I think we are all guilty at times of importing our understanding of earth into our assumptions of heaven. We are all guilty of importing our understanding of how things work here to how they will work there. We look at the world we know and extrapolate to the one we don’t. I sometimes fear, though, that our thoughts of heaven are actually marred by our experiences of earth.

I have often heard people speak of those who are in heaven and use language such as “the people closest to the throne” or maybe those who “have the biggest mansions” or those who are given “the greatest reward.” And certainly there seems to be some variety to the degree of the rewards God will dispense to his people—though variety that will neither swell the hearts of those who receive more nor provoke the hearts of those who receive less (if that is, indeed, the way things work).
When I hear people use language like “those closest to the throne,” they almost invariably speak of people who are known and famous, who are acknowledged by other believers to have accomplished a lot for the Lord and for his purposes. Surely that one who preached so faithfully to such great crowds and that one who wrote books that sold so well and that one who served so committedly and so publicly—surely they are the ones who are counted great in the kingdom. Surely they are the ones who receive the greatest honor in heaven. After all, they are the ones who received the greatest honor on earth. If God’s people held them in such high esteem here, why wouldn’t God hold them in similarly high esteem there?
Yet I can’t help but wonder if this betrays a pattern of thinking that doesn’t understand the mind and heart of God—that assumes that the most public gifts are the most important and that God gives the most important gifts to his most favored people. Or that there is a necessary connection between the visibility of a gift and its value in his eyes.
Are we certain that the gifts we count as most important are the ones that God counts as most important? Do we know that a gift for preaching is more important than a gift of encouragement? Are we certain that the man who preaches before tens of thousands of strangers in a conference venue ranks higher than the woman who intercedes for mere tens or hundreds from the privacy of her home? Are we certain that the one who leads the church in worship is really far ahead of the one who prepares the church by shoveling its sidewalks and setting up its chairs? That the one who labors in the pulpit is doing more important work than the one who labors in her prayer closet?
Jesus told us to be like little children, not like great celebrities. He didn’t tell us to be famous, but to be faithful, not to revel in the applause of men but to long for the affirmation of God. Our responsibility is to exercise the gifts and embrace the duties God has given us, no matter what they are, no matter how public, no matter how visible. We have no business wishing away the gifts God has given to us and no business envying the gifts he has given to someone else. We are to labor with diligence and entrust it all to God.
I am convinced that if there are some who receive a particularly great reward, it will be those who were most faithful with what they were given, whether it was much or little, visible or invisible, acknowledged by others or completely overlooked. The man who lived a life of quiet faithfulness in the humblest of jobs will surely receive God’s commendation ahead of many of those who wore fine vestments and who stood in ornate pulpits. The woman who served with excellence in an invisible ministry will surely be acknowledged ahead of the one who brought mediocrity to the most visible.
The fact is, there is no reason at all to think that the foremost preachers or most famous theologians will be received most joyfully in heaven, for God measures these things so differently from the way we do. In his eyes it’s not the visibility of the gift that matters, but the diligence with which it is embraced and exercised. And this puts the onus on each of us to ask how and where God has called us to serve his purposes, then to serve then and there in his strength and for his glory, joyfully entrusting it all to him.

I have been asked to do quite a number of interviews recently and, as a courtesy to those who have invited me, wanted to link to some of them: Real Truth for Today (audio); Bible Gateway (written); Guilt Grace Gratitude (audio); LIFE Today (video).

The other day I mentioned that Westminster Books has launched a site specifically for kids’ books. They’ve done a great job of it and provide an explanation here.
Today’s Kindle deals include a few interesting books.
Progressive Views on Sexuality Will Ultimately Fail
Trevin Wax says, rightly, that “we’ll likely see more churches and denominations adopt the revisionist view of sexuality, but over time, the bankruptcy of this position will be evident.”
Two Hundred Years Ago, the Rosetta Stone Unlocked the Secrets of Ancient Egypt
This is a neat telling of the discovery and importance of the Rosetta Stone.
I Want to Be Baptized — My Husband Opposes It
John Piper answers a question from a woman who wants to be baptized, but whose husband is opposed.
A Lesson from Liz Cheney’s Loss
Kevin DeYoung: “This is not going to be a deep dive into electoral politics. That’s not my lane. But I do want to reflect on one lesson from Liz Cheney’s 37-point defeat in Wyoming’s Republican primary. I don’t say the lesson, because there are many, but a lesson, because I believe this is one cautionary tale that many of us in leadership would do well to consider.”
Moths & Beetles in Slow Motion Flight! (Video)
It never ceases to amaze me that, despite all our technological advancements, God’s designs are a million miles ahead of our own.
Finding Courage and Resolve When a Line In the Sand Demands It
“Sometimes lines happen between good and evil, right and wrong. Oftentimes those lines in the sand reveal who or what we worship. Always they bring opportunity to grow our faith.”
Flashback: Death to the One-Year Rule!
It’s a sad reality that at times a man will need to be removed from his ministry. When that happens, we do well to carefully consider the unwritten “one-year rule” and whether it will be helpful or harmful. A year may be a long time, but as often as not, it will not be long enough.

Calvary supplied the most solemn and awe-inspiring display of God’s hatred of sin that time or eternity will ever furnish. —A.W. Pink

Blessings to you on this fine day!

(Yesterday on the blog: Idolatry is Futility)
What Are the Charismatic Gifts?
This is a respectful and charitable (yet also distinctly cessationist) perspective on the charismatic gifts.
Why Do Christians Make Such a Big Deal about Sex?
“Whenever people ask me why Christians are so weird about sex, I first point out that we’re weirder than they think.” Rebecca McLaughlin explains.
The Bitter Splinters of Marburg
Michael Haykin: “When we think of the issues debated during the German Reformation, we think of matters such as justification and the authority of the Scriptures. But as contentious as these primary issues were, the nature of the Lord’s Supper was also heavily debated. Is Christ present at the Table? And if so, how? That’s what Luther and Zwingli came to debate.”
People Pleasing is a Shapeshifter
“Several years ago, it dawned on me that I was no longer obsessed with other people’s approval. I had grown strong enough in my identity as an image-bearer of God that I no longer craved constant affirmation. Of course, it was still nice when I got it, but I didn’t need it to validate my worth. I had attained the unattainable: I was no longer a People Pleaser. It felt freeing. I must be a pretty mature Christian. To God be the glory and all that good stuff.” However…
What Job Titles Should Churches Use? Two Simple Rules
Jonathan Leeman: “In case you missed it, the Southern Baptist Convention got into a bit of a tussle at this year’s annual meeting over the definition of the word ‘pastor.’ What provoked the tussle was the fact that in recent years Saddleback Community Church, a SBC church, installed several women as pastors. This seems to contradict the SBC’s statement of faith, The Baptist Faith & Message 2000.”
A Savior Who Knows What It Is to Weep
Colin Smith wants to assure you that “God is always intimately involved in the grief of His people.”
Flashback: It’s All About the Conscience
Our task as spiritual physicians is to treat bad consciences, continually delivering the healing balm of the living word of God and his life-giving sacraments.

I have given God countless reasons not to love me. None of them have been strong enough to change Him. —Paul Washer

We are all prone to idolatry. We may consider ourselves far too advanced to bow before an idol of wood or stone, to bend the knee to the image of an animal or man. But none of us is immune from bowing before the idols of our dreams and desires, before the idols of our wandering hearts. None of us can forever resist the allure of our illicit longings, of finding hope in mere riches, of finding meaning in mere accolades. In one way or another we are all prone to idolatry. And idolatry is futility.

In the prophecies of Isaiah we hear the voice of God as he rebukes the nation of Israel for its commitment to idols. He challenges the people to consider the cost of turning away from the God who called them, the God who saved them, the God who loves them. “When you cry out,” he says, “let your collection of idols deliver you!”
He knows the day will come when his people will face a great calamity. He knows the day will come when his people will understand that they cannot save themselves. And in that time, he tells them, they ought to be consistent and cry out to their idols for help, for deliverance, for satisfaction. Cry out to those pieces of wood, cry out to those blocks of stone, and let them come to your rescue!
And what will happen? “The wind will carry them all off, a breath will take them away.” In that day when they, in desperation, cry out for deliverance, they will see the futility of their idolatry, for their gods will be unable to stand before the smallest breeze, the merest breath, the tiniest puff of wind.
We may roll our eyes at the Israelites for being so easily swayed by Baal and Asherah and Molech. We may regard them with mockery for thinking these imaginary gods could ever have interceded on their behalf, could ever have come to their rescue, could ever have been worthy of their worship. But with a moment’s honesty we need to admit that we are just as easily swayed. With a moment’s introspection we need to consider the cost of our own idolatry.
“When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you!” he said to Israel. And perhaps to us he says:
When you encounter times of deep grief and sore loss and long to be comforted, let the women of your pornography rush to your side. Let them minister to your sorrows.
When you are old and infirm and need someone to care for you or simply care about you, let your career come to your side and nurse you. Let it bring you comfort as you prepare to face eternity.
When you have sinned and transgressed and long for someone to love you and walk with you through repentance and restoration, let the characters in the books or movies or games that so consumed your time be with you. Let them be the friend who sticks closer than a brother.
When you have been treated unjustly, forsaken by those who ought to love you and care for you, let your money hasten to your side. Since you have prioritized wealth ahead of relationships, let your bank account and cars and holiday homes rush your cause and come to your rescue.
But God does not leave his people without hope. There is hope even for the idolater if only he is willing to repent, if only he is willing to turn to the God who saves. “But he who takes refuge in me,” says God, “shall possess the land and shall inherit my holy mountain.” It is never too late to turn to God, never too late to cry out to him for help and deliverance, never too late to flee to the one who is—and will always be—our refuge.

Parents will be glad to know that Westminster Books has launched a new site, Westminster Kids, that’s all about kids’ books.

Today’s Kindle deals include a collection of books for women from Crossway.
(Yesterday on the blog: I Pray That This Sinner May Be Saved)
When “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” Is All the Logic Left
This is a thought-provoking article. “We don’t want complex syllogisms, but compelling stories. The degree to which gripping narratives embody logical syllogism is the degree to which we are willing to think logically. Our field of reasoning goes only so far as the stories take us, and no further.”
Prioritizing Evangelism
Mez McConnell: “Many Christians behave like the Jews. They keep Jesus to themselves. They want to keep the gospel within their tribe, so they hide it, willingly or unwillingly, from sections of society they either fear or don’t understand.”
Pushing back against barbarism
Carl Trueman: “The recent controversy surrounding Brittany Kerr Aldean’s comments about transgenderism has garnered considerable media attention, culminating in her husband, country star Jason Aldean, parting ways with his public relations firm of seventeen years.”
When Spiritual Routines Get Boring
Barbara writes about those times when spiritual routines get boring.
Mom, Jesus Is Praying for You
“How often do we mother from our own strength and resolve? In other words, how often do we forget that Jesus serves us far beyond our initial conversion?” Kristen asks the questions and offers some encouragement to moms.
Involuntarily Sent
This missionary describes a recent crisis that hit their church particularly hard.
Flashback: The Duties Required by the Ninth Commandment in a Social Media World
With the rise of modern communications technologies, and especially social media, I am convinced we need to diligently apply ourselves to a fresh consideration of all this commandment requires of us.

A sinner does not ‘decide’ for Christ; the sinner ‘flies’ to Christ in utter helplessness and despair. —Martyn Lloyd-Jones

We all know people who don’t know the Lord and, therefore, we all know what it is to plead for their salvation. This prayer by Philip Doddridge is drawn from Tim Chester’s new collection Into His Presence and gives words that can perhaps guide you in your prayers of supplication.

Almighty God, with you all things are possible. To you therefore I humbly apply myself on behalf of this dear immortal soul, this person who is perishing in their sins, and hardening themselves against that everlasting gospel which has been the power of God to the salvation of so many thousands and millions.
Oh, that after all their hardness and impenitence, you would still be pleased, by the sovereign power of your effectual grace, to awaken and convert them! You who made the soul can cause the sword of conviction to enter it. Oh, that in your infinite wisdom and love you would find a way to intervene, and save this sinner from death, from eternal death! You know, O God, they are a dying creature. You see a moment marked in the book of your decrees which will seal them up in an unchangeable state. Oh, that you would lay hold on them while they are still part of the living! Oh, let your sacred Spirit work while they are still within the sphere of his operations.
Work, O God, by whatever method you choose; only have mercy upon them so they do not sink into the depths of damnation and ruin, on the very brink of which they so evidently appear. Oh, that you would bring them, if that be necessary, and seem to you most expedient, into any depths of calamity and distress. Glorify your name, O Lord, and glorify your grace, in the method which your infinite wisdom shall deem most expedient. Only grant, I pray you, with all humble submission to your will, that this sinner may be saved.
To him who has loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and has made us kings and priests to God, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.
Amen.

Also, I think most or all audiobooks on Amazon/Audible are 65% off for a few days. Start here, then search for the audiobook you want. You may just find a good deal on it.

If you’re after something for your daily devotions (in printed, not audio format) perhaps take a look at this new David Powlison devotional.
Today’s Kindle deals include some newer and older books.
(Yesterday on the blog: When Church Leadership Goes Wrong)
Be Angry and Do Not Sin
Ed Welch considers what it means to be angry yet not sin. “The problem is that we are happy to exploit what seems to be a legal loophole. Anger, in its very nature, is self-justifying. My anger is righteous; your anger is not. So if we are to find some righteous wiggle room here, we must proceed very carefully.”
Rejoice (Video)
The Gettys released a new album yesterday that is well worth a listen. One of the top tracks on it is “Rejoice” which features Rend Collective.
Uprooting Bitterness
Paul Tautges is doing some writing on bitterness. “Bitterness was taking root, confirming to me that their sin was greater than mine. The wrong they did to us is more serious than my failure to trust God, I thought. For months, I prayed in anger and lacked self-awareness of what was happening inside me.”
What REALLY Happened at Nicaea
I appreciate these Red Pen Logic videos that quickly answer common objections to Christianity, like this one which claims that the canon of Scripture was established at Nicaea.
When You Can’t Meet Every Need
I appreciate what Lauren says here about her inability to meet all the needs of all the people in her family. “‘I can’t meet all of their needs, but I can meet this one.’”
To the “Young and Inexperienced” Counselor
“I am 27 years old. I’m not married and I don’t have children. I’m not a pastor or a deacon. These are usually the first things I tell my counselees because they are surprised at my youth when they walk into my counseling room. I can tell that their first thought is, ‘how can this young man help me with my circumstances when he hasn’t experienced what I’m experiencing?’”
Flashback: Maintaining Confidence in the Process
We overestimate what God will do in us over a year, but underestimate what God will accomplish in us through a lifetime of submitting ourselves to his process, to his great means of sanctification. Though it’s right to be harsh with our sin, it’s also right to be patient with our growth.

I don’t always feel His presence. But God’s promises do not depend upon my feelings; they rest upon His integrity. —R.C. Sproul

Over the past few years we have witnessed quite a number of leadership failures within the church. We have learned of pastors who have used their position to enrich themselves, to use their prominence to run roughshod over others, to use their prestige to feed their flesh. Some of these failures have been shocking, some almost expected. Some of these failures have been public, some very quiet. But each of them has, in its own way, been grievous and harmful. Each of them shows that, at times, leadership can go tragically wrong.

Powerful Leaders? is a book about what happens when Christian leadership goes wrong. “Today’s culture has become deeply sensitive to issues of power imbalance, misuse of authority and manipulation,” says Marcus Honeysett, and this puts an increased onus on faithful Christian leaders to ensure they are leading well—and to ensure they are avoiding the snares that seem to have entrapped so many others. “My aim is modest,” he says. “I hope to sketch a map of the slippery slope of power – the path that runs from good intentions, via lack of accountability and transparency, down into manipulation and self-serving, all the way to the most serious abuses – and put up some ‘turn back’ signs.” In other words, he wants to help leaders identify some of the points at which they may prove to go terribly wrong and to turn them back before it’s too late.
There is little doubt that within the church there are some “wolves in shepherd’s clothing”—leaders who know full well they are not Christians and who are deliberately playing the part in order to serve themselves at the expense of others. But it is my conviction, and Honeysett’s, that the majority of leaders who eventually go wrong set out with good desires and noble motives. Their good intentions were not enough to protect them from eventually abusing their power and misusing their authority. Some of them may have even behaved in abusive ways without knowing they were doing so. Yet “lack of intention doesn’t remove culpability. The heart is deceitful, and we are never fully aware of our own motives.”
Anyone who is in a position of leadership needs to consider whether he is in danger of misusing power and position. That is true whether the position is formal or informal and whether he leads individuals, churches, organizations, or movements. Anyone should humbly consider whether he may be falling for some common traps. And that is exactly what this book is all about.
In part one of Powerful Leaders?, Honeysett provides some biblical patterns of healthy leadership, emphasizing that truly Christian leadership is a form of servanthood that is directed at the good of others. “The heart of leadership is joining with the work of the Holy Spirit in forming Christ-besotted worshippers.” He offers four key features of leadership that can “ensure that leaders remain godly and avoid misuse of position and power.” They are accountability, plurality, transparency, and embodiment in the local church community. Both power (the ability to act) and authority (the right to act) are good gifts of God, but ones that can be wielded poorly and bring about great harm. Hence he writes about a healthy kind of authority that is concerned more for discipleship than for coercion, more for the good of the ones being led than the pride or enrichment of the one who is leading.
In part two he covers the slippery slope that so commonly causes leaders to become manipulative or abusive. “I think few people actively set out to become a wolf or a Matthew 6-type hypocrite (although I have unfortunately met one or two). Nevertheless, some who set out to be servants morph at some point into wolves. Where do they go wrong and how does it happen? Is it possible to take the first steps into misuse of position and power completely unawares?” Through several chapters he introduces and describes a five-stage spectrum of leadership beliefs and practices that proceeds from the legitimate use of authority, to illegitimate use of authority, and eventually to serious abuses of authority. He shows how leaders can subtly slip from stage to stage, often for reasons they themselves would deny and to further causes they believe important to the Lord’s work. Yet bit by bit they can drift into leadership that manipulates, takes advantage of, harms, or even abuses others.
The third and final part asks and answers the “what next?” question for victims and survivors, for whistle-blowers, for leaders, for churches, and for cultures and tribes.
Any good leader should know and admit that he is not above misusing his position. Any good leader should have the self-awareness to know that he is not above the traps that have ensnared so many of his peers. Any good leader should be willing to evaluate his leadership—and have it evaluated by others—to ensure he is leading in the way God calls him to. And for that reason, I highly recommend Powerful Leaders?. “My prayer,” says the author in the afterword, “is that this book has helped you think about biblical, spiritual leadership through the lens of Christ-like servanthood, rather than through a worldly lens of big characters wielding power with their impressive strength, or subtle manipulators wielding power through the warmth of their impressive smiles and personal winsomeness.” It would be a blessing to the church if every leader would read this book and evaluate his leadership by it.
Buy from Amazon

Audible (aka Amazon) is having an End of Summer sale and that means the audiobook of Seasons of Sorrow is 65% off. (Note: you can either use 1 Audible credit or tap on the “buy with one-click button” to purchase it at the discounted price.)

Don’t Let ‘Discernment’ Give Doctrine a Bad Name
“I get frustrated sometimes by the lack of discernment I see from people who fly the ‘discernment’ banner.” So do I! You should read Trevin’s thoughts on discernment and discernment “experts.”
There Are no Slippery Slopes in the Bible
“There is a signifiant difference between seeking to understand God’s word and seeking to undermine God’s word. Undermining God’s word is dangerous. Understanding God’s word is life-giving and powerful.”
Spiritual Abuse: Seeing What We Don’t Want to See
This article provides some current and historical wisdom on spiritual abuse. “As uncomfortable as it is the church needs to do this with the harsh reality of spiritual abuse. Even writing those words — with every key-stroke — is hard. Abuse is one thing but when you add the adjective ‘spiritual’ it becomes something else, something more.”
Am I Called to Ministry? Five Tests
John Piper offers five tests to consider whether you may be called to ministry.
The Day the Bible Became a Bestseller
I enjoyed this account of the day the Bible became a bestseller for the first time (and the context in which it happened).
Just Enough to Keep Going
Darryl means to offer encouragement to ordinary pastors with ordinary pastorates—which is to say, the great majority of pastors.
Flashback: The Depth of My Depravity
You don’t know how deeply sinful you are by your unrighteousness deeds, but by your rejection of God and his grace. That is the most serious, heinous, and damnable sin of them all.

What is the best safeguard against false doctrine? The Bible regularly read, regularly prayed over, regularly studied. —J.C. Ryle

Grace and peace to you on this, the day when summer gives way to fall.

(Yesterday on the blog: A Late Summer Family Update (+ a few more LOTR thoughts))
Sexual Liberation Has Failed Women
I don’t intend to read this book, but was glad to read Andrew Wilson’s review of it. “Louise Perry has written a feminist critique of the sexual revolution, and it’s brave, excoriating, and magnificent.”
Beware the Habits of Controversy
“Writing fifty years ago, Francis Schaeffer made a plea for Christians to watch out for the danger of settling into habits which were formed in times of controversy.” What he said then wouldn’t hurt for us to consider now.
What lessons can we learn from the pandemic? (Video)
I’m glad to see RTS pick up their Wisdom Wednesday videos. In this one James Anderson considers lessons we can learn from the pandemic.
Public Opinion and the Christian Conscience
Denny Burk has an important word about public opinion and the Christian conscience.
From “Wretched” to “Needy”: Changing a Classic Hymn
“Ever since churches began signing hymns, people have been changing the words to hymns. This is often for the purpose of modifying the theological content of the song in question.” I was somehow not aware of this particular example.
The Discipline of Gratitude
“We often hear comments from friends and supporters that they wish their children could come and visit us in Cameroon for a time. What they mean is that their kids have been expressing attitudes of ingratitude or entitlement and they believe that some time spent in an African village will help them to see how much they have to be thankful for. We all chuckle, and sigh, with the recognition that we are not going to fly a child to Cameroon just for an attitude check. However, whether these parents know it or not, there is a greater problem with the plan than just logistics: exposure to poverty will never cure an ungrateful heart.”
Flashback: God Has Found You Faithful
God is the one who has called you to walk this path, and he is the one who has called you to walk it faithfully. Yet he has not judged you wrong or set you up for failure. He has not been flippant in his decisions or reckless in his wisdom. No, he has found you faithful in small things and has now entrusted to you this very large thing.

God never puts a burden on us, without providing us with the strength we need to carry it. —J.R. Miller