Have you ever seen someone get married and you are absolutely certain that it’s not out of love for the other person? Maybe the woman wants access to her husband’s wealth or lifestyle and marriage is the way she can get it. Or maybe the man wants access to his wife’s fame or reputation and marriage is the way to get it. (Or, as often seems to be the case, access to her much younger body.) Either way, there is something grotesque about a marriage that is transactional, a marriage that is founded on getting instead of giving. It cheapens marriage when a spouse doesn’t really want the other person, but simply what the person can do for him or her.

You do not need to be a scholar of the New Testament to know that the Apostle Paul repeated a number of metaphors and illustrations in his explanations of the Christian life and faith. Among his favorites was the picture of a race. Paul understood the Christian to be a kind of athlete and the Christian life to be a kind of competition. It is not the kind of competition in which runners compete against one another to be the sole victor, but the kind in which individuals run together, helping and assisting one another, knowing that all those who cross the finish line are declared winners. These runners do not battle one another, but rather battle the world, the flesh, and the devil, all of which attempt to slow them, hinder them, or cause them to drop out altogether.
Key to this illustration are the goal and the prize. In Philippians 3 Paul explains how he continues to run this race despite serious obstacles. Knowing that he has not yet reached the goal—which is either death or the return of Jesus Christ—and that he can never relax his pace until he has crossed that finish line, he says “I press on toward the goal for the prize.” In a running race that prize is a trophy or medal—or in Paul’s day a wreath or crown. But Paul has something better in mind, something far more precious and motivating. It is something he has written about just a few verses earlier. In verse 8 he says, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him…” In Paul’s mind, the great prize is Jesus Christ!
There are many benefits that will be Paul’s when he reaches his goal and is with Christ. Of course he wants to be relieved of all the burdens of his mind, and the sorrows of his soul, and the pains of his body, and the sins of his heart. All of these factors burden and grieve him and being relieved of them is a wonderful benefit that will come with the end of life on this earth and the beginning of the life to come. Yet if Paul could be relieved of all that, but not have Christ, he would be inconsolable. The prize he longs for is not the benefits of Christ or the gifts of Christ; it’s Christ himself.
And this is where I find myself often needing to pause and think. Is my deepest longing for Christ? Can I honestly say that I long for him? Or do I actually long for the benefits that come with him? I want to have a body that is completely whole again, I want to see my loved ones again, I want to have a soul that will never sin again. Of course I do! But if I could have all this without Christ, would I take it? And as I ponder the glory of wholeness and sinlessness and wonderful reunions, do I ponder the even greater glory of meeting Christ, of knowing Christ, and of being with Christ?
I know I would cheapen my relationship with Aileen if I appreciated the benefits of marriage and the good things she does for me more than I appreciated her. And in the same way, I know I cheapen my relationship with Christ if I long for all the good and glorious benefits that come with being united to him even if I could do without him. And so I ask myself: What is it that I really long for? And I ask you: What is it you really long for? Both of us would do well to look to Paul as a mentor, Paul whose deepest and most ultimately longing was for Christ himself.

Good morning, my friends. May the Lord be with you and bless you today.

Westminster Books has the ESV Alpha Bible on sale along with some new resources for children.
Aged Care Ministry: 3 Challenges and 5 Responses
This is a remarkable article for a number of reasons. I highly recommend reading it. “I lost count over the past three years of how many Christians said to me: ‘Those old people must be very open to the gospel, as close to death as they are.’ It’s a plausible idea, but not at all true to my experience. I did not at all find nursing home residents more open to the gospel, but generally less so than those younger in years with more years of life ahead of them.”
Quiet Time and Evangelism: How Much Is Enough?
Kevin DeYoung considers the guilt so many Christians feel as they consider their quiet times and their efforts in evangelism. He says helpful things like this: “God never meant for evangelism to be the single defining characteristic of faithful Christianity.”
New to Reformed Theology? Start Here
This month, you can receive four Reformation ebooks by R.C. Sproul when you give a donation of any amount in support of Ligonier Ministries. Get to the heart of the gospel with Saved from What?, explore major doctrines of the Christian faith with Everyone’s a Theologian, relive church history with Luther and the Reformation, and go deep into God’s Word with Romans: An Expositional Commentary. (Sponsored Link)
Common Fallacies in an Age of Outrage
Steve Bateman: “In addition to developing biblical literacy, we can ask ourselves if we’re falling for fallacies. Here are seven that are common in our public discourse.”
Why Are People So Fascinated with ‘Lost’ Books of the Bible?
Michael Kruger considers a cultural phenomenon. “Our culture’s insatiable appetite for all things lost has not been missed by publishers. Books are more likely to sell if you can find a way to get some key words in the title: ‘lost,’ ‘forgotten,’ ‘secret,’ ‘hidden,’ etc. … So, what’s going on? Why are people so intrigued by the concept of ‘lost’ books of the Bible? Let me mention two main considerations.”
How to Mourn Over Your Sins
“Spiritual mourning is laden with blessing, and we are to go after it and get as much of it in our lives as we possibly can. The more you know of this mourning, the more joy you will experience in your life.” Here is some guidance.
Sermon Series Ideas for Advent
Pastors looking for some fresh ideas for an advent series may appreciate these suggestions.
Flashback: The Discipline of Watching
The first line of defense against temptation is watchfulness–to be aware of the sins that tempt us most often and with the greatest strength and to be proactive in our battle against them.

A surrendered mind is not one which is no longer in operation. It is, rather, a mind freed from rebellion and opposition. To be Christ’s captive is to be perfectly free. —Elisabeth Elliot

Over the weekend I mentioned a sale at ChristianBook.com, but I wanted to bring it to your attention again since there are some really good deals to be had. The new ESV Chronological Bible is 43% off. You’ll also find the ESV Scripture Journal NT set marked down 84% (from $199.99 to $32.99), the leather ESV Study Bible at 52% off, the Story of Redemption Bible at $5.99, the Six-Volume ESV Reader’s Bible at 60% off, and so on. This is all part of their huge Bible Sale of the Season promotion which ends today. It’s worth clicking through to see all the deals. (There are also quite a few noteworthy deals on books and I decided to list those here.)

(Yesterday on the blog: A Day in the Life of an Ordinary Christian)
What Did You Plan To Be Hated For?
I appreciated this article by Rhys Laverty so much I asked if he wouldn’t mind unlocking it (removing the Substack paywall) so you could read it. They key point he makes is that Christians are no longer hated for grace, but for nature. Give it a read!
Halloween Revisited
This one is also super interesting. “So, what is the ‘true’ story of Halloween? It’s complicated, but the holiday we now know of as Halloween is a sort of fusion of older Christian themes with nineteenth century Romantic literary creations and then twentieth century civic associations and mass marketing. Halloween is a creative re-invention that gets turned into a Hollywood and Hershey’s sales extravaganza.”
Talking About Sex in a Pornographic Culture
“The pornographic is the water that we are all swimming in. Like the little fish in David Foster Wallace’s proverb, we find ourselves both completely surrounded and completely unaware.” This is true and well worth thinking about.
Celebrating 85 Years of Crossway’s Tracts Ministry
Crossway is celebrating 85 years of their tracts ministry, and I loved reading the ministry’s origin story. And can you believe they’ve distributed more than 1 billion tracts?
Should Women Teach Theology to Women?
“The title says it all. A small but not insignificant movement that has been gaining momentum over the past couple of years revolves around the notion that women shouldn’t teach other women theology. There is some breadth to this movement, and the goal will be to address the original view as well as some of the fruit that’s come from it.” Henry Anderson addresses it well.
We can always be friendly
Stephen keys in on one area where small churches may be able to offer something that becomes more difficult as churches grow larger.
Flashback: Shaken to Bear Fruit
The God who is sovereign over all things may lead us into times and contexts that are deeply painful. Yet we can be confident that our suffering is never arbitrary and never meaningless, for God always has a purpose in mind.

Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of. —C.H. Spurgeon

This sponsored post was provided by Burke Care, and written by Jim Burke, which invites you to schedule care today with a certified biblical counselor.

Open my eyes, that I might behold wonderous things out of your law. Psalm 119:18
Today, it is so easy for me to read this verse and conclude, “Oh, Father! You know how I want so badly to see the abundance of wonderous things in Your law. Please, continue to reveal Yourself to me!”
But…
In my twenties, I was not a Christian and I would have processed this verse completely in the flesh so I would be reading something like, “Make wonderous things known to me for my benefit and my glory; my kingdom come, my will be done!”
In my thirties, at the apex of sin being played out in my life, I would have looked at this same verse thinking I was reading, “Open my eyes so that I can get out of this dreadful situation I find myself in. Take away the consequences of my sin and make my life abundant according to the desires of my heart!”
In my forties, I would have had a more sobering response but still arrogant in my understanding. I would have interpreted this verse to say something like, “Now that you have rescued me, show me wonderous things that I can share with others so that they can be like me. You were so good to have saved me!”
In my fifties, humility would have begun to creep in, but I would have still been struggling not to hold onto my own efforts to work out God’s law. My thinking would be something like, “You have opened my eyes, I have seen wonderous things in your law that I do regularly. Thank you that I am not like that other guy!”
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
He (Jesus) also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you; this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”— Luke 18: 9-14 ESV
Now my prayer each morning sounds more like, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” I am saved by grace, but I still sin. My identity is secure as a redeemed child of the Creator God. Yet, each day I sense my sin in new ways. With that I urgently cry out like a needy child “Abba, Father!”
God open my eyes today to see wonderous things in your law.
Burke Care would love to hear about where you are in your own sanctification journey. Let us see if we can “behold wonderous things” together!
Schedule Care Today | [email protected] | 512.522.2580

Let’s suppose that for just one day the Lord chose to make a documentary about you—“A Day in the Life of an Ordinary Christian.” For a single day your every move was recorded and your every word transcribed. For a single day even your thoughts were externalized and written down. A camera crew was beside your bed when you awoke, they sat with you at breakfast, and stayed at your side through your duties at work and at home. They held boom mics above your head as you led your family in devotions, trailed along behind when you went to your midweek service or small group, watched you sing your children to sleep, and bid farewell only when you had returned to bed, turned out the lights, and fallen into a deep slumber.

You would, of course, be on your best behavior and make it one of the best and godliest days you had ever lived. Even without fakery or hypocrisy, you would put your best foot forward and attempt to display your life at its purest. You would guard your thoughts and measure your words; you would take your duties seriously and do your utmost to display the heights of Christian character. You would be the best spouse you could be, the best parent you could be, the best friend and employee. You would attempt to model distinctly godly living.
And let’s suppose that somewhere in the distant reaches of time God chose to show you the results of that documentary. You had long since died and gone to heaven and begun to live in eternal bliss. And now God said, “Let’s show you that day in your life.” And so for hours you sat and watched yourself living life on this side of the grave. How would you feel about it? How would you evaluate the way you thought, the way you spoke, the way you lived?
You would, of course, understand that it was immeasurably far from perfect. You would see that despite your best efforts, your motives were still impure, your thoughts still imperfect, your actions still impacted by sin and still impaired by weakness. You would know you have already been forgiven for all the wrong you did and all the good you failed to do. So perhaps you would find yourself asking, “God, how could you have loved me when I was so sinful, when my best actions born from my best desires were still so poor?” What do you suppose the Lord would say?
I think the Lord might say something like this: “I have already forgiven you. And I know that you were living as well as you knew how to at that time. You were walking according to the light you had at that stage of your Christian life. You were making decisions on the basis of the knowledge you had gained so far and heeding your conscience as much as it had been informed to that point. Though you were still a sinner, though the old man was still active within, you were attempting to live well, attempting to live for the good of others and the glory of my name. So well done. I’m proud of you.”
The way you live today is, in all likelihood, better and purer than the way you lived ten years ago. The way you will live ten years from now is, in all likelihood, better and purer than the way you are living today. God’s work within us is progressive, not instant. Though we are never faultless when it comes to our sins, God may consider us blameless when we simply do not have the knowledge, do not have the maturity, do not have the sanctification that would allow us to live better and purer lives at that moment.
Of course, we must not content ourselves with immaturity or allow ourselves to dwell indefinitely in spiritual infancy. We must be committed to growth! Yet surely God does hold us equally responsible for unintentional ignorance as for knowledgeable defiance. Surely he is pleased with our best efforts, even when those efforts are so small and so weak. Surely he is proud of us when we live according to the light we have and serve with hearts of love, hearts of joy, hearts that long to magnify his name.

Good morning from Oakville. After a very enjoyable weekend in Louisville (spent mostly with Third Avenue Baptist Church) I’m glad, as always, to be back home.

(Yesterday on the blog: Worship Round the World: Pressing On and Nearing the End)
The Question Your Kids Shouldn’t Be Asking
I agree with Melissa: This is a question your kids shouldn’t be asking.
The Origins of Deaconesses in the Presbyterian Church of Victoria
“We can learn from our brothers and sisters—their reading and applying of Scripture, and the roles and systems they built to facilitate ministry. Today, as local churches and denominations think about deploying men and women for ministry, there are patterns we can appeal to, some of which, for various reasons, dropped out of popular consciousness and church practice over the last century.”
Stream the Luther Documentary for Free
In 1517, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the church door in Wittenberg. Little did he know how God would use him to ignite a movement that would change the world. Witness the spark that set the Reformation ablaze by watching Luther: The Life and Legacy of the German Reformer. This documentary is freely available on Ligonier Ministries’ YouTube channel. You can also download the accompanying study guide for free. (Sponsored Link)
How Did Jesus’s Stories Get Passed On?
So how did Jesus’s stories get passed on, anyway?
Doug Wilson and Postmillennial Theonomy
I don’t often link to X (Twitter) but found this explanation of Doug Wilson’s eschatology especially helpful. “Postmillennial theonomists read the Great Commission differently. When it says, ‘Make disciples of all nations,’ they don’t read that to mean, ‘Make disciples out of the nations.’ For them, it’s literally, ‘Christ said to make Christian nations.’”
The Resilient Leader
“Although an important virtue of a leader, resilience is a characteristic every disciple of Christ is called to cultivate.” This article explains the importance of that virtue.
He Alone Does Great Wonders
“The authors of Scripture are unanimously in awe of the God about whom they are writing.” They most certainly were. And we ought to be as well.
Flashback: Young Christian: Give the Lord a Lot to Work With

Those easy and attractive things that are fun, that demand no effort, that keep you squarely in your comfort zone, and that trigger all the brain’s pleasure centers—these can keep you from doing what ultimately counts for so much more.

Trust is not a passive state of mind. It is a vigorous act of the soul by which we choose to lay hold on the promises of God and cling to them despite the adversity that at times seeks to overwhelms us. —Jerry Bridges

It has been quite a year—a year in which the Worship Round the World project has taken me far and wide. If my statistics are correct, I believe my feet have touched something like 24 different countries this year. I worshipped with local churches in 13 of them and enjoyed times of fellowship with Christians in 7 others. Along with my co-host Tim Keesee, we have filmed 9 episodes so far and they are now in the very early stages of production.

That leaves us with just a couple more to record. Unfortunately India and Canada are in the midst of a spat and India is refusing to give visitor’s visas to Canadians until it is resolved, so we had to cancel our plans to visit the city of Chennai in November. Later this week the team will head to the distant reaches of Alaska to visit a church there, and that will be end of our travel for 2023. A trip to Mexico City in January will mark the final journey and the end of on-location filming.
We believe the project has come together well and that it will lead to both a documentary series and a book that will prove to be a blessing to many. Through them you’ll be able to travel with us to experience Christian worship in settings as diverse as urban Australia and rural Zambia, and as different as the vast and advanced metropolis of Seoul and a tiny Cambodian village that has neither electricity nor running water. You’ll see what it is to worship in the shadow of a volcano in Chile and to serve the Lord in the tropical paradise of Fiji. All that and much more.
While fundraising has gone well and we are immeasurably thankful for all that has been given, I would like to make the need known one more time. We planned the project in 2019 when the world was quite a lot different than it is now and when travel costs were substantially lower. This means we have exceeded our original budget, and this despite being as measured and frugal as reasonable.
Tax-deductible donations can be made at WorshipRoundtheWorld.com and will be processed by Frontline Missions, an organization committed to advancing the gospel in the world’s difficult places. Frontline previously produced Tim Keesee’s Dispatches from the Front series of films and it is also producing this one. (You should also take a look at Tim’s brand new book A Day’s Journey: Stories of Hope and Death-Defying Joy.)
As we press on with filming at the final locations, then recording voiceovers, writing chapters, and producing episodes, we would ask you to pray for us. Pray that we would finish strong and that the entire production would bless the church and honor the Lord.

My thanks goes to the Missionary Conference for sponsoring the blog this week. They did so to tell you about the upcoming conference (which is taking place next year) and the accompanying documentary film. It will be quite an event! Be sure to give it a look.

A couple of days ago I mentioned the new ESV Chronological Bible. A reader notified me it’s discounted almost 40% at Christianbook.com. You’ll also find the ESV Scripture Journal NT set marked down 84%, the leather ESV Study Bible at 52% off, and so on. This is all part of their huge Bible Sale of the Season promotion. There are lots of good deals to be had.
(Yesterday on the blog: Does God Care About Gender Identity?)
Persevere in Praying for Unbelieving Loved Ones
“Many times, I’ve wanted to give up praying for unbelieving family and friends under the weight of it all. I prayed for my aunt and uncle for decades, and I have no positive evidence they ever came to believe in Jesus. I have no guarantee that my sister will repent. Praying for unbelievers isn’t for the faint of heart.”
Can Pro-Life Advocates Lie to Save Lives?
John Piper considers whether Christians can lie in order to save lives. “I think that one of the great needs of the hour is for Christians to stop compromising our biblical faithfulness by using the weapons of the world in the service of strategies that we think are more likely to do good because we have calculated that compromise will work.”
How to Dismantle Loaded Questions While Enjoying An Apple
Tim from Red Pen Logic looks at a recent viral video (from Canada, of all places) to explain what we can learn from it.
A Word to My Inner Perfectionist
Amy has an article that may resonate with people who struggle with perfectionism. (Much of what she has to say is related to Kelly Kapic’s excellent book You’re Only Human which was a game-changer for me.)
When You Feel Like a Failure
Meanwhile, Barbara has one for people who feel like failures. And don’t we all at some points in life?
The Last Word in the Book of Ruth
Sometimes the very ending of a story reveals the whole point of the story.
Flashback: The Earliest Prayer Ever Prayed
In the new book Fount of Heaven which shares prayers from the earliest Christians, you’ll find this sweet prayer which dates from late in the first century. Yet, like any good prayer, it could as easily be prayed by any of us today.

There are rare Christians whose very presence incites others to be better Christians. I want to be that rare Christian. —A.W. Tozer