The Lord be with you and bless you today.

Today’s Kindle deals include a number that are worth checking out. You’ll find several by John Stott, David Wells, and so on.
Pain Needs Interpreting
“Rather than just react to pain, the Bible calls us to act towards it. We’re not to just be subject to our pain, blown about in every direction by it. Rather we’re to respond to it, and subject it to the light of God’s word.” In other words, we need to carefully interpret it.
Your Love for Jesus Is Measured by What He Asks of You, Not by How You Treat Christmas
Stephen offers some level-headed thoughts here about Christmas, and about the fact that some Christians celebrate it while others do not.
Is Predestination Unfair?
“A common objection to unconditional election is that it’s unfair. Isn’t God unfair to choose to save only some humans not based on any human condition but solely on his sovereign good pleasure? Isn’t there injustice on God’s part that some people are not elect?” Andy Naselli answers the objection.
9 Biblical Methods for Encouraging One Another
This article by Caleb Davis traces 9 ways that Christians can encourage one another.
Wise Friendship Is Unwaveringly Committed
Al shows that wise friendship is committed friendship. “Fast food is OK if you need a quick hit of sugar and fat, something to give you just enough energy to do what you need to do.  But we all know it isn’t good for us, it doesn’t nourish us, it doesn’t build us up.  Fast friendship is the same – it has no depth, provides no nourishment, and doesn’t give us life.”
Themelios 48.3
If you are interested in some slightly more academic reading, you may want to take a look at the new issue of Themelios. It offers plenty of articles and book reviews.
Flashback: What Matters Is Not the Size of Your Faith
What secures us in our trials is not the magnitude of our faith, but the power of the one in whom we have placed it. The smallest bit of faith in God is worth infinitely more than the greatest bit of faith in ourselves, or the strongest measure of faith in faith itself.

Loving your neighbor as yourself, when the category of neighbor includes everyone you meet, including your enemies, is a supernatural action, and it is an action that is the proof of our salvation. —Alistair Begg

The Lord be with you and bless you today.
Today’s Kindle deals include a number that are worth checking out. You’ll find several by John Stott, David Wells, and so on.

“Rather than just react to pain, the Bible calls us to act towards it. We’re not to just be subject to our pain, blown about in every direction by it. Rather we’re to respond to it, and subject it to the light of God’s word.” In other words, we need to carefully interpret it.

Stephen offers some level-headed thoughts here about Christmas, and about the fact that some Christians celebrate it while others do not.

“A common objection to unconditional election is that it’s unfair. Isn’t God unfair to choose to save only some humans not based on any human condition but solely on his sovereign good pleasure? Isn’t there injustice on God’s part that some people are not elect?” Andy Naselli answers the objection.

This article by Caleb Davis traces 9 ways that Christians can encourage one another.

Al shows that wise friendship is committed friendship. “Fast food is OK if you need a quick hit of sugar and fat, something to give you just enough energy to do what you need to do. But we all know it isn’t good for us, it doesn’t nourish us, it doesn’t build us up. Fast friendship is the same – it has no depth, provides no nourishment, and doesn’t give us life.”

If you are interested in some slightly more academic reading, you may want to take a look at the new issue of Themelios. It offers plenty of articles and book reviews.

What secures us in our trials is not the magnitude of our faith, but the power of the one in whom we have placed it. The smallest bit of faith in God is worth infinitely more than the greatest bit of faith in ourselves, or the strongest measure of faith in faith itself.

Loving your neighbor as yourself, when the category of neighbor includes everyone you meet, including your enemies, is a supernatural action, and it is an action that is the proof of our salvation.
—Alistair Begg

I have been blogging at Challies.com on a daily basis for over 20 years now. That long commitment has allowed me to write thousands of articles and hundreds of book reviews while also sending millions of visitors to other sites through the daily A La Carte feature. While I’ve also written a number of books, through it all the blog has remained the “main thing.” Much of the blog’s content is now also translated into Spanish, French, and a number of other languages.

One of my great desires has always been to freely give away as much as possible. I intend for it to always remain entirely free for all who visit. While for obvious reasons this can’t happen when it comes to books, I’ve made it my goal to ensure that everything else has been freely and widely distributed. This has been possible largely because of advertisers, but there is also a key role for the generosity of individuals.
This is where patrons come in. A service called Patreon provides a convenient means of linking content producers (like me) with supporters (like you).
To that end, I would like to ask those who regularly read this site to consider supporting me by becoming a patron. By supporting me with even a modest monthly gift, you will be able to be part of this ongoing work. You will also receive Patron-only monthly updates on what I have been doing in the month that has passed and what I plan to do in the month ahead. Funds donated will be used to support my family and to help create great content or to otherwise improve, support, and enhance Challies.com. In one way or another, they will all be used to allow me to continue to do what I have been doing for these past 20 years.
I’m also sometimes asked about one-time gifts. If that is of interest to you, they can be made by credit card via PayPal or forwarded by check to this address:
Tim Challies1011 Upper Middle Road East, Box #1214Oakville, Ontario L6H 5Z9Canada
Please understand that I intend for Challies.com to always remain entirely free. In fact, patrons help ensure that it always remains that way.
Thank you for considering becoming a patron of Challies.com. Your support means so much to me. And this is the end of my once-yearly mention of this subject!

I have been blogging at Challies.com on a daily basis for over 20 years now. That long commitment has allowed me to write thousands of articles and hundreds of book reviews while also sending millions of visitors to other sites through the daily A La Carte feature. While I’ve also written a number of books, through it all the blog has remained the “main thing.” Much of the blog’s content is now also translated into Spanish, French, and a number of other languages.
One of my great desires has always been to freely give away as much as possible. I intend for it to always remain entirely free for all who visit. While for obvious reasons this can’t happen when it comes to books, I’ve made it my goal to ensure that everything else has been freely and widely distributed. This has been possible largely because of advertisers, but there is also a key role for the generosity of individuals.
This is where patrons come in. A service called Patreon provides a convenient means of linking content producers (like me) with supporters (like you).
To that end, I would like to ask those who regularly read this site to consider supporting me by becoming a patron. By supporting me with even a modest monthly gift, you will be able to be part of this ongoing work. You will also receive monthly Patron-only updates on what I have been doing in the month that has passed and what I plan to do in the month ahead. Funds donated will be used to support my family and to help create great content or to otherwise improve, support, and enhance Challies.com. In one way or another, they will all be used to allow me to continue to do what I have been doing for these past 20 years.
I’m also sometimes asked about one-time gifts. If that is of interest to you, they can be made by credit card via PayPal or forwarded by check to this mailing address:
Tim Challies1011 Upper Middle Road East, Box #1214Oakville, Ontario L6H 5Z9Canada
Please understand that I intend for Challies.com to always remain entirely free. In fact, patrons help ensure that it always remains that way.
Thank you for considering becoming a patron of Challies.com. Your support means so much to me. And this is the end of my once-yearly mention of this subject!

Users of Logos will want to take a look at this month’s deals. You will find a Christmas Sale and also the usual series of free and nearly-free books. You can also get a good discount on the Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries and the Bible Speaks Today series. And then there’s a flash sale on the Focus on the Bible commentaries which are excellent.

(Yesterday on the blog: Who Are You When Only Your Family Is Looking?)
Answering Six Objections to the Virgin Birth
Mitch addresses six common objections to the virgin birth. “Holy Scripture teaches that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary. This is the doctrine of the virgin birth—or, to be more precise, the virginal conception. This teaching has encountered objections over the years, and there are good responses to each of them.”
The Beauty of Difference
“As I listen to the Western culture around me I hear a mixed message regarding difference. It is celebrated, but not really. Slogans like ‘be yourself’ or ‘find yourself’ surround us. The culture speaks loudly about the value of diversity. Yet at the same time we constantly hear an equally loud message of reaching your full potential through what is deemed normal and desirable. So in the search for fulfilment, what we actually end up with is the unspoken slogan of ‘be what we expect you to be’.”
Shoplifting and the Rise of Shame
It seems that shoplifting is increasing in many different places. Matthew Hosier suggests one possible explanation (and solution).
The Pastor’s Salary and Martin Luther
This article uses Martin Luther to help Christians think well about compensating their pastors.
25 Ways to Provoke Your Children to Anger
Paul Tautges: “How much of the anger in my home is caused by me? That’s a painful question. As parents, fathers in particular, we must heed God’s Word from Ephesians 6:4.”
Tribes, Trolls, and the Power of Technology
There is lots to ponder in Jason’s article about tribes, trolls, and the power of technology. “While technology can be, and is, often used for good in society, these benefits are often outweighed by the deleterious impact of these media on our public square. Social media is not uniquely dangerous, and is by no means inherently bad, but the ways in which our sinful hearts use and misuse these tools can be especially harmful to matters of politics and social order.”
Flashback: Stopping An Affair Before It Begins
Affairs do not begin with sex. Falling into bed with a man who is not your husband or a woman who is not your wife is simply one step in a long chain of events, one decision in a long series of poor decisions.

The more we dwell where the cries of Calvary can be heard, where we can view heaven and earth and hell, all moved by his wondrous passion—the more noble will our lives become. —Charles Spurgeon

One of the customs of our church is to thoroughly evaluate the men we call to be pastors and elders. Once we identify a candidate for the office, and once he has indicated his interest, we complete a thorough evaluation of his life and character. We work through a document that describes the qualifications the Bible holds out and asks whether he meets them or falls short. The prospective elder and his wife complete this evaluation first before the existing elders and the entire congregation do the same. By the end of the process we feel confident that the men we call are also qualified. (And, to ensure those men remain qualified, we repeat this process every six years or so.)

It never fails to fascinate me that when the Bible describes the qualifications of an elder, its focus is almost entirely on character. There is one qualification related to skill (he must have the ability to teach) and one related to desire (he must want to serve in this way), but beyond that, there is an extensive list of traits of character: he must be gentle, he must be hospitable, he must be generous, he must be devoted to his wife, he must be a faithful father, and so on. Where we are so easily swayed by accomplishments and raw ability, God’s foremost concern is for character. When it comes to the leadership of the church, God demands they be men of upstanding character, men who are above reproach in the eyes of their family members, their church, and even their community.
I recently took some time away from being an elder—a sabbatical that followed more than a decade of constant service. Upon returning, the members of the church re-evaluated me in light of those qualities, a process that is humbling but also encouraging, for Christians love to identify strengths more than weaknesses and graces more than faults. It was a blessing to receive their affirmation that they believe I am qualified to continue to serve among them. Meanwhile, we have just gone through the process of identifying a new elder and examining his suitability for the office. Through those two contexts, I found myself pondering character.
I have often heard it said that character is who you are when no one is looking. This is a well-worn phrase that communicates an essential truth: You tend to be on your best behavior when you are in the public eye. But if you wish to know who you truly are, and if you wish to know what your character is really made of, you need to look at yourself in those times when you are alone and those places where no one is present to spot your behavior or stand in judgment of your actions. You need to consider the situations in which your mind is free to wander and your hands are free to act. The truest gauge of your truest self is known ultimately only to you. Hence, character is who you are when no one is looking.
But as I considered the character of an elder, I also found myself challenged with this: Character is who you are when only your family is looking. I consider this equally important when gauging strength of character, for family knows who you really are just as much as solitude does. After all, when no one is looking, you are not being challenged by other people, you are not being sinned against, you are not being forced to practice courteous conduct and gentle speech. You are not practicing or neglecting discipleship through Word and prayer, you are not failing or succeeding to lead others through trying circumstances. It’s just you and the silence, just you and the screen, just you and your own thoughts. In that way, you learn a lot about yourself when only your family is looking.
One of the elements of my life that concerns me most is my ability to be on my worst behavior around the people who are most important to me. You would think I’d always be at my very best before the people I love the most. Yet somehow I can put on airs before strangers and then let down my guard before my family. Somehow I can live to impress people I barely know while being apathetic toward people I know the best and whose lives are deeply intertwined with mine. There is something about home life that can breed arrogance and apathy, entitlement and hostility.
But before God calls me to serve the church he calls me to serve my family and before he calls me to love the people of my local congregation he calls me to love the people under my own roof. Long before I think about laying down my life in service for my brothers and sisters, he calls me to lay down my life in service for my wife and children. My family knows who I really am in a way neither the crowds nor the solitude do.
Who am I? What kind of man am I? What kind of character do I possess and display? I will learn that in the darkness, in the solitude, in the times when no human eyes sees me. But I will equally learn that when I am before those people who see me constantly and up close, for character is who I am when only my family is looking.

One of the customs of our church is to thoroughly evaluate the men we call to be pastors and elders. Once we identify a candidate for the office, and once he has indicated his interest, we complete a thorough evaluation of his life and character. We work through a document that describes the qualifications the Bible holds out and asks whether he meets them or falls short. The prospective elder and his wife complete this evaluation first before the existing elders and the entire congregation do the same. By the end of the process we feel confident that the men we call are also qualified. (And, to ensure those men remain qualified, we repeat this process every six years or so.)
It never fails to fascinate me that when the Bible describes the qualifications of an elder, its focus is almost entirely on character. There is one qualification related to skill (he must have the ability to teach) and one related to desire (he must want to serve in this way), but beyond that, there is an extensive list of traits of character: he must be gentle, he must be hospitable, he must be generous, he must be devoted to his wife, he must be a faithful father, and so on. Where we are so easily swayed by accomplishments and raw ability, God’s foremost concern is for character. When it comes to the leadership of the church, God demands they be men of upstanding character, men who are above reproach in the eyes of their family members, their church, and even their community.
I recently took some time away from being an elder—a sabbatical that followed more than a decade of constant service. Upon returning, the members of the church re-evaluated me in light of those qualities, a process that is humbling but also encouraging, for Christians love to identify strengths more than weaknesses and graces more than faults. It was a blessing to receive their affirmation that they believe I am qualified to continue to serve among them. Meanwhile, we have just gone through the process of identifying a new elder and examining his suitability for the office. Through those two contexts, I found myself pondering character.
I have often heard it said that character is who you are when no one is looking. This is a well-worn phrase that communicates an essential truth: You tend to be on your best behavior when you are in the public eye. But if you wish to know who you truly are, and if you wish to know what your character is really made of, you need to look at yourself in those times when you are alone and those places where no one is present to spot your behavior or stand in judgment of your actions. You need to consider the situations in which your mind is free to wander and your hands are free to act. The truest gauge of your truest self is known ultimately only to you. Hence, character is who you are when no one is looking.
But as I considered the character of an elder, I also found myself challenged with this: Character is who you are when only your family is looking. I consider this equally important when gauging strength of character, for family knows who you really are just as much as solitude does. After all, when no one is looking, you are not being challenged by other people, you are not being sinned against, you are not being forced to practice courteous conduct and gentle speech. You are not practicing or neglecting discipleship through Word and prayer, you are not failing or succeeding to lead others through trying circumstances. It’s just you and the silence, just you and the screen, just you and your own thoughts. In that way, you learn a lot about yourself when only your family is looking.
One of the elements of my life that concerns me most is my ability to be on my worst behavior around the people who are most important to me. You would think I’d always be at my very best before the people I love the most. Yet somehow I can put on airs before strangers and then let down my guard before my family. Somehow I can live to impress people I barely know while being apathetic toward people I know the best and whose lives are deeply intertwined with mine. There is something about home life that can breed arrogance and apathy, entitlement and hostility.
Before God calls me to serve the church he calls me to serve my family and before he calls me to love the people of my local congregation he calls me to love the people under my own roof.Share
But before God calls me to serve the church he calls me to serve my family and before he calls me to love the people of my local congregation he calls me to love the people under my own roof. Long before I think about laying down my life in service for my brothers and sisters, he calls me to lay down my life in service for my wife and children. My family knows who I really am in a way neither the crowds nor the solitude do.
Who am I? What kind of man am I? What kind of character do I possess and display? I will learn that in the darkness, in the solitude, in the times when no human eyes sees me. But I will equally learn that when I am before those people who see me constantly and up close, for character is who I am when only my family is looking.

Good morning. Grace and peace to you.

Today’s Kindle deals include some good picks from Crossway. Also, Eerdmans has all of their commentaries on sale at an 80% discount. That includes the excellent New International Commentary on the Old Testament, New International Commentary on the New Testament, New International Greek Testament Commentary, and the Pillar New Testament Commentary. This pricing applies to Amazon US only.
(Yesterday on the blog: Important Commentary Releases in 2023)
Turning on the Lights on Sin
“All around our world, darkness looms. It takes our once-vital bodies, our most precious relationships, or even our loved family members from our arms. We call it a curse of sin and use words like poison, brokenness, or death to describe the sin that covers the world on this side of the fall.  While these aren’t bad words to use, their frequent use can provide us with a skewed perspective of sin.”
My Husband Lied to Me. How Do I Know if I Can Trust Him Again? (Video)
Sadly, many people find themselves in this situation and have to ask this question.
The Overture
If you’d like to read an ongoing Christmas devotional, perhaps consider this one which is based on Handel’s Messiah.
Cooperating Under Persecution
“When I moved to China as a 23-year-old, I wanted to see how the gospel could take root and thrive in a place where the government, education system, and culture were arrayed against it. Naively, I assumed a rather simple equation: gospel preaching + persecution = church growth. The reality, of course, isn’t that simple.”
Grief Oblivion
Brittany Allen: “Grief floats through the air like smoke above us, entering our lungs—a breath thief. I look around to see hands wiping tears from eyes, looks of shock and helplessness. Death has shaken us again. My four-year-old sits under the smoke, unmoved, unaware. He flips through the pew Bible and smiles up at me, then at his daddy. He doesn’t notice the tears glazing my eyes; he can’t see the lump in my throat.”
Oversharing
Karen Wade Hayes considers the phenomenon of oversharing.
Flashback: I Fear God, and I’m Afraid of God
I do fear God. But these days I’m also finding myself afraid of God. I fear him in that sense of rightly assessing his power, his abilities, his sovereignty. But I’m also afraid of the ways he may exercise them.

The reason many people find so little comfort in their troubles, is because they do not accept them as sent from God, nor expect to receive blessing from them. —J.R. Miller

As an avid collector of commentaries, I like to keep an eye out for new releases, especially when they are part of the various major commentary series. With the year coming to an end, I wanted to put together a roundup of the key releases from 2023. So here are some of the most interesting and most important commentaries released this year.

Richard J. Phillips – Genesis 2 Volume Set (Reformed Expository Commentary). You can’t go wrong with the author or the series. And it’s great to see this series finally extend to the book of Genesis. (Amazon, Westminster Books, Logos)
Victor P. Hamilton – Exodus: An Exegetical Commentary. Hamilton wrote what many consider to be the best commentary on Genesis, so I expect his volume on Exodus will complement it well. (Amazon, Westminster Books, Logos)
Jay Sklar – Leviticus: A Discourse Analysis of the Hebrew Bible (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament). The ZECOT is a solid series with a helpful format. And Leviticus is one of those books that really demands a solid commentary to understand and apply it. (Amazon, Logos)
Barry G. Webb – Job (Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary). The EBTC is a relatively new series but one that has a lot of excellent authors writing the various volumes. It’s fun to watch the series begin to fill out. (Amazon, Westminster Books, Logos)
Kenneth J. Turner – Habakkuk: A Discourse Analysis of the Hebrew Bible (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament). Habakkuk is a book that doesn’t receive as much attention as many of the other Minor Prophets, so it’s good to see it receive a full-sized commentary. (Amazon, Logos)
Charles L. Quarles – Matthew (Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary. This is another new volume in the growing EBTC series. (Amazon, Logos)
Rob Ventura – Expository Outlines and Observations on Romans: Hints and Helps for Preachers and Teachers. Ventura’s volume isn’t a commentary per se, but is generally categorized as one. It will help anyone who is preaching or teaching the book of Romans. (Amazon, Westminster Books)
Trent Casto – 2 Corinthians (Reformed Expository Commentary). The Reformed Expository series is based on sermons which makes it ideal for preachers or general readers alike. (Amazon, Westminster Books)
J.V. Fesko – Galatians (Lectio Continua Expository Commentary). This is now the second edition of this commentary. It is part of a series published by Reformation Heritage Books that is still in relative infancy. (Amazon, Logos)
Constantine R. Campbell – The Letter to the Ephesians (Pillar New Testament Commentary). It’s always a big deal when the PNTC series, which is edited by D.A. Carson, sees a new volume. That’s the case with Campbell’s volume on Ephesians which replaces the version by Peter O’Brien that needed to be removed. (Amazon, Logos)
George Guthrie – Philippians (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament). The ZECNT has quickly become one of my favorite and most-trusted commentary series and I’m glad to see it extend to the key epistle to the Philippians. (Amazon, Logos)
Seyoon Kim – 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Second Edition (Word Biblical Commentary). Seyoon Kim has updated the commentary first written by F.F. Bruce. It is part of the WBC which has that unique format that some people love and some people really dislike. (Amazon, Logos)
Sigurd Grindheim – The Letter to the Hebrews (Pillar New Testament Commentary). This is another replacement commentary in the PNTC that followed O’Brien’s works being removed. It comes with high commendations. (Amazon, Logos)
Thomas Schreiner – Revelation (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament). Schreiner is a much-loved and much-trusted theologian—just the kind we would want to take on the challenge of the book of Revelation. (Amazon, Westminster Books, Logos)

My gratitude goes to Children’s Hunger Fund for sponsoring the blog this week. CHF is a nonprofit that serves in 31 countries and seeks to “deliver hope to suffering children by equipping local churches for gospel-centered mercy ministry.”

Westminster Books has lots of deals on books for kids.
Today’s Kindle deals include several good options for collectors. Also, I will have more to say about this next week, but collectors of commentaries will want to know that Eerdmans has all of theirs on sale at an 80% discount in the Kindle editions. That includes the excellent New International Commentary on the Old Testament, New International Commentary on the New Testament, New International Greek Testament Commentary, and the Pillar New Testament Commentary. They have had some trouble getting the prices to change, but most have made the jump. You may need to click on the individual volumes rather than look at the listings to see the price changes. This pricing applies to Kindle US only.
(Yesterday on the blog: You Are Still a Mother)
Why the Post-Christian West Is Eagerly Pursuing ‘Skynet’-Level AI
Akos Balogh asks an important question: “Where is the push for Skynet level AI coming from?” Who is so obsessed with creating that kind of AI and what is the rationale?
A Trial Lawyer Answers the Most Searched Questions About the Criminal Justice System (Video)
In this video, Matthew Martens answers some common questions about the criminal justice system in the US.
Keith Green: A Christian Singer Who Changed My Life
I really appreciated this little tribute to Keith Green whose music made a big impact on my life, too.
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (Video)
I think you’ll enjoy this new rendition of “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” from the Gettys.
Any Unchecked Sin Is Ruinous
Justin Huffman: “I was thinking this past week about cases where a person who has been a professed believer, maybe even a well-known Christian leader, falls into public sin or even apostasy, walking away from the Christian faith. Sadly, there have been many such cases in the news lately.”
Simple Ways to Encourage Different Cultural Expressions in Church
Stephen offers some helpful ways to encourage different cultural expressions in a local church. “In a multicultural church, it can be easy to let the dominant culture dominate everything. it is especially hard when your elders are drawn from the same culture but are called to care for people from a variety of different cultures. That isn’t always a result of cultural expectations and filters stopping us recognising minority culture leaders so much as there simply not always being – for a variety of reasons – people from minority cultures gifted to the church as elders even though the church might dearly love to appoint some.”
Flashback: Mind Your Christmas Imperatives
The sure path to ruining Christmas is to make it an obligatory holiday or a mark of Christian maturity.

…when we cling to a grudge, we live within a dungeon of our own construction; we are trapped in the bondage of our own unforgiving hearts. —Alistair Begg