Enough to Get Rebellious People Into Trouble
God has created a beautiful world that is full of wonders, and these wonders serve a purpose—they are meant to evoke awe, which in turn is meant to provoke worship. This was the experience of King David, who said, “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:3-4).
It is difficult to think great thoughts of ourselves as we gaze into a starlit night sky or stand before the Matterhorn. In this way, David studied God’s creation, marveled at what he saw, and was stirred to worship.
Yet for all the beauty of creation and all it communicates to us, God has deliberately limited its message. Through creation God has revealed “his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature” (Romans 1:20). But through creation, God has not revealed his plan of salvation. He has not revealed how sinful man can be reconciled to a holy God. For that, there must be another kind of revelation.
Hence, Daryl Wingerd can say, “To put it in simple terms, general revelation provides enough knowledge of God to get rebellious people like you and me into trouble, but not enough to get us out of it. We need something more.” Indeed, we do.
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A La Carte (July 17)
On Monday, July 31 I am going to be in Seoul with nothing much to do (until my flight home in the evening). If anyone would like to meet up and maybe see a museum or some other sites, please let me know!
I’m grateful for this first review of my latest book Understanding and Trusting Our Great God.
Westminster Books is (re)introducing The Westminster Theological Journal and incentivizing your purchase.
Today’s Kindle deals include a number of books on parenting.
Man Cannot Live on Feeds Alone: The Christian Diet for a Digital Age
“Many of us see and hear more information in a day than we can possibly manage. Over time, this consistent overload dulls our senses — in particular, our spiritual senses.” Trevin Wax has a good article about an appropriate Christian “diet” in this digital age.
Through the Valley
Patsy laments the death of her father and tells how the Lord is sustaining her in this time. “I’m not fond of the aging process or the accompanying aches, pains, and infirmities, but one thing I do like about increasing years is that I have more and more examples of God’s goodness and faithfulness to file away in my spiritual memory bank.”
The harassment of Italian evangelical churches
“Perhaps you think the persecution of Christians in the Western world is a matter of the past. There’s no way Christians are still persecuted in the West today, right?” Not quite, as this article explains.
Location, Location, Location
“There is a well-known real estate maxim that lists the three most important characteristics of any property: ‘Location, location, and location.’ This famous real estate maxim holds true in the Bible, as well.”
Only John Witnessed the Ascension Twice
“As far as I can tell, there’s only one apostle that had the privilege of seeing the ascension twice, at two different times in his life, and from two different points of view.” That’s an interesting statement!
A Wrong Prophet Is Not a False Prophet, Right?
“A woman stands before a church congregation, sharing with them how she loves to get together with her friends and practice prophesying. She tells the people that they sometimes ‘get it wrong’, and she proceeds to tell them that this does not make someone a false prophet. She instructs those gathered to close their eyes, think on a word that the Holy Spirit is giving them, and if they do not get anything, they should make up a word.” Here’s why this is such a concern.
Flashback: Prayers To Pray While You Preach, Lead, and Sing
It is wise to pray while you preach and to pray while you lead. In his book On Worship H.B. Charles Jr. writes, “You ask, ‘Can you preach and pray at the same time?’ My answer, ‘You better!’”Maturity happens when you put yourself in the place God wants you. Don’t run because there’s adversity. Maybe God wants to use the adversity to make you more like Jesus. —Jay Pathak & Dave Runyon
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Free Stuff Fridays (Clarifying The Apostle Paul)
This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by Clarifying The Apostle Paul, who also sponsored the blog this week.
My name is Mitch Maher. I’m the husband of Tara, daddy to three girls, and pastor at Redeemer Community Church in Katy, TX. I’m also the creator of both Clarifying The Bible, which has been promoted on challies.com over the years, and Clarifying The Apostle Paul, which sponsored a post just this week.
I’m giving away three copies of Tim Keesee’s latest book A Days Journey: Stories of Hope and Death-Defying Joy.
I’m 50 years old, and these last six years have been the hardest of my life. The political turmoil, social upheaval, and Covid craziness took their toll on us all—our families, our churches, and our nations. On top of this I served our city through the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, endured some painful staff turnover and all that comes with that, buried my dear momma, and saw three planned sabbaticals “disappear” for this reason or that. That’s quite a bit—enough to leave the strongest among us frazzled.
But, I’m just getting started.In December 2017 my sweet wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. This was quite a blow. But, after a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery in 2018 she is doing wonderful—cancer free!
Then, in May 2021 I was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. An endoscopy I hoped would reveal an esophageal stricture instead revealed a sizeable tumor. Another blow. Yet, after chemotherapy, radiation, major surgery (Ivor Lewis Esophagectomy), and a year of immunotherapy, I am doing great—cancer free and about 40 lbs. lighter!
Then early this year, in January 2023 our 14-year-old daughter was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. A lump. Surely just an inflamed lymph node. Nope. The hardest of blows. Still, after chemotherapy and radiation, she is doing amazing—it appears cancer free!Harvey. Staffing. Death. Politics. Upheaval. Covid. CANCER. CANCER. CANCER. It has felt like an old Batman cartoon. Boom! Pow! Wham! Even so, it is well with my soul. God is good all the time; all the time, God is good.
In light of this, I’m giving away three copies of A Days Journey. As readers of challies.com, I’m sure you are familiar with Tim Keesee. His work sending Gospel workers to some of the hardest places in the world and his video series and delightful books (Dispatches from the Front and A Company of Heroes) which chronicle the ministry, suffering, and joy of our brothers and sisters across the globe, are worthy of your consideration.
But for the last several years Tim has been fighting an incurable cancer. In his sufferings he has demonstrated great faith, hope, and love, along with a steely resolve that aims to seize as many “Kingdom dreams” as possible before the Lord calls him home. And in this newest book he takes us along for some of the journey. I’ve said to others, “Most books teach us how to live. And A Day’s Journey surely does. But unlike so many others, this book also teaches us how to die. Unless the Lord returns, we must all cross that river. You need to read this book.”
I hope you win a copy!
To Enter
Giveaway Rules: You may enter one time. The winners will be notified by email. The giveaway closes on November 18th at noon. -
A La Carte (August 1)
Good morning from home sweet home. I enjoyed my trip to Australia, Thailand, and South Korea and am excited to eventually share the results in Worship Round the World. But in the meantime, I’m glad to be back where I belong.
(Yesterday on the blog: Give Me a Faith Like His!)
Ambassadors for Marriage
Rebekah explains why Christians ought to be the foremost ambassadors for marriage. And it often comes down to the way we speak about our own marriages.
When the Darkness of Suffering Seems too Thick to Cross
“The sun may slant golden beams across our floor, but in the midst of suffering, all feels like night to us. We wander around as those caught in a fog, stumbling through an unrelenting darkness. We want the light, we want to trust that the light will return, but it feels as if it will never brighten our faces again. Our hearts feel heavy, our head is muddled, and aches and pain we can’t explain keep pestering us. This is suffering.”
The Requisite of Discipleship
Justin Honaker tells of a successful discipleship program.
What It Feels Like
Wes shares candidly about his battle with clinical depression.
Can I Still Have Joy in Seasons of Doubt?
Is it possible to experience joy even in seasons of doubt? John Piper takes on this question.
River of life
Susan reflects poetically on words of life and the river of life.
Flashback: Cast Your Burden Upon the Lord
When we are heavily burdened we are to take one specific action: cast. We are to throw or hurl or toss our burdens upon the Lord. We are to bring them to his attention and to plead with him for his help.God’s salvation does not come in response to a changed life. A changed life comes in response to the salvation, offered as a free gift. —Tim Keller