I little while ago, while studying Paul’s first letter to Timothy, I came across a great little section of Philip Ryken’s commentary and I thought I’d share it with you. Ryken comments on 1 Timothy 1:17, those verses that inspired a classic hymn of the Christian faith: “To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the…
Earlier in the week I came across a quote by Albert Barnes who was an American theologian during the mid-1800’s. He writes about the Christian’s demeanor or deportment, the way a Christian should carry himself through life. And he says that constant levity is out-of-place in the life of the Christian. I’d be interested in…
In my online wanderings this week I read an interview with theologian John Webster (and I confess, I know nothing about Mr. Webster other than what is in this interview). There was one thing in that interview that jumped out at me, especially since I have been thinking and writing a little bit about vocation…
Better minds than mine (or yours, probably) have wrestled with the relationship between divine sovereignty and human responsibility. The Bibles teaches, or seems to teach, that God is sovereign over all things, and yet it also teaches, or seems to teach, that man is responsible to turn from his sin and come to God. Here…
Here is a great, challenging quote from Martyn Lloyd-Jones. It is drawn from his Studies in the Sermon on the Mount and it does away with that false notion that the heights of Christian experience are reserved for the few and exceptional Christians who take on Christian work as their vocation. Read the Beatitudes, and…
I have been reading (and listening to) Tim Keller’s new book The Meaning of Marriage, easily my favorite book of 2011. One of the subjects Keller covers is the lost sense of duty in love. We have come to think that if there is any duty in love it must not be genuine. Biblically, of…
At this year’s Expositor’s Conference there was a Q&A session in which a concerned pastor asked Al Mohler about the influence of Mark Driscoll. Mohler’s answer was winsome and helpful. He helpfully balanced being encouraged that Driscoll is preaching the gospel while at the same time expressing concern at some of his emphases. As he…
I went looking for what Charles Spurgeon believed about Christmas and was kind of amused at the energy he brought to the discussion (e.g. “the greatest absurdities under heaven…”). Suffice it to say he did not mark Christmas day. And yet he celebrated the incarnation and all it means to the believer. Here’s the opening…
The Puritans used to speak of “constancy,” a word that has largely fallen out of use since then. It speaks of faithfulness and endurance and dependability–character traits of the Christian. The Puritans admired those who were constant, those who endured through all the trials of this life. They cared less for extraordinary acts and more…
While doing some research this week I came across this wonderful little quote from Thomas Chalmers. Here he discusses the central role of the very ordinary means of God’s grace. In bygone days when God’s covenant people sought to strengthen their piety, to sharpen their effectual intercessions, and give passion to their supplications, they partook…
I came across this quote by Horatius Bonar and thought it was worth sharing. Bonar is warning against a kind of soft and, in his word, effeminate Christianity, that may come about when Christians are too afraid to fight for what is right and to protest against what is wrong. For there is some danger…
I’d like to share one more quote from Phillip Schaff’s book The Person of Christ which, as I said yesterday, has just been republished by Granted Ministries. This is a short but powerful excerpt. No biographer, moralist, or artist can be satisfied with any attempt of his to set forth the beauty of holiness which…
Granted Ministries has recently republished The Person of Christ, written by Dr. Phillip Schaff. This is a book that describes and celebrates the character, the humanity and the divinity of Jesus Christ. In one section Schaff discusses the way all virtues and graces are exemplified in Jesus Christ. Here is what he says: We can…
Earlier on I found myself running through some of my old notes from the first time I read Jonathan Edwards’ The Religious Affections. I came across a portion of his work that I wish I had discovered before writing The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment. In that book I wrote about counterfeiting and missed the point…
This morning we had Dr. Charles Woodrow preach at Grace Fellowship Church. For over 20 years, Dr. Woodrow has served as a missionary to Mozambique. Our church has been supporting him in this work for the past several years. In his sermon he quoted Jim Elliot–not the Elliot quote we all know (“He is no…
I came across a trio of Edwards quotes this week and each was powerful in its own right. So give these a read, not as quotes that follow one another in any sort of order, but simply as 3 quotes that represent what Edwards taught so well. You all have by you a large treasure…
R.C. Sproul’s book Now, That’s a Good Question has always been a favorite of mine. When I’ve got a basic question about the Christian life, it’s often the book I turn to first. Here is his answer to this question: How can I prevent my personal Christian growth from becoming stagnant? There’s only one absolute…
Last week I shared a quote from Edward Donnelly’s book Biblical Teaching on the Doctrines of Heaven and Hell. Today I wanted to share another one that stood out to me as a great encouragement. Read it and be blessed on this Lord’s Day! What is … amazing is that our Lord and Saviour will…
I was looking through Edward Donnelly’s book Biblical Teaching on the Doctrines of Heaven and Hell and came across a really powerful quote about all that we are not able to do and understand and accomplish in this life. Read it and be blessed! The prospect of living forever in a renewed universe answers the…
Today I’ve got a far better quote than what I’ve been sharing the past couple of days. This is a song we love to sing at Grace Fellowship Church. It is called “Draw Me Nearer.” Written by Fanny Crosby, it has been updated by Caedmon’s Call in their album In the Company of Angels II.…