Life is littered with passages. These are the milestones and the ordeals that transition us from one stage to another. Waiting at the DMV for your driver’s test, sitting for the Bar, getting married, becoming a parent, retirement—these are just a few . . . Continue reading →
Biblical Exposition
Rejoicing In The Divine Warrior: Psalm 21
There come those times in life when you want to express your sincere thoughts and deep emotions to someone special: a birthday, a love letter, a major milestone. The words have to be just right, so what do you do? You can . . . Continue reading →
Psalm 20: Thy Kingdom Come, Not God Save The King
What comes to mind when you hear the phrase, God save the King? Many of us think of some BBC show or a period piece on the British monarchy, as we know this cry entirely from history, literature, or entertainment. Indeed, it . . . Continue reading →
The Fruit Of The Spirit: The Seventh Fruit—Faithfulness (Part 2)
Once we have some understanding of God’s faithfulness, we can begin to think about what it means in our lives. The fruit of faithfulness is another one of those wonderful virtues that the Holy Spirit produces in the Christian’s life. The Spirit . . . Continue reading →
The God Worthy Of Psalming And Hymning: Psalm 113 (Part 3)
Recently, the King of Spain, Felipe VI, met his subjects in the streets. Floods have lately ravaged Spain, and the monarch came to meet his people. Continue reading →
The Fruit Of The Spirit: The Seventh Fruit—Faithfulness (Part 1)
We live in a culture of non-commitment. People get new jobs and then quit them a few months later. They start classes at a university, then drop out after a few weeks. If someone has an issue with their friend, they bail . . . Continue reading →
The God Worthy Of Psalming And Hymning: Psalm 113 (Part 2)
Recently, the King of Spain, Felipe VI, met his subjects in the streets. Floods have lately ravaged Spain, and the monarch came to meet his people. Continue reading →
The God Worthy Of Psalming And Hymning: Psalm 113 (Part 1)
Yuri Gagarin is an unlikely candidate to make an appearance in our churches. The Russian cosmonaut died in 1968. Nevertheless, you may have heard of him. He was the first man in space. He is also becoming a favorite sermon illustration of some. Continue reading →
The Fruit Of The Spirit: The Sixth Fruit—Goodness
I’m good! It’s all good. You good? He makes good money at his job. Mike Trout and Aaron Judge are good baseball players. Your friend is a good person. As we all know, the word good has different meanings depending on the . . . Continue reading →
Psalm 42: Desiring God (Part 4)
Having given this wonderful text of Psalm 42 an expositional and pastoral survey in our previous three articles, we return one last time for a fourth installment wherein we consider some further implications and applications: 1. The great Matthew Henry writes in . . . Continue reading →
Psalm 42: Desiring God (Part 3)
When we left this psalm at the end of part 2, we noted that the psalmist was drawing from his spiritual reservoir, so to speak. Continue reading →
Psalm 42: Desiring God (Part 2)
Last time, in part 1 of our study on Psalm 42, we began to consider how love for God’s house is the essence of true piety. Continue reading →
The Fruit Of The Spirit: The Fifth Fruit—Kindness
Most Christians probably agree that it would be nice to know exactly what God wants us to do in certain situations. For example, if your dear friend has been avoiding you lately, you might wish that God would specifically tell you what . . . Continue reading →
Psalm 42: Desiring God (Part 1)
One reason to love the Psalms is that they serve as a fierce rejoinder to the trendy spirituality of our age. If we are honest, sometimes (whether through the influence of our wider culture or through the influence of other Christians), we . . . Continue reading →
The Fruit Of The Spirit: The Fourth Fruit—Patience
Whenever I go on multi-day hikes with friends, we have friendly arguments about candy bars. When you are in the middle of a long hike, you dream about food. So the arguments start. Which candy bar is number one? KitKat? Twix? 100Grand? . . . Continue reading →
The Fruit Of The Spirit: The Third Fruit—Peace (Part 2)
When Paul talks about peace as a fruit of the Spirit, we have to remember the above aspects of peace. It is found in God, and it is from God through faith in Christ. These are objective. When Paul mentions peace as a fruit, however, he is referring to peace in a subjective way. Continue reading →
The Fruit Of The Spirit: The Third Fruit—Peace (Part 1)
In one episode of the 90’s sitcom Seinfeld, the catchphrase is “serenity now!” Frank (George’s dad) had high blood pressure and he heard on a cassette tape that if you say, “serenity now,” it would help keep your blood pressure down. So . . . Continue reading →
Troubled Bones And The God Who Turns: Psalm 6 (Part 3)
Having given this wonderful text of Psalm 6 an expositional and pastoral survey in our previous two articles, we return one last time for a third installment wherein we consider further implications and applications from this marvelous psalm. Inspired by the example . . . Continue reading →
The Fruit Of The Spirit: The Second Fruit—Joy
Many people think that the purpose of life is to be happy. If you stop, look around, and think about it, you will notice that the chief pursuit of many people’s lives is happiness or pleasure. People today want to be happy. . . . Continue reading →
Troubled Bones And The God Who Turns: Psalm 6 (Part 2)
Last time in part one of our Psalm 6 devotional, we asked whether or not the reality of sin really troubles us—not necessarily the sin we see in society, but sin in and of itself: the interruption, perversion, and warping of the . . . Continue reading →