I hope and pray you have a wonderful, restful, worshipful weekend.

There are some new Kindle deals today.
(Yesterday on the blog: On Worship)
There are, of course, lots of articles about the big news from the Supreme Court yesterday. Here are a few recommendations:

Joe Carter’s FAQ explains what happened and what happens now.
Al Mohler rejoices.
Jake Meador’s The Land Is Bright celebrates a victory while also reminding Christians that the work is not nearly done.
Bethel McGrew explains why non-Americans may not be able to understand why this is such a big deal.
Winfree Brisley’s Remember Who Overturned Roe makes sure we remember who’s really responsible for this good news. (Hint: It’s neither a former President nor a current Supreme Court Justice.)

A Conflict of Visions: Comparing Rick Warren’s SBC Speech and Juan Sanchez’s Convention Sermon
“Every once in a while, you witness something that captures in a single snapshot an entire way of thinking. In just a few brief moments, a whole world of assumptions and beliefs is laid bare. The curtain is pulled back, and the heart of a matter is exposed.” This is so true.
Bootstrapping is Folly
Glenna Marshall writes about the common misunderstanding that sanctification is a matter of pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps.
FAQ: Has Jesus Taken Away Satan’s Power—or Not?
“The Bible says that Satan is ‘bound,’ but it also says he’s ‘a roaring lion’ who wants to destroy people. Can both be true? How should we understand Satan’s power in the world today?” That’s a good question, isn’t it?
The Binding of Satan
In a somewhat similar and slightly more scholarly vein, here is Kim Riddelbarger on the binding of Satan. “The binding of Satan as depicted in this passage raises several obvious questions, especially in light of the on-going debate between amillennarians and premillennarians about the timing and character of the millennial age.”
Is this world a sinking ship, or is there still hope for its future?
What will happen to this sinful, corrupted world when Jesus Christ returns? Will He come to bring destruction or renewal? From a Ligonier event, Michael Reeves brings clarity on the new heavens and new earth.
Flashback: The Coming Millennial Midlife Crisis
We are forced to look at our paltry list of accomplishments, to concede our lack of skills, to admit our increasing weariness, to acknowledge our decreasing strength, and to face the fact that we won’t do nearly what we thought we would do.

God has put us into the fire of affliction to refine us, and make us a vessel fit for His use. —Edmund Calamy

I just want to reiterate, as I do from time to time, what a blessing it is to have access to so many great blogs and websites. We are spoiled to have so many people who are willing to put in the effort of writing and allow us to read it for free. It is a joy to collect some of the best of it day by day.
The highlight of today’s Kindle deals is Kris Lundgaard’s tremendous trio of books The Enemy Within, The Devoted Mind, and The Glorious Christ. Each is highly recommended (though if you get just one, make it The Enemy Within).
(Yesterday on the blog: Unqualified and Unwilling)

Andrew and Christian Walker have some helpful guidance here on talking with your kids about sexuality. (This is related to their excellent new book What Do I Say When…? which I plan to review later this week.)

Jake Meador looks at the recent charges of “weird” being leveled at J.D. Vance and shows that they may not mean what you think they mean. “The right to autonomy is the sacrosanct right in American life. Thus practicing that right in a way that doesn’t harm anyone is not ‘weird’; what is “weird” is infringing on someone else’s autonomy. So if a biologically male nuclear engineer wants to dress as a woman, the attitude of most Americans will be ‘hey, you do you.’ That isn’t ‘weird’ in their eyes.”

Kevin DeYoung offers 20 biblical motivations for pursuing holiness.

I appreciate this one from Andrea Mathews. I also appreciate the work of Christian teachers in public schools. “Brothers and sisters, it’s true public schools can be dark places. But our Savior is described as a light that darkness cannot overcome. As his ambassadors, may we resolve to fan the flames of our brothers and sisters carrying Christ’s light in their classrooms so many may believe in him and behold his glory.”

Are there ever times we should speak directly to the devil? John Piper provides a helpful answer here. “May the Lord give us wisdom not to overemphasize the presence and danger of the devil and demons, and not to underemphasize the presence and the danger of devils and demons. That’s what I’m going to try to do — strike that balance…”

Brooks Buser celebrates some ordinary heroes. “I sat in the back with the pastors and some families of these missionary candidates. Speakers got up and talked through hostage and kidnapping policies, the stress that is coming on the children in the coming days as they land overseas, and the great price that will be extracted from them to see the gospel to the ends of the earth.”

We read to discover that prize. We read to learn, and we read to live.

It is not our eye on him which is our great protection, but his eye on us.
—C.H. Spurgeon

Today’s Kindle deals include some excellent books you’ll want to consider: Embracing Complementarianism which will help you live out your complementarian convictions, Parenting without Panic which will help you raise your kids in this world, and Plugged In which will help you live well with all your digital technologies.

(Yesterday on the blog: The Unique Christian Contribution to Politics)

Jim McCarthy considers an old Jesus poster that hung on his wall. “One does not need to be a 5-point Calvinist, or a confessional Presbyterian to recognize two of the many ways images of Jesus subtly but surely rob him of the glory of his humiliation.”

This is so important to understand and believe. “The heart of the matter is this. God is entirely who He says He is all the time, or He isn’t who He says He is at all. It’s that simple, and also that mind-blowing. This is the essence of faith…”

Method or no method? Bible studies or tracts? There are many ways to evangelize and Dr. Timothy Beougher of SBTS considers them here.

Daniel Jung considers what pastors owe their congregations. “We have many skills that will transfer. But I believe our greatest transferable asset is one that is most directly linked to our ministry calling: our desire to be a shepherd. In the deep recesses of my heart, I know I will be a shepherd of people wherever I go.

It is hard to believe in the moment, but demonstrably true: friction is good for you. “We instinctively know that hardship shapes character. Parents who remove all restraint and difficulty from their children don’t produce a happy family—the kids are miserable. When we eliminate friction from our lives, when we get whatever we want whenever we want it, we become spiritually and emotionally fragile. We’re all spoiled children now.”

Parenting philosophies that allow children to disobey their parents rise and fall, but certainly we’re in another of those trends today. This article considers whether that’s a potential mark of civilizational decline.

It is no great feat to create the kind of headline that will get people to your site. What is much harder is to create content that will actually benefit them once they get there.

Our spiritual maturity will never exceed our knowledge of the Bible.
—Albert Mohler