No work of art is more beautiful, more valuable, more irreplaceable, than the twenty-third psalm. It has stood through the ages as a work of art more exquisite than The Night Watch, more faultless than Mona Lisa, more thought-provoking than Starry Night. The lines of the greatest poets cannot match its imagery, the words of the greatest theologians its profundity. Credentialed academics may wrestle with it, yet young children can understand it. It is read over cradles and cribs, over coffins and crypts, at births and deaths, at weddings and funerals. It is prayed in closets, sung in churches, and chanted in cathedrals.

This psalm dries more crying eyes, raises more drooping hands, and strengthens more weakened knees than any man or angel. It tends to every kind of wound and ministers to every kind of sorrow. To trade it for all the wealth of all the worlds would be the worst of bargains. I’d have rather penned the twenty-third psalm than written Hamlet, than painted Sunflowers, than sculpted The Thinker, for when Shakespeare’s play has been forgotten, when Van Gogh’s painting has faded, when Rodin’s sculpture has been destroyed, David’s song will remain. We impoverish ourselves if we do not read it, do not meditate upon it, and do not treasure it. We weaken ourselves if we do not drink deeply of it in our deepest sorrows.
David’s great psalm employs the simplest of images—that of a shepherd and his sheep—and assures of the greatest of truths—that God is forever present with his people. “The LORD is my shepherd” he says so simply, “I shall not want.” Because the LORD is his shepherd, this sheep can have confidence that he will never lack for any necessity, for the shepherd loves his flock and will faithfully attend to their every need. When they are tired he will make them lie down in green pastures, when they are thirsty he will lead them beside still waters, when they are downtrodden he will restore them, when they are lost or uncertain he will lead them in the right paths. The sheep can rest in peace under the shepherd’s watchful eye, they can be assured of every comfort under his tender care.
But sometimes fields go barren and springs run dry. And in such times the good shepherd knows just what to do, he knows he must lead his sheep to fresh pastures and to cool, still waters. Yet he also knows the way will be difficult, for these pastures and waters lie on the far side of a dark valley. So he calls his sheep to himself and begins to lead them into the darkness, to lead them along an unfamiliar path.
And here, on the edge of uncertainty, sheep says to shepherd, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” Though the shepherd must lead his sheep into the darkness, lead them through an unknown valley, they will go, for he is with them. Their fears are soothed by his strength, their uncertainty by his presence. When enemies approach he will ward them off with his rod, when sheep stumble he will lift them with his staff. The shepherd who leads them in will lead them through and lead them out. And soon enough sheep and shepherd will emerge into the light on the far side of their darkness. And there again they will settle together for rest and refreshment. There again they will dwell in sweet peace.
What comfort there is in the knowledge that the shepherd who tends his sheep by still waters is the very same shepherd who tends them in the valley of darkness. The sheep do not foolishly blunder into that valley, they are not led there by wily wolves or chased there by hungry bears. They are led there by their loving shepherd, they enter there only according to his good plan and perfect purpose. They enter the valley only because it is for their benefit, only because the shepherd is leading them to something better beyond. They are never for a moment alone, for they are always following him.
My shepherd has called me to walk a difficult path—a path of sorrow, a path of grief, a path stained by tears. The way is uncharted to me but familiar to him, for he sees the end from the beginning, he has known from ancient times the things still undone. He speaks to the darkness and declares, “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.” I can have in him all the confidence of a sheep in his shepherd. I can follow him, knowing that “surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”
And I will follow him, singing this song in the darkness, meditating upon its truths with every step. I’d rather face my trial with David’s psalm in my heart than with Aaron’s staff in my hand, with Joshua’s army at my side, with Solomon’s gold in my pocket. I’d rather know the words to this one song than of all the great hymns of the Christian faith. I’d rather lose everything with my shepherd beside me than gain the whole world alone. Yes, I can bear the loss of my son as long as I know the presence of my shepherd. I can walk this path, I can pass through this dark valley, if only my shepherd guides me, if only he leads the way.

Good morning, my friends. May grace and peace be with you today.

(Yesterday on the blog: The Stranger in Smokeland)
5 Reasons to Read Your Bible Beyond Practical Application
“Treat personal application as the only consistent outcome for your Bible reading, and you may simply miss out on these other benefits the Lord wishes for you.” Here are some good reasons, beyond practical application, to be committed to reading your Bible.
What Fills the Earth
What fills the earth? It’s a good and valid question with a number of answers.
Getty Music Sing! Conference Today
The Getty Music Sing! Conference begins this afternoon and is available via livestream. Today’s speakers include Alistair Begg and H.B. Charles. There is also an interview with Voddie Baucham, a talk from Dane Ortlund and, of course, lots of music with the Gettys, Shane & Shane, and others. It will be quite a day! You’ll need a Viewing Pass to watch the livestream. (Sponsored)
Transcript of Todd Beamer on Flight 93
Denny Burk shares the transcript of Todd Beamer on Flight 93. It gets me every time, especially because of his steadfast faith. “Todd Beamer was and evangelical Christian and one of the heroes of Flight 93 on September 11, 2001. His last conversation with a telephone operator named Lisa bears witness to great courage and grace. He left behind a pregnant wife and two children. Read every bit of this, and remember.”
The Overcommitment Cycle
“Overcommitment is a perennial problem for me. And I’m betting it is for you too.” Reagan Rose discusses a very common problem.
Kindness
On the one hand this is obvious, but on the other, we need to be continually reminded. “If we want a kinder world, we can’t wait for everyone else to make the first move.”
Serve Outside the Spotlight
“The antidote to hypocrisy is humility. What good deeds do you do that are seen by few or none? When did you last volunteer for a menial task?” This one is geared primarily toward pastors, but will apply to others as well.
Flashback: 3 Types of Fool
Os Guinness portrays three types of fools in the Bible: The Fool Proper, The Fool Bearer, and The Fool Maker. I found it a fascinating discussion.

No sorrow is too great to endure if it reveals to us some new beauty in Christ, or brings out in us some new feature of Christ-likeness. —J.R. Miller

In his book Lessons from the Upper Room, Sinclair Ferguson provides an allegory he titles “The Stranger in Smokeland”—an allegory he says needs little interpretation. For that reason, I will provide it as-is, without commentary. I think you’ll enjoy it.

The Stranger had lived all his life in the Highlands. Here streams of crystal-clear water run; the flowers and vegetation are luxuriant; the mountain air is pure; the atmosphere is unpolluted. No one who lives here has ever died.
But the Stranger’s father had told him of a distant land where the air is polluted, and the inhabitants die young. The pollution and death are caused by a plant the citizens roll into tube-shapes, light, and place in their mouths, and then they inhale its vapors—they do not realize they are poisonous. Instead, they find their highest pleasure in this; they believe it keeps them healthy and that it protects them and is essential to a good life.
The parliament of the country has never enacted a law to this effect, but it is universally regarded as unacceptable for a citizen not to smoke. Now they have become so addicted to the lighted plant that they can no longer smell the odor it leaves on their bodies, their hair, and their clothes. They think that its effect on their skin and eyes enhances their attractiveness.
The Stranger and his father feel pity for this land. They decide that the Stranger should visit it, instruct its people, offer to rid the land of its pollution, and make a treaty for them that will guarantee clean air, good health, and endless life.
And so, the Stranger comes to Smokeland.
The citizens see that the Stranger never smokes. This makes them feel uncomfortable. He begins to talk to them about a land where no one smokes, where the air is fresh, the rivers are crystal clear, and everyone is healthy. He tells them that in this kingdom no one has ever died. He also tells them that his father, who reigns over the land from which he has come, sent him to Smokeland to set its citizens free from smoking and to rid their land of its noxious atmosphere. The air, he promises, will become pure, their breath will become clean, their clothes will no longer be impregnated with the odor of the plant—they will feel like new people altogether!
But instead of admiring his obvious health and listening to his message, the citizens of Smokeland become angry. They refuse to believe the Stranger; they tell him his claims cannot be true. They deny that they are unhealthy; they enjoy the smell of their clothes; they reject his message.
Nevertheless, despite the mounting opposition to him the Stranger continues to speak. He pleads with them to listen. But this simply angers the people. Now they plan to silence him.
One day they surround him, exhaling their smoke, breathing it over him. “Smoke! Smoke! Smoke like us!” they chant.
He refuses, but they insist. And when he still will not smoke, they surround him in even greater numbers. They press in on him, jeering, blowing the smoke of the lighted plant onto his face and into his eyes. They try to push the lighted tubes of it into his mouth. But he refuses to inhale. They persist. His clothes are now reeking from their polluted smoke, his face is surrounded by their exhaling, and he is covered in their spittle. His eyes are watering, and his heart is longing for relief and for the fresh air of home. But he refuses to smoke.
At last, the Smokeland citizens’ anger flares up into mob-rage at the Stranger’s persistence. Some of them seize him and hold him while others begin to stab at his body with their lighted tubes of the noxious plant. Finally, one of them pours flammable liquid over the Stranger’s head. They take the small flares they use to light the plant, and set his clothes ablaze. He is burned to ashes before them… he has endured the intolerable smoke to the end without yielding to the Smokers. They do not realize that he will rise again, phoenix-like, from the ashes.
(You can purchase Lessons from the Upper Room at Ligonier Ministries or Amazon)

May the Lord bless and keep you this weekend as you serve him and delight in him.

As usual, there are some Kindle deals to look at.
(Yesterday on the blog: If You Could Go Back To Any Moment In Time…)
Even To Old Age and Gray Hairs
William Farley shares some thoughts on grandparenting. “Today’s influential grandparent recognizes that they face challenges previous generations did not. Old age is not respected, families are shrinking, and the desire to flee to permanent vacation tempts those with the resources.”
The Preaching Class with John Piper
“John Piper—co-founder of Desiring God, former preaching pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church, and author of The Supremacy of God in Preaching and Expository Exultation: Christian Preaching as Worship—has recorded 19 mini-lectures on preaching (about 10 minutes each, for a total of about four hours). This is then followed by a two-and-a-half hour workshop where Piper is joined by three younger local preaching pastors to talk through various issues.”
Inviting Afghan Refugees Over for Dinner
While Afghan refugees are on so many minds, this may be a good time to read about ways to extend hospitality to people from the Middle East and Central Asia. “Statistically, most of these refugees will never be invited into a Westerner’s home for tea, dinner, or for a holiday. Imagine the powerful kindness, then, felt by a new refugee family who experiences an exception and is welcomed into your home – and the format of the evening is even somewhat familiar for them.”
Breaching the Weismann barrier
“A cardinal rule in biology is that the body cells and reproductive cells are separate in higher organisms.This is called the Weismann barrier, after famous German evolutionist August Weismann who discovered it. It was he who first realized the difference between the reproductive cells and the body cells in higher organisms.” In this article (and video) Robert Carter explains how the barrier has been breached and what it means.
Do You Believe in Magic? Magic for Americans
Dave Hare finishes us an interesting look at magic as understand in an American and African context. “The greatest danger for Americans today is that we are tempted to act as though the spiritual does not exist. We are tempted to live as though people are our enemies. We are tempted to drug ourselves into ignoring the attacks of the Devil.”
Making Our Gardens Grow
Janie B. Cheaney: “Gardening is more than sweet resignation, though. It’s the creation mandate at ground level while rejoicing in (and struggling with) sun, soil, wind, and rain. It’s the wonder of a tiny, mighty seed and being front-row witnesses to our God’s prodigal abundance.”
Give Me Nineteen Men
“Where are we in missions to the Muslim world on this twentieth anniversary of 9/11? If we look only at surface realities, we may easily lose hope.” Mack Stiles tells us why we need not and must not lose hope.
Flashback: The Greatest Burden of Leadership
The burden of responsibility is light compared to the burden of insufficiency, inability, or just plain failure.

The clear message from Genesis to Revelation is either go to hell with your own righteousness, or go to heaven with the righteousness of Christ credited to your account by faith alone. Faith in Christ is saving; faith in anything or anyone else is superstition. —Michael Horton

This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by Zondervan, who also sponsored the blog this week.

They are giving away FIVE 3-packs of Bill Mounce’s NEWEST book Why I Trust the Bible, so you can do a reading group with your family or friends.
Here is more about the book:
We are often told we can no longer assume that the Bible is trustworthy. From social media memes to popular scholarship, so many attacks have been launched on the believability of Scripture that many have serious questions about the Bible, such as:

Did Jesus actually live?
Did the biblical writers invent their message?
How can we trust the gospels since they were written so long after Jesus lived?
How can we believe a Bible that is full of internal contradictions with itself and external contradictions with science?
Aren’t the biblical manuscripts we have just copies of copies that are so corrupted they don’t represent what the original authors wrote?
Why should we believe the books that are in the Bible, since many good ones were left out, like the Gospel of Thomas?
Why trust the Bible when there are so many contradictory translations of it?

If you find yourself unable to answer questions such as these, but wanting to, Why I Trust the Bible by eminent Bible scholar and translator Bill Mounce is for you. These questions and more are discussed and answered in a reasoned, definitive, and winsome way.
The truth is that the Bible is better attested and more defensible today than it ever has been. Questions about the Bible are perhaps the most significant challenge confronting the Christian faith today, but they can be answered well and in a way that will lead to a deeper appreciation for the truth and ongoing relevance of the Bible.
Go here to find out more about Why I Trust the Bible.

Enter Here
Again, there are five 3-packs 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.

If you could go back in time and insert yourself into any point in history, even if only to be a proverbial fly on the wall, what would you choose? What moment would you wish to observe, or what event would you wish to witness? Would you want to watch God create the world? Would you want to see Elijah perform miracles, David compose psalms, shepherds hear tidings of great joy? As for me, I would have to think long and hard, but in the end I might just choose to observe Jesus and his disciples in the upper room.

It was in the upper room that Jesus celebrated his final Passover, that he washed the feet of his disciples, that he predicted his betrayal, that he gave his new commandment, that he foretold Peter’s denial, that he declared himself the way, the truth, and the life, that he promised the coming of the Holy Spirit, that he prayed a long intercessory prayer for his disciples and for his followers through the ages. Each of these was a sacred moment, each packed with the utmost significance. And each took place in one little room and in one short period of time.
Jesus’ time in the upper room has become known as his Farewell Discourse and it is the subject of Sinclair Ferguson’s new book Lessons from the Upper Room. The book’s subtitle, “The Heart of the Savior,” is significant, for it is in this address that Jesus so wonderfully and clearly reveals his heart. He reveals himself as having a heart that longs to obey his Father and a heart that longs to serve the ones who are loved by his Father. He reveals himself as a Savior who is humble and kind, submitted and steadfast.
While Lessons from the Upper Room is an exposition of John 13-17, it is by no means a dry or academic work. To the contrary, it is devotional and applicable. It did, after all, begin as a series of lessons for laypersons—a teaching series distributed through Ligonier Ministries. Ferguson says he intends it to function somewhat like the “audio description” function on a television—a function that provides a running commentary on what is happening on the screen for the benefit of those who are visually impaired. “I hope there will be moments in reading these pages when readers will feel—as I have in writing them—that they are ‘there’ in the upper room itself, meeting with Christ, watching Him, and listening to Him teach and pray.”
And, indeed, this is exactly the case. Ferguson is a skilled expositor and one who is clearly captivated with his subject matter. He loves the Farewell Discourse and the Savior it so wonderfully reveals. He draws the reader into the events unfolding and the words being spoken, and is always careful not to leap too quickly from the upper room into our own living rooms, from past events to present application. That application comes, but always on the basis of sound interpretation. It’s a powerful package.
Ferguson uses the metaphor of a television’s “audio description” function to describe his book, but I might use the metaphor of a tour guide. Over the course of my life and through my many travels, I have taken a host of tours of locations of special interest and special importance. In Lessons from the Upper Room, he serves as a kind of tour guide who describes what has happened in this room, what it meant at the time, and what it continues to mean today. He offers a guided tour of one of the most significant evenings in human history and tells how and why it matters to you and to me and to the course of events in this world. It’s my strong recommendation that you take the tour.

Buy from Amazon

Grace and peace to you on this fine today.

Westminster Books has just put the excellent NSBT series on sale for those who need to catch up with some of the newer volumes!
How a Divisive Nigerian Pastor Built a Global Following
This fascinating article from The Guardian takes a look at the Nigerian prosperity preacher TB Joshua. “It’s hard to disentangle the facts of Joshua’s life from his self-mythologising. The official Scoan narrative is repeated in many online articles: his birth was foretold by a prophet, he spent 15 months in his mother’s womb, he received a divine revelation in 1987 while fasting for 40 days and 40 nights in an area of swampland that would later be called Prayer Mountain.”
Judging the Sins of Our Fathers
Carl Trueman: “None of this is to say that the slaveholding of Edwards or Jefferson or Washington is not important when we consider their lives and their legacies. Nor is it to neutralize the issue by moral equivalence. There are some very hard questions to ask about our forefathers. But they cannot be asked in isolation from consideration of our own complicity in the exploitation and evils of today’s globalized economy.”
J. I. Packer on “Impressions”
Justin Taylor shares some of J.I. Packer’s wisdom when it comes to spiritual impressions and divine guidance.
Little Golden Worries
Melissa explains that worries are, “in many ways, my most prized possessions. I’m an expert at conjuring them. They are almost always my closest thoughts, and they sit like little golden statues all along the shelves that line my heart and mind. Gold because they last, because they are alluring, always drawing my eye.”
Judge Not
Andrée Seu Peterson warns against hasty judging of other people. “Christians are to live a different way, not as judge and jury of our neighbors, but as believing all things and hoping all things (1 Corinthians 13:7) regarding their potential to change and grow. For the Lord is not finished with my neighbor, or father, any more than He is with me.”
How Do You Know If Your Church Is Legalistic?
Michael Kruger has a good one on legalism. “If you asked the average Christian to define legalism, the answers may not come so quickly. What exactly counts as legalism?  How do we know it when we see it?  The confusion is exacerbated by the fact that the term can be used in different ways.  People can use the same word but infuse it with very different meanings.”
The Logistics of Evacuating Afghanistan (Video)
This is an interesting video on the incredible logistics involved in evacuating Afghanistan.
Flashback: Six Reasons Why Adultery Is Very Serious
Adultery is a serious matter. At least, it is a serious matter in the mind and heart of the God who created sex and marriage and who put wise boundaries on them both. But why?

There can be no better evidence of the Spirit of Christ in us than to love the image of Christ in others. —Matthew Mead

Good morning. May the Lord bless and keep you today.

Westminster Books has a collection of new and especially noteworthy books on sale.
(Yesterday on the blog: My New Book Is Out: Knowing and Enjoying God)
How To Make Sense Of The Conflict In Nigeria
Oyewole Akande provides a helpful guide to the ongoing conflict in Nigeria. “The security situation in Nigeria is complicated to understand, even for those of us living in Nigeria. There are at least five separate but overlapping armed conflicts going on simultaneously in our country. Below I will give a brief overview of each. I’ll also provide a few links for those who wish to do further reading and reflection.”
ABBA: Band of the Boomers
Mary Harrington explains why ABBA kind of stands in for so many in the Boomer generation. “It’s not clear whether the band will perform as themselves at their ‘Voyage’ events. But why should they? They’ve arguably just come closer than Ray Kurzweil has managed yet to achieving boomer apotheosis: eternally perky, fresh, un-dying versions of their youthful selves, able to continue indefinitely doing what those younger selves did, without ever getting tired, ill or divorced.”
No Purpose For Old Folks
I enjoyed this little story and the point it makes.
A Song for All My Days
Cindy Matson: “As the just Lawmaker, God makes no arbitrary rules. Though some of the Laws in the Old Testament may appear foolish to our modern ears (Why can’t we have two types of fabric in one piece of clothing?), each flowed from an upright Lawmaker who made each ordinance in perfect harmony with His character. Even the most abstruse and baffling laws to us are perfectly righteous and just.”
The World Needs Your Story
“‘All dreams deserve to be seen, and all stories deserve to be shared,’ said the Netflix ad. ‘The world needs your story. Show them!’ But that wasn’t the real point—it was an ad, after all—so it ended with ‘Discover the world’s stories.’ On Netflix, of course. But Netflix isn’t showing my story among ‘the world’s stories…’”
Jesus’ Ministry to a Lipreader
“Why did Mark, the gospel writer, use the Aramaic word ‘Ephphatha’ in Mark 7:34? Just sounding out the word is an exercise in oral calisthenics.” Here’s an interesting explanation.
It Is a Terrible Thing for a Sheep to Go Astray
“In Lancefield in Victoria last year, some people found a lost sheep. This sheep had once belonged to someone, but she had obviously been living by herself for several years.” It reminds us why Jesus drew the comparison between sheep and people!
Flashback: What’s the Point? (Alternative Ways to Frame Your Sermon)
I believe there are often better ways of framing a sermon than falling back on “point one,” “point two,” and “point three.”

Is there any reason that a righteous God ought to be loving toward a creature who hates Him and rebels constantly against His divine authority and holiness? —R.C. Sproul

If you have frequented this site over the years, you have undoubtedly seen some SquareQuotes—the quotes combined with graphics that I release on a daily basis. A couple of years ago Jules Koblun and I had the idea of combining some fresh SquareQuotes with short devotionals. While she got busy with the designing, I got busy with the writing. Before long we had created Knowing and Enjoying God, the first in what we anticipate will be a number of books in the “Words from the Wise” series.

Knowing and Enjoying God is a series of 101 quotes from Christian authors, with each quote accompanied by a beautiful graphic and a short devotional. The book’s theme is the means of grace (or, if you prefer, spiritual disciplines). We cover the themes of prayer, Bible reading, meditation, worship, ordinances, gratitude, stewardship, and more. All of the quote graphics are original, by which I mean that I have not shared them through social media in the past.
My hope for the book is that it will both edify and encourage–that it will teach readers about the privilege it is to know God and that it will encourage readers to pursue him all the more. I hope it will be a valuable resource for those who may need a short burst of encouragement to strengthen and equip them in the Christian life. I hope it will be as valuable to seasoned believers as to very new ones. And I hope it will also prove suitable as a book to hand an unbeliever to perhaps help them see the beauty of Jesus Christ and the joy that comes to those of us who know him as a friend knows a friend.
The book is available from all the usual retailers in both hardcover and e-book formats, including Amazon and Westminster Books.
Here are a few early reviews:

I hope you will give it a look!
(Long-term readers may be interested to know how this book fits into the timeline of my life. I completed writing it and doing a first round of edits just prior to Nick’s death; final editing took place a couple of months after.)