Welcome to the online home of Tim Challies, blogger, author, and book reviewer.
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There are few promises in the Bible sweeter than this: “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). This is a promise of great blessing, but it is not a promise that extends to all humanity. Rather, it comes with conditions. All things work together for good to those who a) love God and b) are called according to his purpose. So what …
Temptation is a universal experience. If Jesus himself did not escape it, we can be certain that we will not either. It can be difficult to see any good in temptation, yet we know that God has promised to work all things for our good—even temptation. Thomas Watson addresses this in his book All Things for Good, and offers nine ways that temptation works for our good. Temptation works for good when it sends the soul to prayer. Quite simply, …
We are all familiar with the spiritual disciplines and most of us are aware their importance to a healthy Christian life. Most of us practice the disciplines of reading scripture, praying, fellowshipping with other believers, and perhaps even fasting. But a few cautions may be in order as our familiarity with the disciplines may lead to a kind of contempt. In his excellent little book, Holy Helps For a Godly Life, a work on the spiritual disciplines, Richard Rogers offers …
At some point every Christian learns about the armor of God, the spiritual weaponry through which we are able to resist the relentless attacks of Satan as he seeks to destroy us. According to Ephesians 6, we are to fasten on the belt of truth, put on the breastplate of righteousness, take up the shield of faith, wield the sword which is the Word of God, and so on. Through it all we take both an appropriately offensive and defensive …
We are all accustomed to reading works on the spiritual disciplines of the Christian life. We know that as Christians we ought to discipline ourselves to ensure we maintain a lifelong focus on Word, prayer, and fellowship. And so we read the Bible and meditate on it, we pray as individuals and families, and we maintain fellowship with one another through local church worship and the sacraments or ordinances. Well and good! This is the stuff of the Christian life. …
One of my favorite things to do is to read old (or older, at least) books and to uncover the treasures they so often contain. There is something so challenging and so affirming about digging into a book that is hundreds of years old, yet speaks insightfully to the present day. Recently I’ve been enjoying Holy Helps for a Godly Life by the old Puritan Richard Rogers and have invited people like you to read along with me. Here, as …
Every Christian can think of a sin he has identified and attacked with all the brutality he can muster. One of the great joys of the Christian life is seeing God be true to his Word as he motivates and empowers us to wage war against indwelling sin. Yet every one of us probably also has a sin we rather enjoy, a sin we refuse to put to death. In fact, we may even protect and promote it. We might …
I fear there is a plague of complacency among Christians today. Whatever happened to zeal? Whatever happened to Christians who are on fire to know and obey God, who have (in the words of John Reynolds) “an earnest desire and concern for all things pertaining to the glory of God and the kingdom of the Lord Jesus among men?” Yet while zeal is a noble trait, it must be properly directed, for not all zeal is good. Here are some …
Is there any trait more odious than pride or more precious than humility? Is there any trait whose presence we so highly honor in others and whose absence we so readily excuse in ourselves? Truly, pride is the chief of sins and humility the highest of virtues. Yet the Christian has the joy of seeing the Holy Spirit put pride to death and bring to life the beauty of humility. Here are 10 sure marks that you are growing in …
Christians are people of the Word, men and women who live their lives according to its every precept. The Bible is the revelation of God to display his character and to show what it means to live in conformity to him. It is an inestimable privilege to have access to the mind and will of God. Yet while many people pay homage to the Bible, few love it. How can you know if your love for the Bible goes beyond …