Choose Life

By: Morgan Martin

(Deuteronomy 30:11-20)

Moses said to the Israelites, “You have the choice. You can choose between prosperity and disaster, between life and death... All you have to do is love the Lord. Keep His commands. Walk in His ways.”

That sounds easy right? Moses had just reminded them of the miracles seen with their own eyes... miracles by the Lord. Their sandals and clothes didn’t wear down for 40 years. They had food falling from the sky. All so they would know that He is God.

Yet they still doubted Him.

Moses speaks the truth very clearly here. He makes it sound easy. So why do I constantly struggle to do good? Why do I struggle to love the Lord and keep His commands?

I love how Moses follows this up, saying, “Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live! Choose to love the Lord your God and obey Him and commit yourself to him for He is your life.”

I must constantly immerse myself in His Word and be in fellowship with Him and ask the Holy Spirit to help me to choose life. I could witness a miracle one moment, and then doubt the Creator the next. It happens that fast because I am a sinful human. I must relentlessly ask Him to help me to choose life.

True & Better

By: Johnny Coggin

Few can say it like Tim Keller can. Here's my paraphrase: "It's all about Jesus, y'all."

Now listen to Keller fill out that thought... from the entire Bible... in 2 minutes.

(If the video does not appear in your email or RSS feed, watch it here: True & Better.)

The First Step to Restoration

By: Dr. Jimmy Young

I’ve never claimed to be a good counselor. There are many who can attest to the truth of that statement. However, I do my share.

One of the obstacles that I often face in counseling is the time-honored tendency to shift the blame. Adam did it; Eve did it. So, we’ve learned it from the best. But in the counseling setting I work hard at getting people to the place of taking responsibility for their own actions/sin. I want them to own it. No “buts” allowed. I want them to see the truth of what God said often to Israel: "Your ways and your deeds have brought this upon you" (Jeremiah 4:18a).

Why? Am I just ornery, or even cruel? Maybe. But I think that this is my motivation. Owning your sin is the first step in repentance. Once I stop blaming anybody and everybody else for what I did, I can then face God in confession.

The great door of hope that we as Christian counselors have to offer is the restoration brought on by Holy Spirit-authored repentance. Granted, there may be consequences of my choices that I still have to face. But the sweetness with my heavenly Father, which is invaluable, can be restored. And the first step to that restoration is when I, in a detailed way, own and confess what I did, and stop blaming anyone or anything else.

It wasn’t my low blood sugar that made me lose my temper. It was my sin.

Political Scandal and You

By: Johnny Coggin

Several political leaders have been in the news lately for their adulterous, sinful, and just plain ridiculous behavior. This surprises many. But it should not surprise Christians.

Dr. Young wrote just last week about the danger of spiritual blowout, and the humbling reality that we are all closer to the ledge than we might realize.

Similarly, one of my favorite writers, Russell Moore, offers wise biblical commentary regarding the recent political scandals and our own propensity toward sin. Seriously, you should read it.

Here's a snippet:

"Almost every adultery situation I’ve ever seen includes a cheating spouse who honestly believes that he or she is not going to get caught. The cheater often doesn’t want the marriage to end in divorce. Instead, like the characters in today’s headlines, he or she instead wants to keep everything the same: spouse, kids, and lover too. That’s irrational and completely contrary to the way the world works. Anyone can see that.

But you can convince yourself…or be convinced…that it will work for you. You’re special, after all. That’s the way temptation functions. We put consequences out of our minds, both temporal and eternal consequences. We start to believe that we are gods, with power over good and evil and life and death. And then we do crazy things.

...

I don’t know who you are, reader, but I know you are probably not smarter than Anthony Weiner or Arnold Schwarzenegger or John Edwards. And neither am I. Both of us, you and I, are on the verge of wrecking our lives. We’re probably not on the verge of a situation quite like any of those men, but the gospel tells us we have vulnerabilities just the same, and they all can lead to destruction."

There is much wisdom here, folks. Read the whole thing here.

Book Review: Why I Am Not An Arminian

By: Jim Umlauf

Book Review:

Why I Am Not An Arminian

by Robert Peterson & Michael Williams

This volume is a part of a series of books that sets up scholars with opposing viewpoints (there’s also a sister book called, “Why I Am Not a Calvinist”). There are several things that make this book excellent. The first is its scholarship; it’s written by two Covenant Seminary professors, one of whom I’ve taken a couple of courses from. These guys are sharp, and the water is deep; even so, the book is accessible to any thoughtful student of the Bible who wants to expand his or her theological understanding. The other great thing about this book is that it’s a lesson on how to behave. There’s no dripping sarcasm. No talking down. No obnoxious we’re-smart-and-they’re-not. No inadequate derisory “thinkers” posturing. Here’s a quote:

“We write as Calvinists to Arminians, as persons who hold the Word of God precious and worthy of our most careful reflection to other believers who share that same commitment of the heart.”

Isn’t that refreshing? There’s not a single sneer or smear in all 215 pages. Just a loving presentation of one biblically supported position to another, all the while remembering that we’re brothers in Christ, and that God’s thoughts are higher than ours. I can’t recommend this book more highly. Enjoy.

(You can order this book from Amazon while supporting Grace Evan at the same time. Here's the link.)

Spiritual Blowout

By: Dr. Jimmy Young

Everybody loves the story of David, and rightly so. He is perhaps the foremost Christ-type in the Old Testament. And who doesn’t enjoy reading how the shepherd boy, the runt of the litter, rose to the pinnacle of success, whipping up on that nasty Goliath on the way.

But the thing we all love most is that tender heart of his towards God. Oh, the sweetness and intimacy of some of his songs! II Samuel 7 records one of his prayers that will charm the hardest of hearts. And yet, a mere three chapters later, our hero is in bed, literally, with Bathsheba. How is that possible?

Folks, the same duplicity exists in all of us. Paul, in Ephesians 4, talks about an old man and a new man. They’re both there, in all of us. We are all only hours, perhaps minutes, away from a spiritual blowout. Don’t forget that.

What Debt Do You Owe?

By: Scott Elliott

At the end of each month we all participate in what seems to be an unrelenting ritual: paying the bills. Now some of you may pay at the first of the month and some pay partial throughout the month, but we all OWE something to somebody!

It reminds me of the enormous thrill, the excitement and joy I had when I finally paid off my last car note! It was as if I had a large boulder taken off my back; extra money in my pocket to burn (or to save)… a burden was released! I no longer owed this money. My debt was paid... in full.

I think you now know where I am going with this. At least I sure hope you do!

It brings a smile on my face and peace to my heart knowing that my debt (MY sin) has been paid IN FULL by the only means in Christ Jesus! HE paid it all on the cross. Not just a few sins but all of my sins, mine and yours if you are a believer.

So, what debt do you owe? Who are you obligated to? We are only obligated to Christ because he took the punishment we deserve for our sin. Although we cannot repay Christ for all he has done, we can demonstrate our gratitude by showing his love to others. “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8).

Isaac Watts understood this debt we could not repay when he wrote the song, “Alas! and Did My Savior Bleed":

But drops of grief can ne’er repay
the debt of love I owe;
here, Lord, I give myself away,
‘tis all that I can do.

I still have a few bills to pay every month. I am ok with that. But the biggest bill of all, my biggest debt has already been paid by my heavenly Father! I have been released from the burden, saved by the Lamb and proclaimed by Christ. I am so thankful for that … ‘tis all that I can do.

Shalom, y’all

By: Jim Umlauf

I’m at Covenant Seminary in St. Louis for a class on missions. Many excellent things have been discussed thus far, but a quote stood out that I wanted to share:

“The idea that creation has a moral quality to it is an astounding and important part of the (creation, thus gospel) story. It points to a gardener who has the soil under his fingernails.”

God created a world that was good. Sin, then, is a distortion of the good. A formerly whole, beautiful, obedient creation depicts evil for what it is—parasitic. Evil is not an equal or opposite opponent of good. It’s a distortion, a twisting, a violation, a hijacking of the good.

A lot of ministry efforts are crippled because they start with the fall. The Bible doesn’t do that. When we consider the gospel, we naturally think about sin, after all, hurt is all around us, and the effects of it are plain to see. Further, Jesus came to deal with the consequences of sin in both lives and creation. But to grasp God’s ultimate plan in the theatre of redemption, we really need to back up all the way to the start.

One day, in the fullness of time, King Jesus will return. When he does, evil will be put away forever, and creation will be restored to its originally intended design. Until then, let’s live in joyful, confident, hopeful, vocal anticipation of that day.

Hell: We can't afford to get it wrong.

By: Johnny Coggin

"Do you ever even consider the possibility that maybe the Creator's sense of justice is more developed than yours? And that maybe his love and his mercy are perfect and that you could be the one that is flawed?"

http://youtu.be/qnrJVTSYLr8

An Oxymoron That's Not an Oxymoron

By: Dr. Jimmy Young

I hope everybody knows what an oxymoron is by now. For those who don’t, it is a strange combination of two words or ideas that one wouldn’t normally place side by side. My favorite illustration is “holy sweat”. One doesn’t normally think of sweat as holy. Nor do we normally associate holiness with sweat.

I have another oxymoron to show you, but it is only oxymoronic to us, not God. It is a phrase that Paul uses often: “the obedience of faith.” You can find it in Romans 1:5 and 16:26. You see, we are so wroth to the idea of “works” that we miss the nature of genuine faith. No, no amount of obedience can ever merit you anything in the economy of God. We hold fast that a man "is justified by faith apart from works of the law" (Romans 3:28). Indeed! However, the faith that saves you gives rise to “the obedience of faith,” which in no way is an oxymoron.

Let me illustrate. Most of us know that God’s law prohibits adultery. But so many find it an enticing option. Faith reasons this way: God said I shouldn’t commit adultery, although it sure looks titillating to me. However, because I believe that God said that, and I believe that God loves me and instructs me for my good, I will, in light of what I believe, obey… the obedience of faith. My faith traces its obedience back to the God who I believe to be the Lawgiver, and my Father in Heaven. Thus, my obedience grows out of my belief in and love for my God.