Grace and peace to you today, my friends.
Today’s Kindle deals include Jon Nielson’s reader-friendly introduction to systematic theology and Abbey Wedgeworth’s compassionate book for women who have suffered a miscarriage.
(Yesterday on the blog: The Victim of a Grave Injustice)

There is a lot of merit to this—to not making jokes about the ways kids make our lives difficult. And I think the same should be said of husband/wife jokes.

Why is God’s name “hallowed” as we say in the Lord’s Prayer? “Because his fatherly hand touches everything. Because he fathers-forth the entire universe without being seen. Because his wildly creative and loving care is imprinted on mussel shells and magpie nests. God’s holiness is always wrapped up in his fatherly care—a mysterious love that goes before us and beyond us.”

Go beyond knowing Jesus saved you to having a lived experience of him–of enjoying him and being a joy to him, of loving him and being loved by him. Find out more in Tim Chester’s new book, Enjoying Jesus. Get 25% off with code ENJOYJESUS. (Sponsored)

Christianity Today has a long and interesting article about the Gettys and the modern hymn movement they have helped build and steer. (You should be able to read it, though you may need to register for a free account.)

Now that I consider it, it seems to be the case that internet culture is increasingly becoming the culture. “Christian thinkers and writers recognize the power of the internet and have been at the forefront of writing about the dangers of smartphone addiction, excessive social media use, and internet pornography. But where secular internet culture writers often approach their topics from a live-from-the-scene-of-the-crime perspective, Christian writers are frequently on the outside looking in. Both perspectives are important, but if we want to seek and save the lost where they are found, we cannot approach internet culture solely from the safety of the sidelines.”

Marty Machowski expresses how important it is that we teach our children not only to read but to value reading.

Karen considers the slow work of sanctification. “After we accept Christ, he places us on the potter’s wheel. For the rest of our lives, the wheel spins as God shapes us into the best version, the Christ-like version, of ourselves. The version he created us to be. Our hearts and souls are shaped as we live through experiences over time under the guiding hand of God.”

If we live as citizens of the kingdom of heaven—which is to say, if we live like Jesus—we will be out-of-step with the values of the kingdom of this world and people will hate us for it.

Fighting sheep are strange animals, and fighting Christians are self-evident contradictions.
—C.H. Spurgeon

Joseph was the victim of a grave injustice. Though he was a righteous man, he was being treated like an unrighteous one. Though he was pure, he was being treated like a convict. Though he was blameless, he was being treated like he was guilty. And there was no court of appeal, no opportunity to re-examine the evidence or cross-examine his accuser.
Joseph must have suffered deeply during his time in prison. There were no easy prisons in Egypt, no light sentences, and no weekend passes. Though he soon became the favorite of the jailer and received preferential treatment, he was still confined to prison and still counted a victimizer, a betrayer, and an attempted rapist. His reputation had still been unfairly tarnished.
But as bad as it was for Joseph, it could have been far worse. It could have been far worse because Joseph could have been in prison for a sin he had actually committed. He could have been thrown in prison for pursuing the woman who accused him or for succumbing to her advances. He could have been truly and credibly accused of an act of great immorality and made to suffer the consequences.
Yet none of this was true of Joseph, for he was an innocent man. And because he was an innocent man, he had the privilege of suffering as one. Though his body was confined to prison, his soul was free of guilt. Though he suffered many indignities, he did not need to suffer remorse. Though he may have been robbed of his freedom, no one could rob him of his clear conscience.
Though he may have been robbed of his freedom, no one could rob him of his clear conscience. Share
Many years later Peter would insist it is “a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly” and would then add “if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God” (1 Peter 2:18-20). Joseph sweetly and patiently endured his sorrows while suffering unjustly and this was a gracious thing in God’s sight—an act that proved the existence of God’s grace in his life and that earned God’s approval.
Like Joseph, we often face temptations to succumb to the flesh and to grab hold of those things we long for but have not been given. Like Joseph, we can resist those temptations because of the presence and power of God. Like Joseph, we may still be accused and may still suffer consequences that are as painful as they are unjust. Yet also like Joseph, we can suffer with a conscience that is clear, confidently entrusting ourselves to the God who judges justly. For though that suffering may be painful, it is far better to suffer as an innocent man than a guilty one, as one who is satisfied in innocence rather than plagued by guilt.
(Please don’t think that this article, which I wrote weeks ago, pertains to any particular situation other than Joseph’s.)

May the Lord be with you and bless you today.
Today’s Kindle deals include some choice titles that are well worth a look. If you are looking for a Kindle device, there are several on sale now for Prime subscribers.
Logos users will want to look at this month’s free and nearly-free books along with this other free book. Then also take a look at the resources that are on sale like Crossway’s Preaching the Word commentary series.

Greg Koukl helpfully clears up some confusion about humility. “Here’s the simple guideline: To develop humility, don’t put yourself up relative to others, and don’t put others down relative to you. Instead, do the opposite.”

I am glad to be part of a new initiative called Fortis Institute. It offers free, original, daily content meant to bless and encourage Christians.

In Tim Chester’s new book, Enjoying Jesus, he explores how Jesus acted and interacted with people in Luke’s Gospel and how, through his Spirit, we can experience the joy of Jesus’ presence and companionship in our day-to-day lives. Get 25% off with code ENJOYJESUS. (Sponsored)

Mitch Chase looks at some of the Old Testament commands that seem strange to us. Like why couldn’t they sow different kinds of seeds in a single field or wear mixed fabrics? “The right assumption is that Moses’s instructions are based on moral reasoning, even if those reasons aren’t always clear to us. The biblical laws are not arbitrary or aimless.”

Why is contemporary Christian music growing quickly? Brett McCracken offers some ideas. “Christian music is having a moment. In the first half of 2024, it was the fourth fastest-growing music genre, fueled by surprisingly large gains among younger listeners. Millennial and younger listeners represented 39 percent of the genre’s overall audience in 2022, but in 2024, that share is up to 45 percent.”

John Piper considers spiritual laziness and how to overcome it.

Cheryl writes about worry and the ways we can get all bound up in the “what if” questions.

Though we aren’t that far removed from the years when we were young, the pace of technological change has been unparalleled. What was mind-blowing in the 70s, 80s, or even the 90s is practically ancient history today. 

Jesus was not tempted to see if He would fall. He was tempted to show that He could not fall.
—J. Vernon McGee

Welcome to October. May this be a month in which you experience many blessings and know much of God’s grace.
Today’s Kindle deals include several books for preachers along with some titles for other readers. First thing in the morning I’ll also check the new list of monthly deals and update accordingly.
(Yesterday on the blog: The Sins of the Elderly and the Sins of Youth)

There is such a key distinction between going to a church and submitting to one. “No one is going to grow spiritually in the context of a local church without submission. You can sit there in the pew, week after week, but if you aren’t willing to follow the course that the leaders of the church are charting, you will remain stagnant. If you intuitively question every decision the church makes, you won’t grow. If you consistently think you know better than the pastors, you won’t benefit from their ministry.”

Tom Schreiner answers some questions about the end of history. “Are we living in the last days? Is Jesus coming very soon? According to Hebrews 1:2, we’ve been in the last days since Jesus’s ministry, death, and resurrection, which means the last days have now spanned 2,000 years. We aren’t only in the last days; we’re in the final hour…”

Do you feel disconnected from God? Are you just going through the motions of the Christian life without joy? Tim Chester has written a new resource for Christians who want to deepen their relationship with Jesus and truly enjoy him. Get 25% off with code ENJOYJESUS. (Sponsored)

Kevin DeYoung takes on a series of questions about headship and head coverings.

Anne Kennedy offers some pretty good tips on raising godly teenagers. “I’m not an expert on anything, though I have six children who so far haven’t thrown me over despite the continual threats of people that I will soon be disappointed to find my Christian approach to life has injured them and that they will have nothing more to do with me. I do have some thoughts—nonexpert thoughts, mind you—about getting along with children and giving them the room they need to become people who don’t hate their parents, don’t hate the world, and don’t hate God.”

Clint Archer has an important and level-headed word here on the situation with Steve Lawson. “It’s been a week now. I have sat quietly and listened to Job’s companions theorizing on YouTube and Facebook. And there is one recurring issue in these online opinions that I would like to address: the critique of the official statements.”

Randy Alcorn insists that whether we are Christians or atheists, we all have to choose a miracle.

The love of the Spirit is shown in his wondrous patience with us in all our sinfulness, while he lives in us and deals with us in the culturing of our Christian life.

This week the blog is sponsored by Burke Care.
You are good and do good; teach me your statutes. Psalm 119:68
Corrie ten Boom as quoted as saying:
“If you look at the world, you will be distressed. If you look within, you will be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you will be at rest.”
This psalmist reached the same conclusion when he wrote this verse. He realized that the only true rest comes from God the Father, through Jesus the Son by the Holy Spirit. And he wants more…
“You are good…” The psalmist is not trying to invent a catchy marketing quip to attract fellow Jews to the ways of God. This is a real-life summary of his experience with His God. After significant struggle and grief, the psalmist finds himself surrendering to a sovereign God by simply acknowledging what he now fully understands, “God, you are good!”
“…and do good…”  Then the psalmist is quick to acknowledge that God is not silent or inactive. He is an initiating God who does good in addition to being God. He is not distant or aloof. God the Father is the ever present, close, self-initiating God who does good, always. 
The psalmist does not say it specifically, but he is implying that God is always this way. He is implying that God is always good, and always does only good.
“…teach me your statutes.” Then he concludes with the request to be taught more of God’s goodness. The psalmist admits that he wants to pursue learning about the full  goodness of God. He acknowledges God’s “goodness” attribute and now he is expressing his desire to be taught the fullness of God’s goodness. 
This is not unlike finishing a wonderfully healthy delicious meal only to acknowledge that the flavor of the meal was amazing, and the nutritiousness of the meal was incredible. And then asking for more…
“If you look at the world, you will be distressed. If you look within, you will be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you will be at rest.”Corrie ten BoomShare
But you may not be there. Your plate may be loaded with struggles. You may find yourself weary, emotionally dry and undernourished spiritually. For you, this verse may be a reminder to cling to during challenging times. This verse may need to be more like “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path,” as found later in Psalm 119:105.
If you are experiencing overwhelming feelings of guilt, shame, or loneliness, this verse can become a promise to you. It can be like a light at the end of this dark season that you can pursue. Perhaps moving forward is difficult to imagine. I would encourage you to remind yourself of how Corrie ten Boom interpreted her struggles. She chose not to resolve her difficult circumstances on the hope of the world or the hope of herself. She resolved her heart to focus on Jesus, the Christ, our Savior. That is where we find rest. 
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. – Psalm 23:4 ESV
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. – Psalm 23:1-3 ESV
To learn more about Burke Care or find a counselor, you can go to www.burkecare.org.
Father, You are good and You do good.  I want to know more about who You are and what You promise. I want to be conformed into the image of Jesus who is the prefect image of You. I want more of You and I want to be more like You. Change me and make me into the image of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Application Questions:

When are the times that I lose sight of what God has for me and stray away from Him?
What areas of my life am I the self-appointed expert in and refuse to allow others to speak into?
Where do I tend to not consider God as being good or even doing good?

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The news about Steve Lawson hit hard. It’s not that Steve and I have ever been particularly close. In fact, I can’t think of a time he and I interacted outside the context of a conference. But he has been a steady presence at events for as long as I have been attending them. I don’t know how many times he and I were on the same list of speakers, but I would guess at least a dozen. Many times I benefited from his teaching, preaching, and writing. Always I was glad to learn that he and I would be in the same place at the same time.
For those reasons, it was shocking to learn that his elders had determined he is no longer qualified to be a pastor and his ministry board that he is no longer qualified to be a teacher and preacher. When I heard the news I couldn’t quite believe it and hoped for a time that it would be shown to be false or proven to be an overreaction. Alas, it was not to be. I was grieved to learn he had committed the kind of actions that harm relationships, shame family, and bring reproach on the church. On a more personal level, I was alarmed to see that a man can proceed so far in life and ministry and still grow careless, or entitled, or whatever combination of factors led first to desires, then to actions, and then to consequences.
I think I sometimes believe that it is the purview of young men to fight the hardest fights and battle the deadliest enemies, the task of middle-aged men to mop up the last pockets of resistance, and the privilege of older men to enjoy the fruits of a lifetime of obedience. That seems fair to me, that God would reward diligence in the early and middle years with ease in the later years.
I know better, of course, because I have read enough books by elderly saints to know that even the godliest among them must not yet coast and cannot yet rest from his labors. But perhaps I thought the sins of the later years would be more like foibles, that they would be the kind of embarrassing but understandable stumbles of the elderly. Maybe I thought the sins of old men were jokes that may no longer be deemed appropriate or the refusal to let go of leadership roles they have held for too long. Maybe I thought their temptations were a bit of obstinacy or a stubborn fixation on the old ways of doing things.
But now I know that the sins of the elderly can be the sins of youth, that the factors that commonly disqualify men at the beginning of a life can disqualify them near the end. It startles me. It scares me. It discourages me. Maybe it even makes me waver in my confidence that any of us can make it safely over the finish line—safely and without disgracing ourselves and, even worse, bringing reproach on our families, our churches, and our God.
I know that the sins of the elderly can be the sins of youth, that the factors that commonly disqualify men at the beginning of a life can disqualify them near the end.Share
I was in a small town in Romania last week to speak at a youth event. I was blessed to see hundreds of teens and young adults singing God’s praises, praying together, and eagerly listening to the Word. It seemed to be as far removed from North America as it could be. Yet even there young men came up to me to express their sorrow at the situation, to tell about their confusion at the downfall of a man they had so much admired, and to ask what could possibly have led him to do something so wrong. I had no answers for them but understood it as evidence of how wide the ripples extend when a man builds a ministry and then destroys it, when he gains a reputation and then shatters it. It was after speaking to these young men that I began to write down some thoughts about it all.
Yet despite all the sadness, I do see a few reasons to be hopeful.
First, I know it can seem at times like there is an epidemic of Christian leaders committing acts of immorality and destroying their ministries, but it is important to remember that there are far more who remain faithful to the end. In fact, part of what makes a situation like this so shocking is its rarity. I could name 100 pastors who ended their ministry well for every one I could name who did not.
Second, I was heartened to see the local church seemingly respond decisively and appropriately with conferences and para-church ministries alike following its lead. This is the way it should be, but rarely the way it actually is. I also appreciate that the local church was measured and discrete in the information it shared. I have a lot of sympathy and respect for the elders who had to attempt to say enough but not too much, to express the guilt of the one who committed the sin but perhaps also to protect those who were innocent or otherwise deserving of privacy.
Third, I was encouraged to hear other Christians expressing their determination to avoid such scandals in their own lives. This determination is not mere grit or legalistic tenacity, but a deeper dependence upon God and a deeper commitment to his means of grace. Many men and women alike have been reminded that sin and temptation will remain deadly foes until we are with Christ in glory. Over the past few days the words of “For All the Saints” have been often in my mind, including the ones that open it: “For all the saints who from their labors rest.” There will come a day when we rest from all of our labors and are declared saints triumphant. But until then, we are saints militant, battling deadly foes moment by moment and day by day all the way to heaven.
I hope and pray there are encouraging updates still to come—a local church that has been faithful in difficulty, a man who has received the Lord’s loving chastisement, a wider church that has faithfully interceded and pleaded for God’s mercy and, of course, forgiveness and healing for all harmed. Added to my prayers for all involved is that God will use this sad situation in the lives of many people to motivate them to pursue God more earnestly, to lay their sins and temptations before him more humbly, and to apply his promises more completely. May God grant this grace.

Good morning. Grace and peace to you.
Today’s Kindle deals include several good books by and/or for women. There are titles there by Melissa Kruger, Rosaria Butterfield, and others.

“If your leaders leave, what are you left with? Followers. And the growth of your organisation will quickly hit a ceiling. Being left with followers is fine if you are satisfied with substandard sycophants, or a revolving door of new leaders recruited, used and burned out. But if you want a team with initiative, wise long term decisions, and a healthy ministry culture, you need teams of genuine leaders.”

This one hits close to home. “It only takes a few experiences of loss or long-deferred hopes to become a person bent on protecting yourself from future sorrows. You begin to view every potential good thing in life as the harbinger of your next greatest loss. Rather than bringing your desires and concerns to the Lord with hope that He will intervene or work things together for good, you worry at the Lord, certain everything will soon fall apart.”

The John 10:10 has a new video, this one about the marvelous human brain.

Here’s an article/letter for pastors to ponder. “Plenty of people to set your agenda, innumerable demands pastorally, increasing amounts of administration, personal family concerns—they all have the potential to send stress levels rocketing. But perhaps the greatest danger is their ability to divert us from our main priority, memorably encapsulated in Paul’s parting charge to Timothy.”

Ruth writes about the good life.

Darryl explains how he once struggled with anger and how he learned to identify and break the “anger chain.”

Instead of telling him “come,” Jesus told him “stay.” He told him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” This man was to have a ministry, after all, but it was a ministry at home, not a ministry away. 

I have read in Plato and Cicero sayings that are very wise and very beautiful; but I never read in either of them: “Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden.”
—Augustine

Hank Williams recorded an old song called “Dust on the Bible.” It’s a song of lament in which he has gone to a friend’s home and asked to see their Bible. When they bring it to him, he realizes it has obviously not been read for a very long time, for it is covered in dust.

Oh, you can read your magazines of love and tragic thingsBut not one word of Bible verse, not a Scripture do you knowWhen it is the very truth and its contents good for youBut if dust is covered o’er itIt is sure to doom your soul.

Perhaps Williams had encountered this quote by Charles Spurgeon, who wants us to consider that there is a terrible disconnect between a profession of Christian faith and an apathetic disposition toward the Bible. “If you find a professing Christian indifferent to his Bible, you may be sure that the very dust upon its cover will rise up in judgment against him.”
While we may all go through lulls when for a time we drift from our commitment to the Bible, the true Christian will always return to it, for to neglect it is to imperil our very lives. It is food for our souls, it is light for our eyes, it is enlightenment for our hearts. We cannot live and we cannot thrive without it.
(FYI, I’ve always been partial to this version of “Dust on the Bible” by Lost Dogs.)

I am grateful to Evangelical Press for sponsoring the blog this week. They want you to know about the beautiful new box set of J.C. Ryle’s Expository Thoughts. I just received a copy and can tell you that it’s as nice as it looks in the pictures. And the content, of course, is pure gold.
Today’s Kindle deals include a few interesting titles new and old.
Our friends at Westminster Books are trying something new—giving away one of their all-time favorite books as a means of supporting an important ministry.
(Yesterday on the blog: New and Notable Christian Books for September 2024)

This is a really good article from Samuel James. “But what if you don’t get the life you wanted? In the digital age, you might as well not even exist. Failure is obscurity, and obscurity is death. In the post-religious imagination, without success, there is no meaning to one’s life. You can go on surviving, but each day that is spent contrary to what you actually want to be doing is a waste. If enough of these days accumulate, your very self disappears.”

“We do not live in a demilitarized zone. We carry out our daily lives within enemy territory.” This is true even when we endure times of deep suffering.

Randy Alcorn commends this answer to a timely question.

Julianne Atkinson tells about some things she wished she knew about forgiveness before being seriously sinned against.

I enjoyed this celebration of being at home in the local church.

This article expresses a few important concerns not so much about “The Jesus Film” as about the claims that are made about it.

“…if a sheep and a sow fall into a ditch, the sow wallows in it, but the sheep bleats pathetically until she is cleansed by her master. Be the sheep, my friend, and not the pig.”

The beauty of the gospel is that while we were infinitely sinful we were also unfathomably loved.
—Erik Raymond