Westminster Books has a good deal on a new book for kids. (Stay tuned tomorrow when I’ll have a major roundup of other new titles for kids.)
I added some new Kindle deals yesterday morning and will hope to do the same today. I generally try to update the list by 6:30 AM EST. (Note: It turned out that it was a very strong day for deals.)
New Music
We have been blessed with some excellent new music lately:

Live Album: Our God Will Go Before Us by Matt Boswell & Matt Papa. Listen to “Run and Run (Christ Is All My Righteousness).”
EP: No Home But You by Anchor Hymns. Listen to “O Freedom.” (The track is available on Apple Music and other platforms, but not on YouTube until Friday.)
Single: Hold Him High by Citizens. Listen to “Hold Him High.”
Single: Christ Our Wisdom by Sovereign Grace Music. Listen to “Christ Our Wisdom.”

Ray Ortlund: “The word revival speaks of life renewed. It’s about depletion lifted to restoration, refreshing reinvigoration. It’s about weary you and me reenergized with new sparkle in our eyes, new spring in our steps, new steel in our spines. And isn’t that very renewal our constant need?” (See also Four Marks of True Revival)

Some time ago, Nick Batzig discovered “that there are quite a number of Protestant theologians who have shied away from asserting that Jesus was really and truly forsaken by his Father when he hung on the cross. Nevertheless, I want to explain what we lose if Jesus wasn’t, in fact, forsaken by God when he stood in our place.”

Murray Campbell explains why Cate Blanchett (along with everyone else, of course) needs Easter. “Speaking with a journalist while filming a new movie near her old suburban home and school, Cate reflected on how her Dad’s death caused her to turn away from both Church and God.”

David Robertson tells why Scotland’s new hate crime is a very serious and concerning matter. “Most people and hopefully all Christians would agree that hate is bad. So, at a superficial level, it would seem that we should all be rejoicing at a Scottish government bill which bans hate. But as is so often the case in the world, things are not quite what they seem and words have different meanings.”

“The generation which should now be taking up the baton in churches as Boomers begin to move on to heaven, are those the sociologists label the Millennials (born 1980–1994). These folk are between 30 and 44 at present, the age at which we expect people to take on responsibility. But often that seems not to be happening. Why is that?”

The way your church allocates its financial resources tells so much about what you value most and about what you mean to accomplish in the name of Jesus Christ. A healthy church will demonstrate health in its finances. 

If Jesus simply came to tell us what to do and provide moral instruction so we could try harder to please God, then his life would have been an utter failure.
—Matt Perman

As you know, I like to do my best to sort through the new Christian books that are released each month to see what stands out as being not only new, but also particularly notable. I received quite a number of new titles in March and narrowed the list down to the ones below. I have included the editorial description for each. I hope there’s something here that catches your eye!

Cloud of Witnesses: A Treasury of Prayers and Petitions through the Ages, edited by Jonathan W. Arnold & Zachariah M. Carter. “Throughout history, Christians have sought guidance to bolster their spiritual walk with Christ and life of prayer. Even Christ’s disciples would ask, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). But in our current individualistic culture, it’s almost too easy to neglect the wisdom of those who came before us. To restore a love of historic Christian tradition, theology, and practice, this comprehensive anthology combines prayers and petitions of the greatest figures throughout the formation of the church, continuing through the medieval, Reformation, and modern eras. Editors Jonathan W. Arnold and Zachariah M. Carter provide context for each prayer through expert introductions, commentary, and biographical explorations. Ultimately readers will be encouraged in their faith as they learn the importance of prayer and witness the hearts and struggles of the saints.” (Buy it at Amazon)

Rebel to Your Will: A Story of Abuse, Father Hunger and Gospel Hope by Sean Demars. “Emotional and raw, Sean DeMars tells his story of a life turned around. It is a tale of two families: one scarred by brokenness, another renewed by grace. In his storytelling, the tragedy and horror of his early years are punctuated with the beauty of restoration evident in the life he now leads. Abandoned by a father and abused by a mother, his search for a father finds a home with the King of heaven who graces him with love and sonship. Follow his journey through abuse, drugs and prison, across the battlefield and mission field and into marriage, family and ministry in this personal, engaging and honest testament to God’s grace. As his life and his church are turned around, their stories become a platform to display how God chooses the nothings of the world. His story is the story of every sinner saved by grace: once a victim and rebel, now redeemed and reconciled.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Make the Most of Your Productivity: A Guide to Honoring God with Your Time by Ana Ávila. “Many people today idolize achievement, driven by validation, status, or financial gain. Others lack self-discipline and motivation altogether. How can Christians pursue healthy, biblical goal-setting that avoids extremes? In this user-friendly guide, Ana Ávila teaches 6 principles to help you honor God with all you have and reflect his character through your creativity. Along with a gospel-centered perspective on life, you’ll learn skills to increase efficiency, such as forming healthy habits, using productivity tools, creating tasks and projects, and more. Whether you are achievement-oriented or struggle with discipline, Ávila will show you how to reorient your time, boundaries, decisions, focus, habits, and tools around God’s main design for productivity: serving him and helping others.” (Buy it at Amazon)

Ask Pastor John: 750 Bible Answers to Life’s Most Important Questions by Tony Reinke. “Navigating the Christian life in a secular world will inevitably stir questions in the lives of thoughtful believers. Motivated by the need for sound biblical advice, Ask Pastor John was created, a podcast featuring pastor-theologian and bestselling author John Piper’s answers to audience-proposed questions about life’s toughest topics. Podcast episodes have been played over 230 million times and have become a staple in the lives of Christians around the world. In this unique book, Ask Pastor John host Tony Reinke summarizes and organizes ten years of their most insightful and popular episodes into accessible, thematic sections. Readers will be able to quickly and systematically access Piper’s insights on hundreds of topics including Bible reading, dating, social media, mental health, and more. We discover afresh how asking good questions strengthens faith and grows our understanding of God’s word.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

A Call to Contentment: Pursuing Godly Satisfaction in a Restless World by David Kaywood. “While the Bible not only encourages contentment, but commands it, it can feel like a vague, fleeting, unachievable goal. David Kaywood’s helpful book begins by moulding our understanding of what it means to be content. Do you find yourself worrying, coveting, grumbling, giving way to unrighteous anger, or dwelling unhealthily on the past or the future? You might be discontent – and it might be leading you into all sorts of other sins. He tackles three common areas of discontentment – money and possessions; pain and suffering; success and work – and digs into the reality of our desires. Ultimately, Kaywood invites readers to focus on Jesus: the God who became poor for us and suffered for us, and who calls us to work for him. The final chapter includes eight rules for contentment. These are practical steps you can take to increase the godly satisfaction in your life. The book also includes discussion questions to guide conversations on these issues with friends. If you are looking to live a life of contentment, start by reading this book.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Hebrews: A Mentor Commentary by Robert J Cara. “New Testament professor Robert J. Cara’s addition to the Mentor Commentary series highlights the timely message of Hebrews to persevere in Christ. Bringing a particularly Reformed viewpoint, Robert J. Cara underscores the presentation of Jesus as the Son and high priest. In a letter written to encourage and exhort the believers, Cara uncovers how the superior person and superior work of Jesus is broadcast loud and clear to draw back hearts tempted to drift from this glorious reality. Cara’s love for studying God’s word shines through this comprehensive and clarifying commentary. He connects God’s word to God’s world and brings each section to a close by culminating with a personal reflection that encourages us to delight in and absorb the glorious truth on display. An essential guide to understanding, enjoying and applying Hebrews; rediscover the supremacy of Christ and respond with rekindled affection.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

ESV Systematic Theology Study Bible: Theology Rooted in the Word of God. “Theology should, first and foremost, be rooted in God’s Word. In order to develop a solid understanding of God, humanity, sin, salvation, and eternity, the ESV Systematic Theology Study Bible explores the doctrines of the Christian faith and how they arise from the pages of Scripture. In this expanded edition, notes from the ESV Student Study Bible provide additional insight into the biblical text and make studying systematic theology easier than ever. Over 400 in-text mini-articles connect Christian beliefs to specific Bible passages, 25 articles explain important theological topics in greater depth, and introductions highlight the unique ways each book contributes to the whole of Christian theology. This resource will help Christians better connect what they believe about God with the very words of Scripture, strengthening their confidence in the truths of his Word.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

The Return of the Kingdom: A Biblical Theology of God’s Reign by Stephen Dempster. “The biblical story begins and ends with God as king. Human beings rebel, however, rather than fulfilling their royal calling to rule creation on behalf of their Sovereign–and the world became enslaved to the rule of a dark, serpentine lord. In this volume of IVP Academic’s Essential Studies in Biblical Theology, Stephen Dempster traces the themes of kingship and kingdom throughout Scripture, illuminating the challenges, pain, and ultimate hope that the Bible offers. The story of God’s kingship is ultimately the fulfillment of a promise, a promise to restore the rightful rule of humanity over creation by defeating sin and death and to establish a world of peace and justice. Essential Studies in Biblical Theology (ESBT), edited by Benjamin L. Gladd, explore the central or essential themes of the Bible’s grand storyline. Taking cues from Genesis 1-3, authors trace the presence of these themes throughout the entire sweep of redemptive history. Written for students, church leaders, and laypeople, the series offers an introduction to biblical theology.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Defeating Evil: How God Glorifies Himself in a Dark World by M. Scott Christensen. “Revised, adapted, and condensed for a broader audience, this companion edition to Scott Christensen’s lauded What about Evil? shows how sin, evil, corruption, and death fit into redemptive history. Exploring the storyline of Scripture and addressing practical concerns, Christensen shows that God’s ultimate end in creation is to maximize his glory before his image-bearers by defeating evil through Christ’s atoning work.” John MacArthur says this about it: “The problem of evil is widely considered the hardest of all theological conundrums: If God is omnipotent, sovereign, and good, why does evil exist? Where did it come from? Why does it persist, if a benevolent God has the power to eliminate it? Scripture is full of truths that shed light on those questions, and Scott Christensen skillfully brings them together in this helpful, insightful, and ultimately satisfying analysis. As a matter of fact, the ultimate biblical answer to the problem of evil is condensed and implied in this book’s title and subtitle: Defeating Evil: How God Glorifies Himself in a Dark World. I don’t know of a better or more readable unfolding of that truth than Scott’s excellent, well-written work.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

A Short Guide to Gospel Generosity: Giving as an Act of Grace by Nathan W. Harris. “We live in a possession and money obsessed culture. The normal American has far more than they need, yet still feel incredibly insecure, needing to grasp it all tightly and continue to gain more. This isn’t just true with our acquisition of things, but also in the way we approach all resources that God has given to us: our time, gifts and talents, our families, and our lives themselves. What is the solution to this problem? Throughout Gospel Generosity you will see how the answer to our obsession with possessions is turning to the Gospel. It’s only in the Gospel can we find the type of life transformation that enables us to turn our focus from ourselves to others, to give generously, and follow the way of Christ. God has modeled generosity throughout redemptive history, culminating in the gift of His Son, and this sacrificial generosity is the basis of true gospel generosity. Readers of this book will be called to consider all of their resources and gifts from God that are to be held loosely, ready to be used for God’s purposes. Everything is His anyway.” (Buy it at Amazon)

Pivot Points: Adventures on the Road to Christian Contentment by Marvin Olasky. “Whenever we pivot in life, freedom from fear requires either a colossal ego or a colossal God. Ego leads us to grab what is not ours. The path to contentment starts with faith in God. In this sequel to Lament for a Father, Marvin Olasky first describes his journey from Judaism to atheism to Marxism to Christ and then his adventures in evangelical, conservative, compassionate, and journalistic circles.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

The God of love and peace be with you.
I dug up a nice little list of Kindle deals for today.
(Yesterday on the blog: Does God Care How You Cook Your Goat?)

This is a good one from John Piper. “I think we should think this way: If God does not have the power or the wisdom or the right or the love to restrain deadly natural forces or hostile human forces or destructive satanic forces — if he doesn’t have the wherewithal to restrain them from hurting you — on what basis are you going to count on him to give you endurance in sufferings, or to give you relief from the suffering in this life, or to give you final happiness in the age to come?”

Casey McCall explains his church’s “Parent-Congregational Prayer Covenant” and then explains “two errors in how families view the church.”

Jason G. Duesing: “Are we seeing the end of religious liberty? For Christians in America, we see the complexities of cultural engagement. Articulating the truths of biblical Christianity regarding sexuality and gender alone, brings conflict or worse. So, it is good and right to be concerned and wonder if the end of religious liberty is near.”

“Have you ever thought to yourself, ‘I wonder how many mammals go through menopause?’ I certainly hadn’t—up until last week.” I think some of you will be encouraged by Rebekah’s thoughts.

“As we ponder the depth of Jesus’ sacrifice throughout Holy Week, consider anew how valuable that gift is and worship him in response. Like the woman with the oil and the widow with the pennies, this looks different for each of us.”

Michael Kruger discusses the development of the New Testament canon and the challenges of drawing conclusions from silence in historical texts. It’s more interesting than that description!

I want to ensure I’m not labeling my pet doctrine a gospel issue simply as a means to prevail in arguments. After all, if everything’s a gospel issue, I guess nothing’s a gospel issue.

The Christian’s heart understands the atonement better than the Christian’s head. It is a difficult doctrine for the brain, but a sweet and simple one to the affections.
—Theodore Cuyler

This sponsored post was provided by Burke Care, and written by Jen Arend, which invites you to schedule care today with a certified biblical counselor.
As the music swells, she begins her descent down the aisle. All eyes are on her, especially her groom. She is radiant, majestic, and filled with beauty. Her gaze meets his tear-filled eyes. The two express vows before God and witnesses, though it does not take long before they learn that living out those vows becomes a dance of beauty and chaos.[1] How can earthly marriage thrive in the dance? Any discussion of roles in marriage begins with beholding the ultimate Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ. In beholding the true Bridegroom from Genesis to Revelation, marriage is transformed into a beautiful dance, reflecting the relationship of Christ to his church.
Beholding the Lord Jesus, and his bride, begins in the “very good” creation of the opening chapters of Genesis. First, this relationship is seen in the Trinity. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit dwell together in perfect unity and mutual love (Matt. 3:16-17; 12:18; Mark 9:7; John 14:31; 17:24). God then gave human expression to this beautiful, Trinitarian relationship by creating Adam and Eve in the garden. What God created was “very good,” a real-time, flesh and blood expression of the deep unity that exists in the Godhead, an earthly picture of Christ and his church. The man and the woman walked with God in perfection and experienced the blessing of an unstained unity and love for one another, a dance of sheer beauty . . . until Genesis 3.
The fall of man, as recounted in Genesis 3, warped both the vertical and the horizontal dance. The whole human race was plunged into sin through the disobedience of Adam (Rom. 5:12-19), as Adam became the first bridegroom who failed. The relationship between God and man was marred, and because of the curse, earthly marriage became a dance of beauty and chaos. Where Adam failed as the first bridegroom, Genesis 3:15 revealed the seed promise of a Bridegroom to come who would never fail, alluded to throughout the entire Old Testament.
While the vertical relationship between Christ and his church continues in a fallen world, horizontally Christian marriages are called to reflect the beauty of this relationship.Jen ArendShare
The books of Genesis to Malachi are replete with references to God as the ultimate Bridegroom (Isa. 54:5; Jer. 31:32; Ezek. 16:8-32). Throughout the Old Testament, there are large portions of Scripture dedicated to this theme. Some examples include: the book of Ruth with marvelous Boaz, Hosea’s chaotic depiction of loving his prostitute wife, and the Song of Song’s vivid allegory with much application to earthly marriage. Throughout the Old Testament, God presents himself as the perfect Husband to his people, foreshadowing his Son who would come to be the ultimate Husband.
After years of silence, God spoke to us in his Son (Heb. 1:2). Christ came to us gentle and lowly. Though somewhat veiled in the Gospels, Jesus referred to himself as the Bridegroom in relation to fasting and to his second coming (Matt. 9:15; Mark 2:19). Then in Ephesians 5, Paul with total clarity presents the Lord Jesus as the great Husband of his bride, the church. Quite clearly, Christ’s model of sacrificial love is to be the example for all earthly husbands. Jesus was the servant of all (Mark 10:45; John 13:1-17) and the lover of his people to the point of laying down his life on a rugged cross, conquering sin and death through his glorious resurrection.
In contrast to Christ’s perfection, his bride the church walks in this broken world as a new creation in him, and yet still not wholly perfected. The church battles against the world, the flesh, and the devil as she lives out the dance of beauty and chaos in her relationship with Christ. This brokenness is an ever-present reality in this life. But Christ loves his bride and woos her until one day he will take her home by death or his imminent return. The bride will be perfected, and the Bridegroom will dwell with his bride in radiant glory. All of redemptive history points to this. The great multitude of Revelation 19:7 will thunder, “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” Oh, what a glorious day that will be, when the perfected bride will behold the face of her ever-perfect Bridegroom!
As we gaze upon the beauty of Christ, these truths have implications for the dance of earthly marriage. While the vertical relationship between Christ and his church continues in a fallen world, horizontally Christian marriages are called to reflect the beauty of this relationship. Because of the fall, this warped dance is found even in the best of marriages, some more beautiful and others more chaotic. How can these truths help the more chaotic moments or the desperately broken seasons of marriage in a fallen world? Sinners by faith must first be brought into a living relationship with the perfect Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ, and continually behold his beauty. It is only in a growing relationship with Christ that a couple is able to love the way that God loves and find greater oneness in the dance. Though not perfected in this life, “abiding in Christ” makes it possible to live out a more beautiful picture of Christ and the church, for “apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5).
Could it be that many marriages suffer as a result of not beholding the Bridegroom as presented in all of redemptive history, from creation to consummation? A robust understanding of the perfect love relationship that exists between the persons of the Trinity is the sure foundation for earthly marriage. And when one beholds Christ as the ultimate Bridegroom, foreshadowed in the Old Testament, and the church as his beloved bride, there leaves little room for wrong views of headship and submission, little room for habits of mistreatment in Christian marriage. Roles in marriage flow from the robust foundation of the oneness of marriage, just as the roles in the Trinity flow from the beautiful oneness of the Godhead.
When one gazes upon the beauty of Christ as the ultimate Bridegroom, the heart is inevitably changed. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed . . .” (2 Cor. 3:18). Being drawn back to the perfection of the garden and drawn forward to the new creation, Christ makes all the difference in the present. With eyes fixed on the true Bridegroom, the dance of earthly marriage becomes a little less chaotic and filled with greater beauty, all to the resounding glory of God alone.
[1] Imagery of a dance inspired by Tim Keller’s book The Meaning of Marriage.
If you have found “being transformed” more painful than expected, please consider reaching out. One of our Burke Care Team members would love to hear your story and help you navigate the “dance.”
You can find more blog post like this at Blog — Burke Care.

It is one of those biblical commands that has always perplexed me. If it appeared just one time in Scripture I might be tempted to pass it by. But it appears no less than three times, in Exodus 23:19, Exodus 34:26, and Deuteronomy 14:21. The repetition tells me that God is quite concerned that his people pay attention to his command and obey it. The command is this: “You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”
So why did God care how his Old Testament people cooked their goat? And is there any possible application to us today?
Not surprisingly, commentators are a bit divided on God’s intent in this injunction. There are broadly two different schools of thought. While some scholars choose one of the two options, a good number suggest both are relevant.
The first suggestion is that the Canaanites followed a religious ritual that involved this very thing—boiling a young goat in its mother’s milk. They would then take that milk and sprinkle it on their fields, hoping that the gods would respond by making the land fertile. This makes sense in the immediate context (of the first use in Exodus, at least) where we find laws about the various feasts and festivals, including ones related to harvest. The weakness of this theory is that there is no substantial proof that this was actually a Canaanite ritual and no substantial proof that the Israelites knew anything of it. It makes good sense and is quite plausible, but remains unproven.
The second suggestion is that there is something too ghastly and too contrary to nature in using a mother goat’s milk to cook her baby. It’s not that it was wrong to cook a baby goat or even that it was wrong to cook a baby goat in milk. It was simply wrong to cook a baby goat in its own mother’s milk. Philip Ryken explains this well: “A young goat is supposed to be nourished by its mother’s milk, not boiled in it.” To use the source of nourishment to be the source of seasoning or tenderness somehow opposes a principle of life. If we understand the command in this light, it might be similar to the prohibition against taking both a bird and its young (Deuteronomy 22:6). In that case, it is essentially a call to kindness in place of cruelty. God permits man to use and eat animals, but we must still treat them with dignity as beings created by his hand.
Which of these positions is correct? We cannot know definitively and thus need to hesitate about taking too bold a position. And while the Israelites probably understood better than we do, the main thing for them was not understanding but obedience. Their call was to obey God and refuse to ever boil a baby goat in its mother’s milk. Simple enough!
Is there anything we can gain from these parallel verses? Are they in any way profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness? I see two possible applications.
The first is to guard ourselves against worldliness. If the first theory is correct, then the Israelites, when they entered their new land, would be tempted to imitate a common practice that would tempt them away from reliance on God and tempt them toward reliance on superstitious ritual. We are certainly not immune from this temptation—to begin imitating behavior that may seem reasonable, yet still reduces our reliance on God. Perhaps we can do this when we follow secular financial practices that prompt us to reduce what we give to the church because we believe a comfortable future depends upon reaching a certain savings goal. Perhaps we also see this in cultures elsewhere in the world where people profess Christ and join a church, but still “hedge their bets” by maintaining traditional rites and rituals.
Perhaps God’s prohibition prompts us all the more to be consistently pro-life knowing that cruelty toward animals may become cruelty toward human beings.Share
The second is to value life—human life primarily, of course, but also animal life. God permits his people to eat animals and demands they sacrifice animals, so we have the right to kill and eat them. But we must still treat them with dignity, knowing that God created them and cares for them. To use the milk of the mother to cook her baby appears to be contemptuous of life and the special relationship between parents and children. This being the case, animals serve as a smaller picture of the greater reality of human beings. And in this way perhaps God’s prohibition prompts us all the more to be consistently pro-life knowing that cruelty toward animals may become cruelty toward human beings.
Whatever else is true of the Canaanites and the other foreign nations within and around the Promised Land, they were most certainly pagan and most certainly cruel. And boiling a baby in its mother’s milk was pagan or cruel, or perhaps pagan and cruel. God’s people, however, were to be holy and compassionate. Such set-apartness was to be displayed not only in the temple and in formal religious rituals, but even in the kitchen and in the way they prepared their food. Because to live for God demands living for him in every possible sphere and every possible activity.

Good morning. Grace and peace to you.
Today’s Kindle deals include several titles by Nancy Guthrie (along with some others).
(Yesterday on the blog: God Graciously Condescends)

This is a thoroughly enjoyable reflection on the way we names collectives, whether of birds or people. “Given enough time, virtually every hobby develops its own bizarre vocabulary — wacky insider terms that sound absolutely alien to normal people. To say that someone ‘hit four sixes in an 18-ball 39’ sounds like a ludicrous math problem, unless you’re wise to the jargon of cricket. Instructing someone to ‘raise pressure foot and pivot’ could result in bodily injury, unless that someone is a quilter. It’s true that every generation has its lingo, but so does every worthwhile hobby.”

Guilty as charged. “We are quick to think that the reason we experience conflict is because someone else is the problem. You fight with your boss because he’s a jerk. You fight with your wife because she’s unreasonable. You fight with your neighbor because she’s obnoxious.”

This is a lesson we would do well to heed.

“Talking with a fellow pastor I know and trust, I recently asked a question. ‘What’s one quality you believe is indispensable for an effective pastor?’ After a moment’s thought, the answer came: patience.” That is well worth considering.

Bethel McGrew writes about some of the lesser-known detransition stories. “When transgenderism was a budding fad, some people looked into their crystal balls and shrewdly predicted that a reckoning was coming. It wouldn’t be immediate, of course. It would take time for young people to realize they’d been screwed over. And it would take courage. Lots and lots of courage.”

“Names and labels get … complicated when it comes to religious, social, and theological movements, especially when the name of the movement—as in the case of evangelicals—has a very important word embedded in it: evangel, the gospel.”

We must be willing to have others consider us fools or fanatics, to have our words twisted and even our purest actions misrepresented. We cannot expect or even hope that we will gain the favor of God and the favor of men.

Here is the history of the grass—sown, grown, blown, mown, gone; and the history of man is not much more.
—Charles Spurgeon

God has graciously chosen to initiate relationship with human beings who, left to themselves, deny his power and even his very existence. He does this through revelation—through revealing himself to us.
But what is it that he reveals about himself? According to Erwin Lutzer, it is his character, his nature, and his will. I’ve heard it said that character is who you are when no one is looking. God reveals himself as someone who existed long before there was anyone looking, and then as now, his character was marked by love. He has always existed in a loving relationship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We might say his nature is his attributes, or the qualities of his “godness.” And his will includes his desires for humanity. As the one who created us, he is the one who has the right to tell us how we ought to live.
How does God reveal all of this? Through what we call general revelation and special revelation. General revelation is what God reveals to all of humanity through what has been made and can be observed by all. Special revelation is what God reveals through special means—most notably through Scripture and its revelation of Jesus Christ. Praise God that, in his grace, he has chosen to reveal himself to us!

My gratitude goes to P&R Publishing for sponsoring the blog this week so they could tell you about a tremendous new resource: Perfect Unity by Ralph Cunnington.
Today’s Kindle deals include quite an extensive list of titles.
(Yesterday on the blog: Gospel Generosity)

This is a fascinating and thought-provoking article about the church.

Nathan Eshelman reimagines the famous “love chapter” in Corinthians. While he does so in ways specific to his denomination, I expect you will be able to make the bridge to your own.

Paul Levy celebrates Jesus and the way he draws us to himself. “He makes an offer you can’t refuse. You are not forcing yourself to believe, your arm is not twisted. We were drawn willingly by Jesus Christ. He calls us to believe by his Word and his Spirit.”

“You don’t have to be a hitman or tribal headhunter to use violence to serve your ambition. You can commit violence to someone’s name, reputation, or finances. Violence is a frame of mind before it is a physical act. It is an ends-justify-the-means philosophy. You harden your heart to the pain you inflict on others in order to advance yourself.”

Writing for TGC Canada, Dwayne Cline has a helpful look at the six responsibilities of the elders of every church. “God emphasizes the character traits He is looking for in an elder because an elder represents Him before the church and the world. Character can be easily overlooked when a church is desperate for leadership. Because God is concerned with His integrity and glory, character is of utmost importance.”

“I want to go deeper; I desire to have more robust communion with God. That’s the struggle for all Christians, isn’t it? Or, at the very least, it should be. We should all want deeper fellowship with the Lord. Every single one of us should sincerely desire to have a more profound experience with God. Deeper communion leads to deeper sanctification.”

We make our way more difficult when we give ourselves over to sin. Every sin is a weight, every vice a heavy load to our souls. Sin burdens the mind, clouds the judgment, afflicts the conscience.

Some preachers evidently do not believe that the Lord is with their gospel, because, in order to attract and save sinners, their gospel is insufficient, and they have to add to it inventions of men.
—Charles Spurgeon

This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by P&R Publishing. They are offering Perfect Unity: A Guide for Christian Doctrine and Life to 10 winners.
The world is tearing itself apart over identity politics. What is the answer? Recognizing that two things can be distinct yet inseparable. 
This concept—rooted in the writings of Augustine, John Calvin, and others—is in fact key to understanding some of the most precious truths about God, humanity, and salvation. Written to Christians of all ages and backgrounds, Ralph Cunnington’s systematic guide to Christian truth presents a challenging, orthodox message that is desperately needed today.
“Brilliant and concise, rooted in pastoral experience, with an abundance of striking examples, this is a great book for new Christians and older ones alike.”
—Robert Letham, Senior Research Fellow, Union School of Theology
ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE
There are ten copies to win. All you need to do to enter the draw is to fill in your name and email address in the form below, which will add you to P&R’s mailing list.
Giveaway Rules: You may enter one time. Winners will be notified by email on March 25th, 2024.

There are certain categories of books that you can read once and never return to—you read a single title on that subject and it tells you all you ever need to know about it. But there are other categories of books that you need to return to on a regular basis. In my experience, that includes books on giving—on living a life marked by financial generosity. Over time I find my natural tendency is toward keeping rather than giving, toward saving rather than freely distributing. So I need to regularly read books that will interrupt my apathy and reaffirm what I know to be good and true.

Gospel Generosity

A new book on the subject proved to be just what I needed. Nathan W. Harris’ Gospel Generosity: Giving As An Act of Grace is part of B&H’s “The Short Guide Series” and, as such, wastes little time in getting right to the heart of the matter. “This book is all about one thing—giving. More specifically, it’s about how the gospel calls Christians to a life of radical generosity.”
It’s important to address the word “radical.” There are some Christians who seem to be called by God to be especially extreme in their generosity, to earn heaps and give away almost all of it. Or to create great ministries and, by refusing to ever solicit donations, to display God as the provider. And as much as I honor such individuals, and as much as they might benefit from this book, I don’t see Harris asking us all to imitate them. Rather, the generosity he calls for is radical compared to our natural tendencies, radical compared to the financial principles of the people around us, radical compared to what might seem naturally intuitive, and radical even when compared to our spiritual forebears in the Old Testament.

Because your head and heart are converted, then even how you view your money changes. What once used to be yours is now for God’s use. As the pocketbook experiences conversion, its aim is to be used to glorify God. A converted life leads to converted thinking about money. A converted pocketbook does not heed the words of the world and fixate itself on saving, but sees its resources as a way to participate in the gospel’s call to generosity. The call to follow Christ means to commit your whole life without reservation or hesitation. Every aspect of your life is given sacrificially to God, which includes your money. Because of God’s mercy, and the new life we find in Christ, Christians should live out their holy call to generosity with joy.

Generosity, then, is an implication of the gospel and a calling of the gospel—a call we are all to heed whatever our means and whatever our circumstances.
As Harris progresses through his short book, he begins by telling how our obsession with money and possessions is an issue of heart, health, and service to God. It’s an issue that reveals the heart’s ultimate trust and loyalty, that serves as an indicator of spiritual health, and that proves who we mean to serve in this world—God or money.
Having shown this, Harris addresses the issue of tithing and does some careful biblical work to show how tithing is no longer a mandate upon Christians. Yet this does not free us from the obligation of giving 10 percent of our income as much as it frees us to give with even greater freedom and generosity. The coming of Jesus Christ and the inauguration of his kingdom completely transform the way we understand and practice our giving.
As the pocketbook experiences conversion, its aim is to be used to glorify God. A converted life leads to converted thinking about money.Nathan W. HarrisShare
The closing chapters consider how giving proclaims the gospel and portrays it to the world around us. As citizens of that kingdom, we are to be humble, selfless, and wholeheartedly committed to Christ’s call and this necessarily impacts the way we give, the quantity we give, and the freedom and joy with which we give it. We also give with a view to Christ’s return, allowing the guarantee of his second coming and eternity in his presence to motivate our generosity now. It allows us to be genuinely cheerful givers, whose joy is not grounded in what we have now, but in what Christ has promised.
“For Christians, generosity is more than just the way we give money, spend our time, and share our abilities with others. As we give, we get to be living examples of what Christ has done in our lives. Giving, above all else, is about the testimony of the gospel.” Giving, then, is a blessing not only for those who receive it, but for all of us who do it. We don’t have to give—we get to give! And as we give, we proclaim what Christ has done for us and proclaim our trust and confidence in him. What a joy then, and what an honor, that God calls us to this sacred task.