The Lord be with you and bless you today.

There is a new ESV Concise Study Bible available and Westminster Books has it on sale this week.
I’ve added a few books to today’s list of Kindle deals.
D. A. Carson on the Two Jews Talking the Day Before the First Passover
Here’s a neat little excerpt of a sermon by D.A. Carson.
No Such Thing as Too Hard Music
Madelyn Canada: “It wasn’t that the music was too hard to figure out, and it wasn’t that the situation was really all that hard to know how to handle. The truth in both situations was that I didn’t want to give all that it would require of me. Apparently walking in obedience to Christ is quite a bit like playing the piano.”
Why God Saved You
God saves people for a purpose. Salvation in Christ begins a life spent growing into being like him and serving him faithfully. God forms Christians into Christ’s character and image. This transformation takes place as we come to know and love our Lord. God sends maturing Christians out into the world as his servants as he reconciles all things to himself. (Sponsored Link)
Why the Enemy Wants You to Think You’re Alone
“I’ve been there. Discouragement spiraled into depression. I multiplied my angst by entangling myself in sin. I didn’t think anyone would understand. I was too afraid to ask anyone for help. Lies compounded sin.” What if there is a strategy behind this sense of isolation?
3 Unthievable Treasures
“Almost anything we treasure—from people to possessions to abilities—can vanish in an instant. However, Scripture does teach us about a few precious treasures that no thief, con man, or devil can ever take away.”
Preparing to Meet Jesus
This is a sweet and encouraging one. “Lord, thank you for sending all the Agneses into our lives who are examples of both how to live and how to prepare to die. Thank you for praying women who are doing the good things that you have planned for them long ago. Thank you for those who have come before us and are steadfast in their faith in spite of weary bodies. I pray that I will be well prepared when I see my Savior face to face.”
What the Church is Not
“These are dark days. Thankfully, there are double yellow lines within the church, made and intended to guide the body of Christ: God and his Word. The white outer line? That is your pastor, a man chosen by God, an overseer tasked with the mission of shepherding your soul through prayer and teaching. He answers directly to God, and will give an account.”
Flashback: Please Do & Please Don’t Assume Motives
Yet we are so quick to assume the very best about our own motives and the very worst about others’. Surely this is some of what the psalmist cried for in Psalm 139…

Christianity is not just intellectually defensible but also intellectually satisfying at the deepest of levels. Yes, we believe God with our hearts. But we can also enjoy him with our minds. —Michael Kruger

May the Lord be with you and bless you today.

Westminster Books has a deal on a new edition of a game-changing book.
Today’s Kindle deals include a few excellent books.
(Yesterday on the blog: A Family, Personal, and Travel Update)
Learning From Those Who Pray All Night
“To be a Christian in Tanzania is to attend all-night prayer vigils. Some churches hold them every weekend. For others, it’s once a quarter. It’s such a part of church culture that the church leaders at our Bible school expressed shock when they heard that American evangelical churches generally don’t practice this.”
Weary One, Take Heart
Christa considers how to respond in those times when we are weary and hurt.
The Awkward Duty of Encouragement: How Men Strengthen Other Men
Mack Stiles writes about the importance of men encouraging men. “Why go out of my way when it’s easier just to stay quiet? Besides, most guys seem to be doing fine anyway, right? Encouragement, however, is not just a good idea, but a biblical command — yes, even for men.”
I don’t hate my sin like I know Jesus calls me to
Neither do I. And probably neither do you.
How To Quit The Comparison Game
Seth Lewis: “The piled-up fortunes of earth eventually become piled-up inheritances for others. Fame is forgotten. Pleasures fade. Getting ahead of others can only last so long, and it can never give you lasting significance, real meaning, unshakable joy, or anything else it promises so freely like an ever-shifting, just-out-of reach mirage.”
Died: Charles Stanley, In Touch Preacher Who Led with Stubborn Faith
There was a stretch in which the preaching of Charles Stanley played a key role in my spiritual growth, and for that I will always be grateful.
Flashback: Fellowship with Godly People
Whoever longs to be godly must walk with the godly, for God has decreed that godliness will not be attained in isolation, but in community.

Every preacher who does not make prayer a mighty factor in his own life and ministry is weak as a factor in God’s work and is powerless to project God’s cause in this world. —E.M. Bounds

Grace and peace to you today.

Today’s Kindle deals include some interesting titles.
(Yesterday on the blog: The World Next Door)
The Abolitionist Hero You’ve Never Heard Of
You will enjoy reading this introduction to a man you may not know. Or if you do, for something other than his abolitionism.
The Age of Ingratitude
Carl Trueman calls this the age of ingratitude. “In the times of turmoil in which we live, various candidates suggest themselves as ways of capturing the essence of our epoch: the age of anxiety, the age of identity politics, the age of polarization. All touch on some obvious aspect of our current struggles. But perhaps a better title might be the age of ingratitude.”
Church History
Simonetta Carr’s Church History provides a thrilling overview of God’s work in His people. Readers young and old will learn from this beautifully illustrated story of our Christian heritage. Check out Free Stuff Fridays this week for a chance to win a free copy of Church History! (Sponsored Link)
From Griping to Gratitude
Speaking of ingratitude, “a grateful heart is always satisfied.”
Some jobs are never done
“Some jobs just never seem done.” This is so very true.
What Is the Difference between God’s Discipline and God’s Punishment?
“There are things God will never do with our sin—one of which is that he will never repay us. He will never count it against us.” And that is so good to know and to remember.
Flashback: Keep a Close Watch on Yourself!
The sin was so unnecessary, so avoidable. But it became possible, it became inevitable, when they failed to keep a close watch on their behavior, on their life, on themselves.

Genuine salvation consists not of giving glowing testimonies but in departing from evil, not in relating glorious experiences with God but in living a consistent life. —Dale Ralph Davis