The Christian life is not a series of a few special performances; it is steady persistence for a lifetime. Many of us can produce a burst of enthusiasm now and then. That’s not particularly difficult. The real challenge is to stay the course over the long haul—not a flash in the pan but steady, stable, and persevering in the essentials of maturing faith.
September 27, 2021
Copyright © 2021, Truth For Life. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from The ESV® Bible
(The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing
ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The second coming of Jesus Christ is absolutely foundational to the Gospel, which concerns not only the birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of God the Son but also His return. This event and the doctrines that surround it are integral to “the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,Let me hide myself in Thee;Let the water and the blood,From Thy riven side which flowed,Be of sin the double cure;Cleanse me from its guilt and pow’r.
Written to scattered believers facing a variety of troubles, the Epistle of James addresses a universally relevant question: How are God’s people to live in God’s world? This side of heaven, trials and tribulations crowd into our lives, confronting us with failure and tears, doubts and disappointments, sorrow and groanings. In response, James offers us practical help, with an eye toward not becoming Christians so much as behaving as those who have been redeemed “by the word of truth.”
Proverbs is not a “churchy” book—at least not in the way many of us conceive of church. Its wisdom isn’t prim and proper and fit for afternoon tea. Rather, Proverbs calls us to the street, to everyday life, to matters that affect us all in some way. Derek Kidner has said that Proverbs puts “godliness into working clothes.”1 It is godly wisdom for everyday living.
Copyright © 2021, Truth For Life. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from The ESV® Bible
(The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing
ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today, we are living through what is arguably the most rapid change in family structure in human history. Standards and principles that were once commonplace now seem on the verge of extinction. As David Brooks puts it, “The sexual revolution has come and gone, and it’s left us with no governing norms of family life, no guiding values, no articulated ideals.”1 In such a cultural climate, it is absolutely vital for us to know what we believe about the role of the family, where we belong in relation to the family, and how, as outposts of God’s kingdom, our families ought to operate.
The Bible can be difficult to understand, even for adults. So how can we make it clear for young children?
A true friend is a real treasure. To have someone in whom you can confide, someone who knows the best and worst about you without making you feel like a fool, is to have found something precious. We could all use someone like Jonathan, who strengthened David “in God” (1 Sam. 23:16). We all need someone like Timothy, who was intensely committed to the good of others (Phil. 2:20).
