Welcome to the online home of Tim Challies, blogger, author, and book reviewer.
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How should you dispose of an old Bible? Is there a right way and a wrong way? Is there a biblical way and an unbiblical way? Listen in as I try to work through this surprisingly common question. Transcript I recently got the question, how do you dispose of an old Bible? Somebody’s Bible had come to the end of its useful life, they’re ready to move on and wanted to know what’s the right or the biblical or the …
In the Bible we see both grumbing and lamenting. It seems that one is permitted by God and one is not. So what is the difference? Transcript Today I want to take on a question I got from somebody who’s watched some of these videos. Sent through a question I thought was quite interesting. It was essentially about the difference between lament and grumbling. So let me read the question. What is the difference between the complaining or murmuring we’re …
The Bible tells us that we are to live lives that are worthy of the gospel. Specifically, in Philippians 1 Paul tells the church, “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.” I recently found myself reflecting on that word worthy. How can we actually live in a way that is worthy of the gospel of Christ? Is that even a possibility? Usually when we say something is worthy we are talking about merit. When …
There’s a call on every Christian to grow and keep growing in wisdom and maturity. In this video I discuss the difference between the two and encourage younger people (and older people!) to commit themselves to these key traits. What is wisdom & maturity, and is there a difference between the two? Yes, wisdom defined biblically is really knowledge of God and obedience to God. And so when we think of wisdom we might think of knowledge, we might think …
You hear a lot about the value and wisdom of seeking out older mentors to walk beside you on your Christian journey. Here are some thoughts and ideas about who should seek a mentor and who should be a mentor to the younger generations. Transcript Does wisdom come only with age? Wisdom comes with age, absolutely. At least, biblically, we’re told that wisdom is with the aged. We’re often given these descriptions of wisdom coming with those who have passed …
We live in a privileged age in which we can indulge, and in fact are expected to indulge, in all kinds of sports and hobbies. However, many of these pursuits may seem like they do not honor God. Christians often question the validity of how they spend the hours they are not working or evangelizing. How can we as Christians determine if we are sinning in the sports and hobbies we participate in? That’s the kind of question I attempt …
We’ve just come through this long and deep cold snap. We’ve just gotten over this spell where it’s been -25, -30 degrees, absolutely freezing. It’s finally warmed up a little. And I’ve decided I’ve got to get out of the office. I’m here at one of my favorite spots at Waterdown, Ontario just to explore. And while I’m at it, I’ve been thinking, I love being a Christian. I am so thankful to be a follower of Jesus Christ. So …
There is no source of comfort as true or as good as God’s book, the Bible. For millennia, God’s people have turned to its pages to find solace, to find hope and encouragement. Sometimes comfort is found in unexpected places, in unlikely words. I found it this morning in a simple sentence written by Jesus’s dear friend John: “Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you” (1 John 3:13). Every Christian has endured times when we have been …
You don’t really know who your friends are until their relationship with you becomes a liability instead of a benefit. Many celebrities, and even Christian celebrities, have learned this lesson the hard way. In the blink of an eye, or the release of a news story, they went from fêted to ignored, from celebrated to invisible. They learned quickly that many of their so-called friends had actually not been friends at all, but people thriving on a kind of symbiotic …
Frances Ridley Havergal (1836-1879) was an unusually gifted and passionate saint. The daughter of a church rector, she was raised in Worcester, England and attended schools in England and Germany. In her love of learning, she grew to become an able scholar (even becoming proficient in both Hebrew and Greek) and a talented singer and pianist. The deepest desire of her heart, however, was in “personal spiritual influence upon others” (Benson). This led her to value most of all her …