May the God of love and peace be with you on this fine day.

Logos users, there are some good deals to be had this week, including Epic!
Today’s Kindle deals include quite an extensive list of titles.
(Yesterday on the blog: A Tribute to Those of Simple Faith)
From Meat to Meta: Facebook’s Disincarnate Dreamworld
“I find myself strangely grateful to the Zuck for giving me a new appreciation of the beauty of Christ’s enfleshment.” Here’s why one writer is strangely grateful for Mark Zuckerberg’s vision of a better world.
Night watch
“I remember when the two emails arrived. One after the other. To our inbox in Karachi. Same time. Same message. Traveling across the world. From opposite sides of the United States.”
Advice About Hard Bible Passages from the Bible
Here’s some help with hard passages. “One of the marvelous things about the Bible is that in it, God speaks to many of the challenges we face—including difficult passages in the Bible itself. We will look at one such section of Scripture in this article.”
A monument of gift
“There’s a principle in the Bible that’s foreign to our Protestant intuitions. When the people of Israel were dramatically saved by the Lord, they built a monument.” And that’s significant in its own way.
Giving thanks between two cultures
I enjoyed this little look at how different Christian cultures give thanks differently.
Should We Pursue Self-Love?
If you’re familiar with Randy Alcorn’s writing, his position on this matter won’t shock you. “I’ve often heard it said in evangelical messages, books, and articles that God’s Word teaches three kinds of love—love for God, love for others, and love for self.”
On Cigarettes, Vaping, and Nicotine
And if you’re familiar with John Piper’s writing, his position on this matter won’t shock you either. You may not fully agree, but he does lay out his position very clearly.
Five Words to Improve Every Sermon
Jason Allen: “Over the years, as I have monitored my own preaching and observed others, I have come to realize how intentionally using a few key words will strengthen most any sermon.” He offers five…
Flashback: Fears and Fleeting Faith
Our faith is shockingly shallow on the day of uncertainty. Our fears quickly overwhelm our fleeting faith.

Our everyday moments might be ordinary, but when we accomplish them while displaying the fruit of the Spirit, they reflect our extraordinary Savior. —Emily Jensen

There’s nothing easier than looking at the world around us and feeling despair. Society is in open rebellion against God and it seems like that rebellion must soon lead to some kind of persecution against God’s people. Courts and politicians seem content to chip away at the right to speak freely and worship according to conscience. Higher education and mainstream media are glad to play along with every progressive agenda. And amidst it all, even the church seems to be distracted by silly nonsense and engrossed in petty quarrels.

But despite all this, we should not be discouraged. We must not be discouraged. For it is in times like this that the Lord has so often proven his power. It is in times like this that the Lord has so often intervened to save his people and glorify his name. It is in times like this that God loves to act.
God’s people were being ground under the heels of the Midianites. Whenever the crops would ripen, the mighty armies of Midian would raid the land and pilfer the best of the produce. The starving people of Israel were forced to flee, to find refuge in dens and caves, to escape with their lives and not much else. But the people cried out to God and God heard them. He told them to assemble the smallest of all armies and with just a few hundred men who were armed with mere torches and jars, he put a mighty army to flight. Just when all hope seemed lost, God vanquished the foe and won a great victory.
The armies of Assyria had conquered all the cities of northern Judah and now approached Jerusalem. Though the king had plundered his own palace and temple in an attempt to buy off Assyria, they remained committed to laying waste to the city and destroying its people. They promised that before long the people of Jerusalem would be so destitute that they would resort to drinking their own urine and eating their own dung. But the people prayed. Led by the king, they pleaded with God for his help, they placed themselves in his hands. And he delivered them. Before they had so much as fired an arrow or swung a sword, God had routed the enemy army and sent it away.
God’s people were in captivity and facing a fearsome enemy. A time of state-sanctioned persecution was about to be unleashed upon them. The message went out: “On such a such a day, all the normal rules are relaxed. On that day, feel free to kill those people—men, women, and children alike—and take their stuff as your own. Have at it.” The end seemed to be at hand. But the people prayed and the people fasted and the people pleaded with God. And God moved. God delivered his people. God saved them.
Are we in worse condition than Israel under Midian? Is our situation more dire than when the Rabshakeh spoke aloud in the hearing of all the people to tell them that nothing and no one could save them? Is our day as bad as the day when Esther told the people to pray and said, “If I die, I die?” God’s love has not lessened, his arm has not weakened, his desire to glorify himself has not diminished. And so we must not grow despondent or discouraged.
And how could we be discouraged when we know this world is the Lord’s and that he has purposes to accomplish within it—purposes that no one can thwart? The God who vanquished Midian with the sound of breaking jars, the God who turned the Assyrians against one another, the God who turned a day of terror into a day of feasting has not become weak, has not become distant, has not become uninterested in the plight of his people.
On the day when Midian triumphs over the army of Israel and puts them to flight, on the day when the Rabshakeh marches victoriously into Jerusalem, on the day when Esther falls before the sword—on that day we may grow discouraged. On the day when God fails in just one of his promises, on the day when God neglects to come through on just one of his vows, on the day when he is proven a liar—on that day we may become despondent.
But until that time we have no reason to fret and no reason to despair. Until that day we have every reason to pray and to plead that God would move, that God would act, that God would protect his people and glorify his name. Until that time and that day, we have every reason to humble ourselves before the Lord and to entrust ourselves to the God who always does what is right.

This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by Open the Bible. They encourage you to enter to win a series of books from Open the Bible and Pastor Colin Smith!
Included in the giveaway are:
For All Who Grieve by Pastor Colin Smith. Written with compassion and understanding, yet honestly facing the difficult questions that death stirs up, For All Who Grieve shows what it looks like to grieve with hope. Based on the biblical themes of tears, talk, guilt, grievance, hope, and healing this book will demonstrate how to navigate the valley of grief, sorrow, and loss. Most of all, though, it points to Christ, our Savior, who knows what it is to walk sorrow’s path. For when you pass through the valley of sorrow and loss, you are in a place where Christ can be found. Also consider listening to the sermons that led to the book.
The Hidden Path to a Transformed Life by Pastor Colin Smith. Why do some people change while others remain essentially the same? And why is it that while some grow in wisdom, others make one foolish choice after another? Repentance is the hidden path to a transformed life, and Pastor Colin’s prayer is that this book will help you pursue it. Also consider listening to the sermons that led to the book.
Open the Bible in 30 Days by Pastor Colin Smith. This book unlocks the mystery of God’s word in three stages: the Old Testament where God introduces Himself, the Gospels where we meet Jesus Christ, and finally the letters of the New Testament where we meet the Holy Spirit. Perfect for either individual or group study. Also enjoy the online version called Open the Bible Story – The Drive.
Always Good News: Why the Message of Jesus Is Good News Everyday by Scott Lothery. We live in a bad news world filled with relentlessly disturbing headlines – war and crime, poverty and pandemics, racism and oppression. And we all experience discouragement in our personal lives as well – pain and suffering, failure and disappointment, decline and death. Though the world is overflowing with bad news, the message of Jesus is bigger and brighter than all of it, giving us hope in the midst of every negative experience of our lives. It’s always good news! When Prayer Is a Struggle: A Practical Guide to Overcoming Obstacles in Prayer by Kevin Halloran. A struggle to pray reveals a desire to pray, and when you have that desire, you can address the obstacles to prayer by facing them head on. Writing as a sympathetic and practical guide, Kevin Halloran helps you to pinpoint areas of weakness in your prayer life and take immediate steps to overcome them. Examine your heart, implement practical measures, and experience the joys of faithfully drawing near to God. See Tim Challies’ review of the book or the free companion video course Pray the Bible.