Jimmy and Joe are sitting in the office, talking about God's painful providences from the 1689 Confession chapter 5 paragraph 5. How should we seek to walk through God's painful providences? What are his divine purposes when his providence involve suffering? Plus, bar-b-q sauce! NOTE: The intellectual lightweights can forward to the 8:50 mark to skip the banter.  RECOMMENDATIONS The Providence of God by Thomas Watson (online) Behind a Frowning Providence by John Murray (free PDF download) OUR SPONSOR: Trace the Themes is a free Bible study by pastor Spence Shelton that will help you trace the themes of Scripture as they unfold from Genesis to Revelation. This free 6-part study is perfect for small groups, family devotions, or individual use and includes videos and a downloadable study guide. Start your free Bible study today by visiting www.TraceTheThemes.com For all the relevant links and show noters visit www.doctrineanddevotion.com/podcast/168955Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/doctrine-and-devotion/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Joe and Jimmy talk about the danger of “comfortable Christianity.” How is comfort potentially at odds with the nature of the Christian life in the world? Is it fair to compare our desire for worldly comfort to the prosperity gospel? What's the difference between comfortable Christianity, and comforting Christianity? Plus, the guys are reading Covenant Children Today by Alan Conner, and Jimmy is taking off on a lake yacht.   OUR SPONSOR myXP is a ministry committed to solving problems for pastors. We provide the support of an Executive Pastor without the financial burden of employing one full time. We support lead pastors, strengthen systems and steward resources. How does it work? partners get a weekly 60 minute connect with an experienced Executive Pastor to outline current problems/challenges. The XP then goes to work solving these problems, and continues to work behind the scenes strengthening all the relevant systems. Your First Step: check out the website and schedule a FREE initial connect at myxp.church. Act now, and through the month of August you will receive 30% off the first month if you mention Doctrine and Devotion as the way you heard about myXP. This is a savings of $300 for church plants and $420 for existing churches.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/doctrine-and-devotion/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Joe and Jimmy sit down to discuss sermons stealing right after having a couple's fight over lunch. What do the guys think of using other preacher's sermons for their own congregations? What's the harm? When does using other's work become a sin issue? What should a preacher do if he has to preach but has little time to prepare? Plus, antidotes vs. anecdotes.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/doctrine-and-devotion/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands