outline is based is normally assigned to Maundy Thursday. The Latin word for commandment is mandatum. This commandment that Jesus gave was the old commandment with which Moses himself summarized the whole law, but Jesus made it new by highlighting three things: … Continue reading Maundy Thursday and the Mark of a Christian
Reflections for Palm Sunday Worship
No word in my vocabulary expressed deeper hatred than the word interference. And the Bible placed at the center what seemed to me a Transcendental Interferer. — C.S. Lewis Glorious as Jesus is in Himself, as a conqueror over death, and hell, and the grave, the Son of God is still ‘meek and lowly of … Continue reading Reflections for Palm Sunday Worship
Palm Sunday and the Transcendental Interferer
When C.S. Lewis came to faith, he wasn't happy at all because the first thing that happened to him was the realization that God was God and that he was not. Jesus Christ was a transcendental interferer, barging into Lewis' life and saying, "You're not God, I am." In his own words, he describes his … Continue reading Palm Sunday and the Transcendental Interferer
A Well-Ordered Heart
“What does it mean to have a well-ordered heart?” To have a well-ordered heart “is to love the right thing to the right degree in the right way with the right kind of love.” Christopher Hall, Living Wisely with the Church Fathers (p. 221). Westmont, IL: IVP Academic. Quoting John Ortberg in the book The … Continue reading A Well-Ordered Heart
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