Donald S. Whitney: When we’re born again from above by the Spirit of God, the Lord makes a “new creation” of us (2 Cor 5:17). But when he accomplishes that radical, regenerating transformation of us, he does not eliminate our minds, our bodies, our emotions, our will or anything that’s a part of what makes us human. God’s grace doesn’t eliminate any of those things, instead he gives dramatically new purposes to them. He calls us to live the Christian life with the full — though God-centered — use of our minds and judgment and everything else that is a part of our humanity. Let go and let God? However, many people will tell you that your spiritual problems stem from the fact that you are trying to live the Christian life but that God never intended you to do so. They say that just as God never intended for you to save yourself, so he does not expect you to live
Biblical disciplines
John Piper Interviews Jerry Bridges
Jonathan Parnell posts a conversation between two of my heroes: Few people work faithfully for the same organization for almost 60 years. Yet it was 1955 when Jerry Bridges, a Korean War veteran, joined the team at The Navigators where he continues to this day. An author of several books, Mr. Bridges is a leading voice in explaining the significance of the gospel in everyday life, including The Discipline of Grace,The Gospel for Real Life, and The Pursuit of Holiness, to name a few. John Piper recently sat down with Mr. Bridges in Minneapolis to talk about life and ministry. In this 25-minute video, they discuss key issues regarding God’s providence, spiritual disciplines, and the Christian life.
Extraordinary Holiness Through Four Ordinary Means
Tony Reinke: In his new book, Kevin DeYoung writes, “It may sound boring or out-of-date, but it just happens to be true: the way to grow in your relationship with Jesus is to pray, read your Bible, and go to a church where you’ll get good preaching, good fellowship, and receive the sacraments” (134). It sounds ordinary, and it is, as Kevin explains in the following clip (4 minutes):
Steps to Overcome Temptation
Earlier this year David Mathis sat down with Don Carson to discuss sanctification. In this three-minute clip, Carson talks about some simultaneous steps to take for overcoming temptation, including a deepening delight in Jesus. Sanctification is the theme of this year’s Desiring God National Conference — “Act the Miracle: God’s Work and Ours in the Mystery of Sanctification.” Visit the event page to learn more and register. (HT: Desiring God blog)
Spurgeon on a Stupid Way to Read the Scriptures
From Charles Spurgeon’s 1867 sermon “A Song at the Well-head”: You are retired for your private devotions; you have opened the Bible, and you begin to read. Now, do not be satisfied with merely reading through a chapter. Some people thoughtlessly read through two or three chapters—stupid people for doing such a thing! It is always better to read a little and digest it, than it is to read much and then think you have done a good thing by merely reading the letter of the word. For you might as well read the alphabet backwards and forwards, as read a chapter of Scripture, unless you meditate upon it, and seek to comprehend its meaning. Merely to read words is nothing: the letter kills. The business of the believer with his Bible open is to pray, “Lord, give me the meaning and spirit of your word, while it lies open before me; apply your word with power to my soul,
Joe Thorn’s ‘Note to Self’
I love this book by Joe Thorn. He says of the book: I wrote Note to Self (2011, Crossway/ReLit) to help others develop a theological understanding and real-life practice of the discipline of preaching to ourselves. It’s a short read that includes an excellent foreword by Sam Storms on the functional authority of God’s word. Believe me, his contribution alone is worth the price of the book. In the Introduction I spell out what it means to preach to ourselves and note the difference between law and gospel, emphasizing the need to preach both. What follows are 48 chapters which are designed to be daily readings that encourage and model the discipline of preaching to yourself. Below is Justin Taylor’s helpful interview with Joe. Joe’s definition of the Gospel: “At its core, the gospel is Jesus as the substitute for sinners. We could summarize the whole by saying that in his life Jesus lives in perfect submission to the will of
Quote of the Week
”I don’t practice spiritual disciplines to get God to love me, but to hear him say it.” – Jimmy Davis
10 Questions to Ask in the New Year
Don Whitney: The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to stop, look up, and get our bearings. To that end, here are some questions to ask prayerfully in the presence of God. What’s one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God? What’s the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year? What’s the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year? In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it? What is the single biggest time-waster in your life, and what will you do about it this year? What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church? For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year? What’s the most important way you will, by God’s grace, try to make this year different from last
D. A. Carson on the Gospel and Personal Devotions
This is the most important way to consider all aspects of Christian discipleship: D. A. Carson applies the Gospel and the Glory of the transcendent Christ to the Christian life to promote change.
How Do You Break Free from an Addiction to Entertainment?
John Piper answers this question, writing that “Recognizing [the problem] is a huge step in the right direction” and that ” ultimately it’s a gift of grace to feel the glory of God.” Here are some suggestions of what you should do: 1. Seek the Lord earnestly about it. Pray like crazy that God would open your eyes to see wondrous things out of his law. 2. Immerse yourself in the Bible, even when you don’t feel like it, pleading with God to open your eyes to see what’s really there. 3. Get in a group where you talk about serious things. 4. Begin to share your faith. One of the reasons we are not as moved by our own faith as we are is because we almost never talk about it to any unbeliever. It starts to feel like a kind of hothouse thing, and then it starts to have a feeling of unreality about it. And then the
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Disciplined Duty vs. the Lie of Legalism
John Piper: But the hard truth is that most Christians don’t pray very much. They pray at meals—unless they’re still stuck in the adolescent stage of calling good habits legalism. They whisper prayers before tough meetings. They say something brief as they crawl into bed. But very few set aside set times to pray alone—and fewer still think it is worth it to meet with others to pray. And we wonder why our faith is weak. And our hope is feeble. And our passion for Christ is small.And meanwhile the devil is whispering all over this room: “The pastor is getting legalistic now. He’s starting to use guilt now. He’s getting out the law now.” To which I say, “To hell with the devil and all of his destructive lies. Be free!” Is it true that intentional, regular, disciplined, earnest, Christ-dependent, God-glorifying, joyful prayer is a duty? . . . Is it a discipline? You can call it that. It’s
Don’t trust your resolutions!
From David Mathis: Reading Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ classic Spiritual Depression would be a strong way to start the new year. The title can be a tad deceiving. It’s not merely a book for those with a pronounced sense of spiritual depression. It’s a book for all Christians—for the daily spiritual depressions we all face this side of heaven. Lloyd-Jones ends his second chapter with these challenging and refreshing words: Would you like to be rid of this spiritual depression? The first thing you have to do is to say farewell now once and forever to your past. Realize that it has been covered and blotted out in Christ. Never look back at your sins again. Say: ‘It is finished, it is covered by the Blood of Christ’. That is your first step. Take that and finish with yourself and all this talk about goodness, and look to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is only then that true happiness and joy are
Lewis Hamilton – World Champion!
How’s your focus, discipline, determination, perseverance, and motivation today? 1Cor. 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 1Cor. 9:25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
Already Not Yet 