I want to celebrate those who get "it." What’s the "it?" It is the Gospel. It is the lens through which we are to see, and the engine for what should drive us in life. We are far worse than we realize, yet, in Christ, far more loved than we every imagined. God relates to us totally on the basis of His free grace. We cannot earn, should not deceive ourselves into thinking we could or should, and God has designed that we can only relate to Him rightly on the basis of the finished work of His Son. He treated Jesus like He was us, so He could treat us who trust in Christ like...

A couple conversations yesterday got me thinking how Christians ought to be the happiest people on the planet. The first was an afternoon idea-ing and planning session talking about our church’s Advent series coming up the few weeks before Christmas. One theme will be JOY … and how much Joy there was when Christ came the first time, how much there shall be one day when He returns in the fullness of His glory, and the unending pleasure to be found as subjects and sons and daughters in His Kingdom. Being forgiven and right with God on the basis of nothing we have done in and of ourselves...

"… give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." ( 1 Thess. 5:18 ) What is God’s will for my life? That has always been one of most frequent questions I’ve heard, and asked. How can I know what He wants me to do, who He designed me to be? God’s will is multi-faceted, yet He is strangely easy to please, as our caring heavenly Father. He has given some specific instructions as to what His will for us is. Trusting wholly in His Son is His direct command for all of us ( Acts 17:30; 1 John 5:13 ). Abstaining...

Aliterate people lack the desire to read. They can read (and thus are not illiterate ), but they just don’t. Not sure what the statistics are on reading habits after high school but I doubt they are very encouraging in our society. People do many things enthusiastically, but not many people are readers as they get older. The exact opposite happened to me. I read a handful of books to get through high school, and then Christ arrested my heart and I quickly developed a voracious appetite for reading. (Still slowly though.) At least 4/5 homes in America have a Bible, yet a small fraction of...

Starting tonight I have the privilege and joy of teaching our 3-week crash course in practical hermeneutics, starting tonight, at Foothills Community Church: Enjoying the Bible for All Its Worth (6:30pm at our building ; let me know if you want to come join us!) I designed the course to be helpful for any and all Bible readers (even for those who don’t yet read it!) It should be beneficial for those who have plunged the depths of its truth for years as well as those still looking for that dusty Book on their bookshelf. All will benefit, and as Kari and my pastor remind me, I will attempt...

God glorifies Himself toward the creatures also in two ways: 1) By appearing to . . . their understanding. 2) In communicating Himself to their hearts, and in their rejoicing and delighting in and enjoying the manifestations which He makes of Himself . . . . God is glorified not only by His glory’s being seen, but by its being rejoiced in. When those that see it delight in it, God is more glorified than if they only see it. His glory is then received by the whole soul, both by the understanding and by the heart. (Jonathan Edwards, The “Miscellanies,” ed. by Thomas Schafer, The Works...

“Sin is what we do when you are not fully satisfied in God.” —John Piper, Future Grace, p. 9. “If we are not fulfilled and secure in God, we will inevitably seek other sources of happiness and security.” —Ken Sande, The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict, p. 112. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Fully satisfied in God?", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2008/03/24/fully-satisfied-in-god/" });

“It is radically humbling to confess that the source of all our joy resides outside ourselves.” —John Piper, Future Grace, p. 88. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Source of all joy", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2008/03/19/source-of-all-joy/" });

“…but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” [John 4:14] “We do have many professing Christians in our day who are not joyful, but they spend time trying to work it up. Now, brethren, I say that when we give God His place in the church, when we recognize Christ as Lord high and lifted up, when we give the Holy Spirit His place, there will be joy that doesn’t have to be worked up. It will be a joy that springs like a fountain. Jesus...

“The time is short; eternity is at the door; was there no other evil in these vain amusements than the loss of precious time, we have not leisure in our circumstances to regard them. And, blessed be God, we need them not. The gospel opens a source of purer, sweeter, and more substantial pleasures: we are invited to communion with God: we are called to share in the theme of angels, the songs of heaven; and the wonders of redeeming love are laid open to our view. The Lord himself is waiting to be gracious, waiting with promises and pardons in his hands. Well then may we bid adieu to the perishing...