May the Lord be with you and bless you today.
There is a nice big batch of Kindle deals today that include Alistair Begg’s Pray Big and Seth Lewis’ Dream Small. Both are excellent.
(Yesterday on the blog: Maybe We Make Meditation Too Difficult)
What Does It Mean to Die with Dignity?
Kathryn Butler: “What does it mean to die with dignity? Abstractly, we all long for a dignified death, during which family surround us and we suffer minimal pain and anxiety. In reality, however, the dying process is often unsettling, even when we try to prepare ourselves for its messy realities. Perhaps most importantly, however, conflating the phrase ‘death with dignity’ and assisted dying confuses the conversation.”
Did Paul Endorse Slavery? (1 Timothy 6)
Did the Apostle Paul endorse slavery? Denny Burk has a useful answer to the question.
3 Questions to Ask About Forgiveness
Dave Harvey has a good article about forgiveness in the context of marriage. “Forgiveness is rarely instantaneous. The words ‘I forgive you’ are freely offered with a faith towards God, but we all know they can betray the chaos churning within. Heartache and mental anguish can break into your mind unannounced. It creeps up when you’re down and often waits to greet you the moment you wake. But biblical forgiveness absorbs at least two costs.”
Body Parts
“In polls with a political purpose, it is astounding to hear the significant number of people who claim to be Christians who also said they hadn’t been to church in years or even decades. Is being a vital part of a church’s life and ministry necessary or even important for a Christian? Isn’t it enough to have a personal relationship with Christ, trusting Him for the forgiveness of your sins out of your death and for the gift of His righteousness into His life?”
5 Ways to Pursue Contentment
Sarah Ivill offers some useful instruction on pursuing contentment. “When was the last time you looked at yourself in the mirror and wanted to change what you saw? In the past month, about what have you said, ‘I want that?’ When your friend received the promotion, product, or prestige that you thought you would receive, what was your reaction?”
The Immense Value of Encouragement
“Sometimes the right words, said at the right time, can change someone’s life. Encouragement has the power to really make a difference to people, yet it is a rarer thing than it should be.”
Flashback: Flowers Springing Up in the Rain
For our lives to display godly beauty, we must be changed, we must be transformed. And this kind of transformation needs more than ease, more than merely good times.
My grand point in preaching is to break the hard heart, and to heal the broken one.
—John Newton
