“God did not create us to get the cosmic, infinite joy of mutual love and glorification, but to share it. We were to join in the dance. If we center our lives on him, serving him not out of self-interest, but for the sake of who he is, for the sake of his beauty and glory, we will enter the dance and share in the joy and love he lives in. We were designed, then, not just for belief in God in some general way, nor for a vague kind of inspiration or spirituality. We were made to center our lives upon him, to make the purpose and passion of our lives knowing, serving, delighting, and resembling...

The Bible specifically tells us the What & Why of God’s revelation, and in many ways reveals to us the How (as well as they where, when, etc.). It is a collection of God’s specifically written 66 books packed with narrative, the great themes of God’s revelation, propositional truths, and a whole lot more, for all Scripture is "breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" ( 2 Timothy 3:16 ). Why? So the people of God will be thoroughly equipped for all of life (every good work, v. 17). ...

This one is difficult to introduce because, well, I am not an expert of having a right view of self, God, and all things. I am a recovering perfectionist, one in need of the Gospel to astonish and transform me from being so task-oriented and dependent upon my view of self worth being related to what I do (performance). That is the "default" mode and must be overcome daily with the Gospel of God’s Christ in Jesus. Hopefully I’m on a trajectory that direction, and I trust moving closer to having my identity fully identified with/in Christ. This conversation (identity, performance,...

“I am His by purchase and I am His by conquest; I am His by donation and I am His by election; I am His by covenant and I am His by marriage; I am wholly His; I am peculiarly His; I am universally His; I am eternally His.” - Thomas Brooks, Heaven on Earth [HT: Of First Importance ] SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "I am His, in more ways than one", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2008/05/21/i-am-his-in-more-ways-than-one/" });

"A person must confront his own sinfulness in all its ravaging depths before he can enjoy the comforts of salvation." -Martin Luther SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "A person must confront his own sinfulness", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2008/04/30/a-person-must-confront-his-own-sinfulness/" });

I’m headed out to pick up Kari from a women’s retreat she taught/preached at this weekend (read her notes ). Dutch and I stayed home to play and pray, and are so excited to get our wife and mommy back. It was a joy to sit and read her notes while she preached and be praying for her through the various points. Kari posted her notes/manuscript from her two talks at the retreat — from Philippians 2:1-4: 1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having...

By its nature, saving faith loves God and delights in God as the sum of all that could ever satisfy the soul. —John Piper, Future Grace , p. 252. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Saving faith delights in God", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2008/04/24/saving-faith-delights-in-god/" });

“How can we recover the new affection for Christ and his kingdom that so powerfully impacted our life-long worldliness, and in which we crucified the flesh with its lusts? What was it that created that first love in any case? Do you remember? It was our discovery of Christ’s grace in the realization of our own sin. We are not naturally capable of loving God for himself, indeed we hate him. But in discovering this about ourselves, and in learning of the Lord’s supernatural love for us, love for the Father was born. Forgiven much, we loved much. We rejoiced in the hope of glory, in suffering,...

In a Theology course we are working through personal doctrinal statements; one of the first was on Jesus Christ. The inherent problem with black letters on white paper is they do not convey the infinite beauty and worth of the One being depicted. (That is my weakness, not Christ’s.) Oh that I could state the supremacy of Jesus Christ with precision and passion in which John Piper does: From “Sex and the Supremacy of Christ, Part 2” 2004 Desiring God National Conference SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Had to add some passion to my doctrinal statement", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2008/04/18/had-to-add-some-passion-to-my-doctrinal-statement/"...

Today at Cornerstone School of Ministry we are studying perhaps the most important paragraph in all the Bible. It’s truths are so compellingly beautiful I can hardly contain myself; teaching God’s Word ignites my soul. Romans 3:21-26 is the paragraph in view, and verse 20 sets the stage. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Romans 3:20-26", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2008/04/17/romans-320-26/" });