My gratitude goes to P&R for sponsoring the blog this week. They want you to be aware of a new book titled The Death of the Deadly Sins. It’s definitely worth a look!
Logos users, be sure to grab this month’s free book and then scroll down to look at the selection of nearly-free books. There are some free and nearly-free e-books on this page as well. Then also note that the NIVAC collection is heavily discounted just now.
There’s yet another substantial collection of Kindle deals today.
To Those Who Walk With Sorrow
Kirsten offers a comforting word to those who walk with sorrow. “You are seen by a God who is not indifferent to your pain, but actually deeply understands what it is to endure the sorrows and pains of this world. You are seen by a God who has promised to help you endure. Your God is full of compassion and he pours that out on you. You are seen by a God who is not wasting even the tiniest moment of your pain. You are loved deeply. You are not alone.”
Gratitude
I enjoyed reading Jakes’s words of gratitude for D.A. Carson, Tim Keller, and John Piper. “Two of TGC’s founders, of course, are no longer involved in the work—D. A. Carson because of health reasons and Tim Keller because he has gone to his rest. The third founder, John Piper, now nearly 80, continues to speak (and, if his quip about AI at the end of his keynote is any measure, still has his fastball). But even for Piper, much of the work he will do I suspect he has done.”
Honesty Over Performance
“The tendency to hide or present a more sanitized version of ourselves also reveals something else: a performance-based understanding of the Christian life. The misconception we often fall into is that our performance determines our value or worth. If I believe that, then I can never really be honest about my sins and weaknesses. If I believe that, I’ll value performance over honesty.”
Three Reasons God Allows Temptation to Remain
I think we have all wondered why God allows temptation to remain instead of immediately obliterating it—something that is obviously well within his power. Jacob considers why God allows it to persist.
Why Do We Keep Failing and Falling?
David Wiedis considers fallen pastors. “We’re left asking: How does this keep happening? Some might respond—’That could never be me.’ But a wiser response is more profound: Could this happen to me? What resides in the deep recesses of my own heart that might lead to self-sabotage? Why do so many who love God still find themselves trapped in sin, stuck in shame, and repeating patterns they long to break? Is true heart transformation truly possible?”
When the World Seems to Be Winning
“How should we respond when we feel as though wickedness in the world and compromise in the church are prevailing over the kingdom of God?” Robert Godfrey provides a thorough answer.
Flashback: Do You Take Care of the Body?
Christian, God has gifted you in such a way that you are a necessary part of a body, a local church. Those gifts are the way you are to love and serve others as you love and serve Christ. Will you use your gifts for their good and his glory?
How unspeakably wonderful to know that all our concerns are held in hands that bled for us.
—John Newton
