Good morning. The Lord be with you and bless you today.
I added some new Kindle deals yesterday and hope to dig up some more this morning.
(Yesterday on the blog: A Difference-Making Ministry for Any Christian)
Even Believers Need to Be Warned: How Hell Motivates Holiness
This article shows how the existence of hell, and the Bible’s warnings about it, are meant to motivate holiness.
The Bond of Love
Keith Mathison reminds us of a lesser-known benefit of the Lord’s Supper. “When we come together for the Lord’s Supper, it should remind us of the oneness of the body and spur us to compassion that we might do what we can to share the burdens of our brothers and sisters in Christ.”
Coram Deo Pastors Conference
Coram Deo is a Latin phrase meaning “before the face of God.” The phrase is often associated with John Calvin and other Reformers who summoned the Christian to live all of life in God’s presence (Ps. 56:13). More specifically, pastors have been charged in the presence of God to preach the word (2 Tim. 4:1-2). This conference (which features Kevin DeYoung, John Piper, H.B. Charles Jr., and others) aims to remind pastors of our great God, to recharge the preacher for teaching with clarity and conviction, and to reinvigorate the weary soul for a life of ministry faithfulness before the face of God. (Sponsored Link)
Thinking About Plagues
“We don’t like the ten plagues in Exodus, they feel like exactly the sort of thing we secretly wish wasn’t in the Old Testament because they afflict our innate sense of fairness and our unexpressed desire for God to be kind to everyone—even those who hate and afflict his people.”
How to Love Our Friends in Truth—Even When It Stings
“We must entrust our friends to God, even when it’s not how we pictured it. This is yet another way we love our friends in knowledge and discernment—in recognizing our lack of wisdom, sovereignty, knowledge, and even love for our friends compared to our Heavenly Father.”
The Distorting Power of the Prosperity Gospel
Writing for TGC Africa, Thomas Endjala tells how the prosperity gospel distorts the true gospel. “No one wants to suffer. In my culture, and in most African cultures, suffering is seen as a sign of bad luck; or proof that you did something wrong.”
Someday
Susan encourages her readers to focus on someday and to know that it is not all that far away.
Flashback: Learning to Stand
Ephesians 6 is a powerful call to be aware of the enemy and his army; it teaches that there is an enemy who devotes his entire existence to the destruction of God’s work and God’s people. Every Christian is engaged in battle against him.
God is not worshipped where He is not treasured and enjoyed.
—John Piper
