“It is thrilling to know that the Lord really knows who is loving Him and truly serving Him and delighting himself or herself in Him, and that some of the shiniest rewards and gorgeous surprises are ahead. That day will come when people who think they have never been seen–in dingy sordid little ‘holes’ of history, whether in prison or caves, in wars or in unemployment, in factories or on farms–will discover that their serving was recognized all the time, by the One who matters. So often human beings have false measuring sticks or warped scales.” –Edith...

“The Chinese join two characters to form a single pictograph for busyness: heart and killing. This is stunningly incisive. The heart is the place the busy life exacts its steepest toll.” – Mark Buchanan, The Rest of God SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Busy?", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2007/10/01/busy/" });

“Grace fills us with very different feelings from the possession of anything else. If you have tasted the grace of the Gospel, the irresistible longing of your hearts will be, ‘Oh, that all the world might taste its regenerating waters.’” – Robert Murray McCheyne, letter dated 16 September 1840 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "If you have tasted the grace of the Gospel …", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2007/09/24/if-you-have-tasted-the-grace-of-the-gospel/" });

Justin Buzzard (normally found here) has written a piece, “Three Pastoral Concerns in 800 Words” on the New Attitude Blog, dedicated to raising up a God-centered, Gospel-living, Bible-saturated generation of men and women who display Jesus Christ is in all their lives. Good stuff, especially the reminder that the Gospel is not just the entrance to the Christian life, it is also the imperative of all the Christian life, to be related to Christ and live in Him, at all times, in the Gospel. (Or, to use a metaphor I came up with, the Gospel is not merely the diving board into the pool,...

“To use the grace given is the certain way to obtain more grace.  To use all the faith you have will bring an increase of faith.” John Wesley, letter dated 15 September 1770 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Give me more grace, I spent all I had", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2007/09/20/give-me-more-grace-i-spent-all-i-had/" });

This 6 minute excerpt is part of a sermon by John Piper entitled “God Strengthens Us by the Gospel.” Here’s part of it: “What’s the gospel? I’ll put it in a sentence. The Gospel is the news that Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, died for our sins and rose again, eternally triumphant over all his enemies, so that there is now no condemnation for those who believe, but only everlasting joy. That’s the gospel. You never, never, never outgrow your need for it. Don’t ever think of the gospel as, “That’s the way you get saved, and then you...

Owen Strachan recently wrote this thought-provoking post: Seeking Honest Answers: Are You a Christian? …. Here is a very short list of questions to ask those who claim to be saved but who show little evidence of such commitment. It’s not exhaustive but is intended to help start conversation. Do you love God? In your heart, do you desire to follow Him, worship Him, and obey Him? Does your professed love for God stretch into action? Does it have any practical effect on your life? Would others characterize you as one who loves God? Do you adore God? Do you want to adore Him? Do...

Six years ago Kari was stuck in Birmingham, AL with about 15 others coming home from a short-term missions trip in Brazil. Their plane was rushed to land and all their items left on-board for four days in wake of the World Trade Center attacks. I was on a runway in a plane in Atlanta headed home with about 40 others (in our group), and we too had to halt our travel plans. We all walked off the plane, confused, checking voicemail, looking at the TV monitors in the airport, trying to figure out what was going on. (To the right is Kari holding up a paper the next morning in Birmingham.) September...

No, Dutch isn’t walking yet (or crawling, for that matter; but he is saying many great things, like “Ba Ba”, which we like to think is my name). As I plunge into the depths of seminary training once again I am reminded that faithfulness in the “small” things is what pleases God most. The “big” things will take care of themselves when I am faithful in the little details and when no one is watching. So often success is defined by the big outcome, but this quote reminded me that as I venture deeper in my studies and the long arduous road (of Greek vocab...

Use all the ability which God gives, and He will give you more. – John Wesley, letter dated 8/2/1776 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Use all the ability which God gives, and He will give you more", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2007/08/24/use-all-the-ability-which-god-gives-and-he-will-give-you-more/" });