Today, the first day of a new month, is a great time to remember this reality: Right now, at this very moment, God is reigning from his throne. All will be well.
Today’s Kindle deals include a batch of books on marriage. That includes one of my favorites: Married for God by Christopher Ash. You’ll also find a very long list of both Christian and general market deals that will be valid through to the end of April.
(Yesterday on the blog: Have You Become an Amateur Astronomer?)
How Do I Forget My Sinful Past?
John Piper does a wonderful job answering a heartfelt question. “My conscience still haunts me for all the really bad and dumb things I did when I was younger. Does that mean I am not saved? I’ve prayed for forgiveness many times, talked to pastors and even Christian therapists, but I don’t feel forgiven because the guilt is always there, no matter how much I pray and seek God. I feel far from God and not sure what else to do.”
The Left Is Colonizing the Calendar
Denny Burk: “Biden aside, we would all do well to recognize the larger conflict within which ‘Transgender Visibility Day’ is simply a single skirmish. For the truth is this. Whoever owns the calendar and our annual observances owns the narrative and imagination of a people. This was true with the children of Israel in the Old Testament, and it is true now. People understand their group identities in part through the narratives playing out on their calendars.”
Hope When We Sin by Not Doing Anything
It is good for us to remember that sometimes we sin by doing the wrong thing and sometimes we sin by doing nothing. Thankfully, God forgives us for our sins of omission just as much as our sins of commission.
Longing for More
“Even if we don’t admit that we are lost and isolated from the God who created us and has the power to save us—He knows. And He staged our deliverance before we even knew we needed it. In sending Christ to die for us, He made a way for us to return to Him. He has done (and still does) all the work. He came down and showed us the narrow path to salvation, the path He made. In fact, He is the path. He leads the way, going before us. And finally, He lifts us to be with Him.”
Love Before You Lead
“Love before you lead. Love more than you lead. It really is that simple. If you love well, leadership can follow.” Christian leaders of all kinds need to ponder this!
Here Comes the Warrior Bride of the NAR
This article raises a serious concern about the New Apostolic Reformation. “For years, many of us familiar with the beliefs within this movement remember hearing of the warring bride, prophetic images of a bride in a white spotless gown, accessorized with combat boots and a fierce sword. The call is for those in attendance to embrace the call to war and to conquer the land in the name of Jesus.”
Flashback: 10 Church Members God Especially Calls Me To Love
Rather than seeing them as people who drive me crazy, I have preferred to see them as people I’m particularly called to love—people who stretch and grow my ability to love.
Every strategy you employ in your fight for purity must be grounded in the grace of God in Christ if it is to lead to lasting freedom.
—Heath Lambert
