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Sexy, Successful, and Smart
He had… no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men. (Isaiah 53:2) Are you feeling hopeful today? Take a look under the hood. How much of your hope is linked to some...
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A Caution to Young, Culture-Embracing Evangelicals
Demas was on Paul’s ministry team — and then Demas abandoned his ministry post out of a love for “this present world” (2 Timothy 4:10). “There is a love for the world that makes ministry impossible,”...
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The Secret of Sanctification
Is there a silver bullet for increasing Christlikeness? It’s doubtful that speaking like that will bring more clarity than confusion. But there is biblical precedent for talk about finding “the...
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Reading Books and Dying Well
In the shadow of his death, Paul asked Timothy to bring him his books (2 Timothy 4:13). In the following clip from his most recent sermon, John Piper explains the significance of this request. “Form...
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Christ Died to Give Us Christ-Exalting Friendships
“Jesus never intended that the enjoyment of his presence would replace the enjoyment of the presence of Christian friends,” says John Piper in his most recent sermon on 2 Timothy 4:9–12. Although we...
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Learning About Sanctification From Fyodor Dostoyevsky
David Powlison is a biblical counselor, and he is also an avid reader of the 19th-century Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Those two facts are not disconnected, as we discovered in our recent trip...
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Why We Labor Day and Night
It’s wise to periodically pause and refresh ourselves on why we do what we do. For those of us taking a break from our labors on this Labor Day (ironic, as it may be), here’s a triad of encouragements...
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Rivers of Peace or Waves of Sorrow
Sometimes adding a simple conjunction can go a long ways. Things easily passed over appear in a new light. Or at least this happened for me when I was recently singing one of my favorite hymns, "It Is...
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What Is Love?
Growing up my dad told me that "love" is the most over-underused word in existence. Some toss it out like pennies in a wishing well. Others never mention it when it needs to be heard. His exhortation...
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No Longer an Orphan (But Tempted to Live Like It)
Until my late twenties, I spent the majority of my Christian life striving — striving for perfection, for God’s favor, for the approval of others, and for the joy and freedom that the Bible spoke of...
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Now Available: The Pleasures of God Seminar
"The worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love," Henry Scougal wrote in his 17th-century work, The Life of God in the Soul of Man. And if this is true of humans, might...
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Refuse to Be Numbed
I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. (Romans...
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How Christ Died to Sin (And Why It Matters)
Our Savior died for sin, and he died for sinners. But Christ also died to sin (Romans 6:10) — a curious point Paul makes in a chapter loaded with implications for our personal pursuit of holiness. So...
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Defending the Unborn Through Art
Over 50 million unborn lives have been snuffed out through the dark work of abortion since 1973. That’s 3,000 children each day in the United States alone. To bring this stat closer to home (or into...
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You Need to Change
Sanctification is a long word. Even though we know it's important biblically, still it manages to get stuck in the abstract. And truth be told, our old self likes it better that way. The abstract,...
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Is Sanctification Complex or Simple?
Is progressive sanctification complex or simple? We asked biblical counselor David Powlison in our recent trip to the CCEF in Philadelphia. Progressive sanctification is impossibly complicated, he...
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The More Wood, the Bigger the Fire
People don’t really care how many books we’ve read. So it’s a waste of time to read kinds of books or numbers of books to impress others. And it’s also a waste if we spend most of our reading time...
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The Pride of Nazareth
Jesus and Nazareth are inseparable. Jesus spent most of his life in Nazareth. The prophets had said, "He shall be called a Nazarene" (Matthew 2:23). History would remember him as Jesus of Nazareth....
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The Heart of Sinful Anger
Sinful anger is toxic. It corrodes marriages, churches, and workplaces. No relationship is immune from its power. And for many Christians the battle against anger is a prominent battlefront in the...
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The Trouble with Focusing on Your Marriage
Focusing on your marriage can be a good thing. And it can really mess you up. It depends on what kind of focusing you’re doing. If it involves a season for extra attention and conscientiousness and...
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