This week I read Michael Haykin’s Iron Sharpens Iron, a short book about great friendships. I found a couple of quotes in the book that I thought would be worth sharing so you can reflect on them as I have.

The first is an excerpt from John Ryland’s sermon at the funeral of his friend Andrew Fuller. Their friendship, he said, had
never met with one minute’s interruption by any one unkind word or thought, of which I have any knowledge. I never had a friend who was so willing to stand by me, even in such services as most others would wish to decline; yet I never had a friend who would more faithfully, freely, and affectionately give me warning or reproof, if ever it appeared necessary; or whom I could more readily and freely, and without the least apprehension of giving offence, tell of any fault which I imagined I could see in him. And this I think is the best friendship in the world. For no man is faultless; and true friendship will not be blind to the failings of those we love best; but will rather show itself in an anxious concern to prevent the least appearance of evil in them, or whatever might occasion their good intentions to be misrepresented. After having lost long ago the venerable Newton and the first Robert Hall, who were the counsellors of my youth; after losing the affectionate Pearce, and the humble and prudent Sutcliff, two other founders of our Mission, this most faithful and judicious friend is also taken from me, and never will my loss be repaired upon earth!
And then, a bit later in the book, is another neat little quote, this one from Robert Hall Jr., who makes some interesting remarks on the nature and benefits of friendship.
He who has made the acquisition of a judicious and sympathizing friend, may be said to have doubled his mental resources: by associating an equal, perhaps a superior mind, with his own, he has provided the means of strengthening his reason, of perfecting his counsels, of discerning and correcting his errors. He can have recourse at all times to the judgement and assistance of one, who with the same power of discernment with himself, comes to the decision of a question with a mind neither harassed with the perplexities, nor heated with the passions, which so frequently obscure the perception of our true interests. Next to the immediate guidance of God by his Spirit, the counsel and encouragement of virtuous and enlightened friends afford the most powerful aid, in the encounter of temptation and in the career of duty.
Perhaps these quotes, or the whole book should you read it, will help you pursue Christian friendships and better appreciate the ones you already have…

May God bless you as you serve and worship him this weekend.

My thanks goes to Ligonier Ministries for sponsoring the blog this week with news of The Reformation Study Bible, Student Edition.
Today’s Kindle deals include some classics (plus whatever I dig up in the morning).
(Yesterday on the blog: Friendship and the Grace of God)
A Kernel Of Wheat In The Ground
This is such a neat story. “Back in 1921, a missionary couple named David and Svea Flood went with their two-year-old son from Sweden to the heart of Africa, to what was then called the Belgian Congo. They met up with another young Scandinavian couple, the Ericksons, and the four of them sought God for direction. In those days of much tenderness, devotion and sacrifice, they felt led by the Lord to go out from the main mission station and take the gospel to a remote area.”
Faction Friendships
“We have Christians who will not speak to another Christian if he is wearing a facemask—or unless he is wearing a facemask. There are Christians who are suddenly hailing as heroes those with whom they have very little in common on any other issue, but because they are ‘sound’ on the covid question that’s all that matters.” This is a problem…
Self-Care is What We Do to Heal from the Internet
Samuel James looks at some self-care tips and asks, “How does a list of very ordinary human activities go from obvious and unspoken, to vital expressions of self-care? Here’s one hypothesis: Most self-care techniques are simply routine activities that most people did before they gave that time to being online.”
Bible Contradictions? A Response to Bart Ehrman
Bart Ehrman, in pointing out supposed Bible contradictions, says “just read the text.” “So, I did read the text. And, what I found is that Bart Ehrman puts forward some difficult passages for believers. But what I also found is that a moment or two of thinking erased many of the contradictions. Some of the contradictions were so fragile that it made me wonder if Bart Ehrman was being just a little bit disingenuous.”
Go to Sleep. Stay Awake.
“I face two battles every day of my life: the battle to sleep and the battle to stay awake.”
The danger is the good times
We may be on the lookout for spiritual danger in the bad times, but there is also danger in the good times.
Flashback: We Don’t Sing for Fun
…singing is not prescribed for Christian worship for the purpose of fun. It actually serves a far higher purpose as a means through which we bring mutual encouragement by recounting common truths together.

We were never meant to eat the toxic bread of anxious toil. So God invites us to rest, to trust him to provide for us, and to receive the delightful gift of sleep. —Geoff Robson

This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by Ligonier Ministries, who also sponsored the blog this week. They are giving away ten free copies of the new Student Edition of the Reformation Study Bible.

The most important relationship in life is your relationship with God. If you want to grow in your faith, you must turn to His Word. That’s where God has spoken. The Reformation Study Bible, Student Edition is built on the trusted teaching of Dr. R.C. Sproul to help you dig deeper into the Scriptures to find answers and direction for all of life. Grasp the Bible’s meaning with verse-by-verse notes from more than seventy-five pastors and Bible teachers, gain clarity with hundreds of questions and answers that address key subjects of the Christian faith, and apply the knowledge of God to daily living with many practical lessons from every book of the Bible.
With a wealth of specialized features, this resource makes an ideal Bible study companion to encourage teens and young adults to walk in the light of God’s truth and to serve Christ where they are. The Reformation Study Bible, Student Edition is available in a variety of colors and cover styles, including premium leather, leather-like, clothbound, and paperback. Ten Free Friday winners will receive a copy their choosing.
Enter Here
Again, there are ten packages to win. And all you need to do to enter the draw is to drop your name and email address in the form below.
Giveaway Rules: You may enter one time. As soon as the winners have been chosen, all names and addresses will be immediately and permanently erased. Winners will be notified by email. The giveaway closes Saturday at noon. If you are viewing this through email, click to visit my site and enter there.

Most of us are familiar with the term “means of grace.” Means of grace are the ways in which the Holy Spirit works in our lives to lead us into holiness. You might think of them as the “channels” through which sanctifying grace flows from God to his people. Most prominently he does this through Scripture, prayer, and the ordinances of baptism and Lord’s Supper (or, more broadly, through the unique ministry of the local church). But did you know that historically some people also understood Christian friendship to be a means of grace? They did not mean that friendship actually bestows grace, but that it is a means through which God accomplishes his work of sanctification. Whether or not friendship can rightly be categorized as a means of grace, these believers certainly understood the importance and benefits of close, brother-to-brother, iron-sharpening-iron relationships.

Such friendships are the theme of Michael Haykin’s new book Iron Sharpens Iron: Friendship and the Grace of God. His purpose in the book is not to provide a theology or philosophy of friendship as much as it is to provide historical examples of friendships—examples that focus on a pair of fascinating eighteenth-century characters: Andrew Fuller and John Ryland. “Iron Sharpens Iron is about the specific way that friendship functioned as a means of grace for two eighteenth-century men.” It’s an interesting way of going about his task and one that is effective since, as the old saying goes, some things are better caught than taught so that we sometimes learn better by vivid example than straight-up instruction.
The book begins with an overview of the history of friendship from the ancient world all the way to the eighteenth century, pausing to consider Greek philosophers, a selection of Old and New Testament characters, Church Fathers, and Reformers. From there Haykin provides a brief biographical overview of his two central subjects, then devotes a chapter to three particularly important friendships: John Newton and John Ryland; Andrew Fuller and Thomas Steevens, and then, of course, Andrew Fuller and John Ryland. In each case he tells how they became friends, how they sustained their friendship, and what benefits it brought to them. “It is on the grounds of these men’s experience of the joys and challenges of Christian friendship” that he makes his case for the importance of friendship to the Christian life.
Modern Western culture is not particularly friendly to friendship and for quite a number of reasons it seems to have fallen on hard times. “Such friendships take time and sacrifice, and the West in the early twenty-first century is a busy, busy world that, generally speaking, is far more interested in getting and possessing than sacrificing and giving.” Then there is the culture that places self ahead of others and the sexual revolution that perhaps makes men afraid of relational intimacy lest it somehow convey the existence of sexual intimacy. The cards are stacked against it.
Yet Christian friendship remains important and a blessing—a means of grace, even—to those who commit to it and experience its joys. Says Haykin, “this research and writing have convinced me that friendship is not merely a subject of personal interest but is vital for the advance of God’s reign in the world. I believe firmly that whenever God has done great things in the history of the church, he has done it through a group of friends, a band of brothers and sisters.” It’s my hope that Iron Sharpens Iron will foster more precious friendships that the Lord will use for the good of his people and the glory of his name.

Buy from Amazon

May the Lord be with you and bless you.

Spiritual COVID and Losing Your Taste for God
Trevin Wax creates a helpful comparison here. “The loss of taste was the weirdest part of COVID. Mealtimes lost their joy. I ate and felt sustained but didn’t enjoy good food anymore. Every morning, I made myself a cup of tea, but only out of routine since the effort was about as enjoyable as sipping hot water.”
You Need Doctrine and Life to Sail Properly
Mike Leake looks at our emphasis on false doctrine and points out that it is only one of the Bible’s big concerns. “False teaching is something which we are warned about. Doctrine does matter. But what I found is that a majority of warnings aren’t about right belief but about right living.”
A New Study Bible for the Next Generation
Ligonier Ministries has released their Student Edition of the Reformation Study Bible, designed especially with teens and young adults in mind. Its many new features include practical lessons from every book of the Bible, encouraging readers not only to be hearers but also doers of the Word. Today’s your final opportunity to save 5% on the Student Edition when you use code CHALLIES in the Ligonier store. (Sponsored Link)
Why Agree to Use Preferred Names but Not Preferred Pronouns?
I’m interesting to see how different people are adapting to new realities and attempting to face them biblically.
Whose Purpose in Your Suffering Will Prevail?
Randy Alcorn: “Satan intends your suffering for evil; God intends it for good. Whose purpose in your suffering will prevail? Whose purpose are you furthering? Satan attempts to destroy your faith, while God invites you to draw near to Him and draw upon His sovereign grace to sustain you.”
Why Do We Assume Western Theology is Superior?
“The kingdom of God is growing in Africa; are we sufficiently poor in spirit to be inheritors of it, together with our African sisters and brothers?”
Seven Factors for Missionary Homes
“Whenever new personnel come to the field, we end up discussing the pros and cons of the housing that’s been chosen for them.” This is the start to a surprisingly interesting article.
Flashback: The Most Difficult Time to Lead
The most difficult time to lead is when you have forfeited the respect of those who are meant to follow you, when your confidence, and theirs, is shattered. But this is also the most important time to lead. This is where a real man will, and must, lead.

Christ is the true bridegroom of the soul, the true physician of the heart, the real father of all his people. Let us show that we feel this by being unreserved in our communications with him. —J.C. Ryle

Good morning. Grace and peace to you.

Today there are new Kindle deals on books from Kevin DeYoung, Ray Ortlund, and others.
Meanwhile, Westminster Books has pre-order deals on some of the books due to be published in the weeks ahead.
(Yesterday on the blog: You Just Can’t Have It All)
Job and the Deadly Spiritual Equation
Pierce Taylor Hibbs: “Job is one of my favorite books of the Bible. That usually catches people by surprise. Why would a book about a holy man falling prey to Satanic torment be something you want to read? Despite the initial fear the book induces, it’s extremely comforting and relevant for our understanding of trauma and suffering. Job shows that the worst still leads to the best. And of the many ways in which the book is still relevant, there’s one that stands out to me because of how prevalent it is in our times. It’s what I call ‘the deadly spiritual equation.’”
Did Jesus die for the sins of every person or only for the elect?
Here, courtesy of Ligonier Ministries, is a solid series of answers to a common question.
Humility Is the Main Ingredient of Prayer, Repentance, and Thanksgiving
Thomas Schreiner: “C.S. Lewis famously said, ‘If you don’t think you are conceited, you are very conceited indeed.’ Certainly that applies to humility: if you think you are humble, you are probably suffused with pride. In this article, we will consider briefly how prayer, repentance, and thanksgiving are related to humility.”
While You Were Sleeping
In this article, Madelyn Canada reminds us that God’s plans carry on, even when we can’t clearly see them.
Glue Sticks and Bible Songs
I enjoyed this little celebration of children and their teachers. “In his wisdom and grace, God gives us people, situations, and experiences that we often don’t recognize as priceless gifts at the time. Some of those gifts were given to me 20 years ago, and it’s only recently that I’ve begun to truly appreciate those busy days of teaching, corralling, discipling, and loving the lively and earnest little children that were entrusted to my care every Sunday morning.”
By Steps and Degrees
“Certain doctrines of Reformed theology, and their associated sub-doctrines, are brought into the limelight more than others. For example, there is a rich endowment of Protestant works on the doctrine of justification. One cannot say the same, however, of the sub-doctrine of ‘preparatory grace,’ which has not historically garnered much public attention within Protestant soteriology.” Here’s a short introduction to it.
Flashback: How to Make Accountability Work
Here are seven principles for effective accountability; each is further explained by showing what effective accountability is and is not.

Living like Christ without ever teaching our children about Christlike living is similar to lifestyle evangelism without ever sharing our faith. —Bob Kellemen

Charles Spurgeon said it. Billy Graham said it. And even though it’s not really all that funny anymore, most of us have probably said it as well. It goes something like this: “Don’t bother looking for the perfect church since, the moment you join it, it won’t be perfect anymore.” Zing!

There’s truth behind the quote, of course. It would be impractical and, frankly, ridiculous to expect that a bunch of sinful people could join together to create a sinless community—to imagine that perfection could arise from the confluence of a hundred lives as imperfect as yours and mine. Yet, though we know perfection is impossible, don’t we all sometimes still grow frustrated at the sheer messiness of Christian individuals and Christian churches? Don’t we all sometimes face the temptation to pack up and move on when our fellow believers act like the sinners they are?
A little while ago I was speaking to a young man who is a fan of computer-based Role Playing Games. He explained that what draws him to these games is the ability to custom-craft a character, then to discover how that unique character interacts within the world of the game. When he creates a new character, he is given a finite number of points that he can allocate in a nearly infinite number of ways—some to strength, some to intelligence, some to charisma, some to agility, and so on. In the end he has always created a character that has both strengths and weaknesses, all depending upon the way he has allocated the points. What he can never do is create a character that is only strong and not the least bit weak.
Though the comparison between a church and game may threaten to be trite, I have actually found it helpful and, frankly, encouraging. There seems to be a law in this broken world that every strength is tempered with some kind of a weakness, almost as if there is a finite number of “points” that can be allocated to any individual or any church. A pastor who is an especially powerful preacher may be an especially weak counselor; elders who are skilled and vociferous in defending the truth may fall short in grace and love; a church that takes worship services seriously may be lax when it comes to evangelism. None of these weaknesses is defensible and none of them is okay. Yet some kind of imperfection is always inevitable on this side of glory.
What’s true in churches is true in families. A husband may be extremely diligent in leading and providing, but lax in his spiritual disciplines. A wife may have penetrating insights into the Word, but be uncommitted to extending hospitality. Kids may be obedient but lazy, or hard-working but mouthy. We ourselves have to admit that for all our virtues, they continue to be tempered by a host of vices.
This being the case, it is irrational to expect that any one church, any one pastor, any one husband or wife, friend or child, can excel in every way. And this faces us with a challenge: Can we learn to tolerate their shortcomings? Can we learn to live with the way their “points” have been allocated? While we certainly don’t need to embrace sin or apathetically accept ungodliness, we do need to accept the inevitability of some faults, some defects, some areas that will always remain a sore disappointment. And, realistically, we have to know that even if there was strength in one area we lament, it would probably mean there would be weakness in one area we admire. No individual and no community of individuals can be the complete package. It just doesn’t work that way.
Hence, the path to joy in church, marriage, and life is to accept that there will always be imperfections, to accept that there will always be areas of disappointment—but to be willing to celebrate the strengths while tolerating the weaknesses. Just as it is the glory of a man to overlook an offense, it is the glory of a Christian to overlook a weakness—to find greater joy in what encourages than in what disappoints.

May the Lord bless and keep you today.

There is a good selection of new Kindle deals today.
Shall we cancel the theologians?
Carl Trueman says “there is a form of cancel culture emerging within the ranks of Christians. It operates with selective pieties drawn from the wider woke culture and reflects, whether by accident or design, the same self-righteousness that marks the secular world.”
3 Simple Ways to Flatten Your Neighbor
And in a not-entirely-dissimilar way, Trevin Wax says “unfortunately, many in our society seem to be reverting to fourth-grade categorizations for just about everyone, and often doing so with the zeal of a crusader for a righteous cause.”
Ligonier’s New Bible for Students and Young Adults
The Reformation Study Bible, Student Edition from Ligonier Ministries is an ideal resource to help young people grow in their knowledge of God and His Word. Its many unique features include hundreds of questions and answers that bring clarity to key subjects of the Christian faith. Use code CHALLIES by January 21 to save an extra 5% on this new study Bible in the Ligonier store. (Sponsored Link)
When Aslan Wept
Writing from Bangalore, Sheena Gershom looks at an excerpt from C.S. Lewis and asks, “Isn’t that an accurate picture of the love and compassion of our Lord in the face of our disheartening circumstances? While it is within God’s power to remove our suffering and make us feel better again, sometimes He does not. We can only trust that He’s grieving alongside us while working things out behind the scenes for our good and His glory.”
Christians Are Going Back to Church—But Maybe Not the Same One
In this article, CT says something many of us have been observing: that there is a lot of movement between churches at the moment.
How To Understand And Dispel The Fear Of Witchcraft
Joseph Byamukama writes about witchcraft–a very present and pressing issue in many settings. “In 2016, the former Ugandan Parliament House Speaker Rebecca Kadaga raised eyebrows and caused controversy for her re-election thanksgiving to the ancestors in a shrine. Before her, the then Vice President, Professor Gilbert Bukenya, had done the same. Indeed many politically influential Africans appeal to the power of witchcraft. But what is witchcraft? Why does it persist in Africa? And how do we respond to it as Christians?”
Flashback: On Being Thought Well of By Outsiders
An elder must have the respect not only of believers but also of unbelievers. And here is how this one challenges me: To be respected he must be known.

More skepticism may be traced to a neglected prayer closet than to the arguments of infidels or the halls of secularists. —F.B. Meyer

We are digging out after a massive snowstorm yesterday–possibly the biggest I’ve ever seen around these parts. These blizzards never quite lose their wonder…

Today’s Kindle deals include a few books that are worth a look.
(Yesterday on the blog: What Does It Mean To Trust God in Our Trials?)
The Breath of God
Interestingly, I found two articles yesterday that focused on the same theme: the breath of God. “Breathe on us, O Lord, and in us. Breathe love. Breathe hope. Breathe courage into us who walk in the shadows of fear. Breathe joy into us who calibrate our existence by disappointment.”
The Breath of the Lion
And here’s the second: “But this morning, even as we are still feeling sick from Covid, I find myself longing for the breath of God. I find myself fighting to fleshly urge to flee from him into busyness or productivity, intentionally training myself to linger in his presence.”
The Reformation Study Bible, Student Edition
Ligonier Ministries recently released an edition of their popular Reformation Study Bible with many new features for students and young adults. This week, you can use code CHALLIES in the Ligonier store to save an extra 5% on the Reformation Study Bible, Student Edition in any cover style or color. (Sponsored Link)
Losing a Child
This is a brief interview with Christian musician TobyMac whose son passed away a couple of years ago. He offers some very helpful thoughts about loss.
Peace in Acceptance
Sarah reflects on acceptance. “‘Peace and joy begin with acceptance.’ And God’s been providing many lessons in the classroom of ‘acceptance’ lately. Not ‘resignation’, but ‘acceptance. Resignation connotates giving up and laying down in defeat, whereas acceptance connotates believing and trusting that the One who does have control is good and trustworthy, even when I can’t see it in the moment.”
When Everyone Plays His Part
“We all have a tendency to look at what is most celebrated and to aspire after it.” Yet, as Nick Batzig says here, joy comes when each of us plays the part God has assigned us.
Flashback: Don’t Drop the Rock!
Sin is never simple. Sin is never harmless. Sin is always selfish, always an occasion of harm not only to the sinner but to the whole church.

Nagging and scolding never yet made anybody godly! Constant pointing out of blemishes never cured anyone of his blemishes! —J.R. Miller

What does it mean to have faith? What does it mean to believe in God’s promises? What does it mean to have confidence that God is who he says he is and that God will do what he says he will do? What is the nature of that faith, that belief, that confidence?

There are times during this long and wearying pilgrimage when we undergo severe tests of our faith—tests that are often related to our losses and bereavements. Even if we are never tempted to cast off all allegiance to Christ or to throw away all desire to follow in his ways, we may still be challenged to believe—or not believe—that what God says is true—true about life and death, true about earth and heaven, true about time and eternity. We may face the kind of challenge that calls us to live in one way if we believe and to live in another if we do not.
There are days when we believe as an instinct, as the natural impulse of the heart and mind. In such days we easily and immediately regard it as unassailably true that heaven is real, that Providence is kind, that God is working all things for good, that even our deepest griefs will someday prove to be light and momentary afflictions when measured against an eternal weight of glory.
But then there are days when we believe as a decision, as an act of the will. While some days the most instinctual words out of our mouths are confident, other days they are hesitant. Some days we have all the boldness of Peter and other days all the hesitation of Thomas. On some days we proclaim, “I believe” but on others we plead, “please help my unbelief.” Or perhaps the best we can do is pose our faith as a question, a kind of self-interrogation: “I do believe, right?”
While we prefer the former days, we have to learn to embrace the latter, to learn that faith is not passive but active, not always an instinct of the heart but often an act of the will—and to learn that faith is no less real when it comes as a decision rather than a compulsion. Faith is often choosing to believe in the face of grief, the face of adversity, the face even of doubt. Faith is not less than intellectual, but is certainly far more: it is grasping and reaching toward divine promises, taking hold of what God has said to be true, clinging to it with whatever conviction we can muster, and pleading—pleading earnestly—that God will be powerfully present in his grace and comfort.
Trusting God, we learn, is not just a matter of recalling knowledge in a moment of need, but applying the whole heart, soul, strength, and mind to accept and believe it—even when the heart is broken and the soul weary, even when strength is sapped and the mind bewildered. Faith is complicated, not simple, and difficult, not easy. Like so much else in life, faith takes practice and rewards diligence. Faith brings us far beyond the end of ourselves and leaves us utterly dependent upon the goodness and mercy of a loving God.
What does it mean to trust God? It means that in our lowest moments we will resolve to believe that what God says is true. It means that even in our darkest valleys we will determine to take God at his word. It means that even when we don’t know what to do or where to go, we will look to God with faith and, as either an immediate instinct or a deliberate act of the will, anchor ourselves on the One who has promised that his every word proves true and reliable, that he will shelter and protect all those who run to him for refuge.