Savoring the Scripture

  Recently I have been reading Matthew Bingham’s book A Heart Aflame for God  (I highly recommend!). In this book on spiritual formation, Matt has a chapter titled “The Natural World” in which he discusses the Puritans’ belief that the natural world reflects God’s glory, teaches God’s truth, and aids in spiritual formation. They observed the world around them and considered carefully how it pointed them to the Lord. I have heard of this before, read examples of it, but I know that this is not something I’m very good at. The other morning, I decided to practice it while I was out on my morning run.      As I was running, and the sun started to come up, I looked to the left and saw the tree line. In the early morning light, all that was really visible were the outlines of the trees. The ups the downs. The highs the lows. Dark shapes. And it brought to mind the paths of our lives. I thought about how 1) our lives are filled with highs and lows, 2) from this earthly...

Serving Faithfully in the Ministry You Have Received. These precious, flawlessly distributed gifts are to be used in community, through the power of the Spirit who gives them, to build up our brothers and sisters and to grow the church as a light shining in a dark world. Word-Filled Women’s Ministry We’ve reached 2 Corinthians 4, where Paul begins by telling the Corinthians that he and his companions have received mercy and a ministry from the Lord and they do not give up, “Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart” (2 Corinthians 4:1). The word ‘ministry’ caught my attention because I’ve also been in Colossians where Paul tells them, “And say to Archippus, ‘Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord that you may fulfill it’” (Colossians 4:17). Ministry is a service. It means to serve or labor for the benefit of another. Paul often uses it of himself and those with him as ministers of the gospel. But in a broader sense, every ...

Becoming What We Behold 2 Corinthians 3:18 The change is progressive, so that willing exposure to the sunlight of God’s presence will burn his image ever deeper into our character and will. Kent Hughes “You become what you behold.” “Oh, be careful little eyes what you see…” “Good company corrupts good morals.” We’ve all perhaps heard these songs and sayings throughout our lives. We’ve heard them so often that the driving truth behind them is glossed over. We consume without regard to consequence. We watch, listen, and scroll taking in copious amounts of transformative information without careful discernment. We are being changed. As believers, we ought to be concerned about which direction that change is heading. We have an eternal home and a glorious Father to whom we are headed. Our gaze should be fixed on the unseen, eternal things. And where we fix our gaze has an impact on the progressive transformation that God is performing in us. In 2 Corinthians, Paul encourages them saying, “...

In What Do You Delight? Psalm 1 Humble purpose-like reading of the word omitted. What plant can be unwatered and not wither? Robert Murray M’Cheyne  Trees have long been a symbol of stability, longevity, resiliency, and strength. The Scriptures often use the picture of a tree to communicate a person who is strong in the Lord, trusting Him. Psalm 92 says the righteous man will “flourish like a palm tree, He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon” and these flourishing trees will “still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green” (92:12-14). Isaiah declared of God’s people that “they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified” (Isaiah 61:3). Jeremiah also pictures the one who trusts the Lord as a tree planted by streams of water, without fear or anxiousness, with green leaves and yielding fruit (Jeremiah 17:7-8). Psalm 1 uses this imagery as well, saying that he who delights in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day an...

The first time I heard the song He Leadeth Me we were in a church that I loved. I loved the people, the preaching, the shared love for the Word, and as we sang this song, which points faithfully to the sovereign leading of God in our lives, the words were sweet truths that I sang heartily, and it quickly became a favorite hymn. There have since been moves and job changes that have led us various places, and a couple in particular that were more challenging. In two such places, the first Sunday after a significant change, the hymn that was sung was this one. I do not believe in coincidence, so I saw this as God’s kindness to encourage me that even when changes have been difficult, moves hard, and I have wrestled with contentment, He is in fact leading.  He leadeth me: O blessed thought! O words with heavenly comfort fraught! Whate’er I do, where’er I be,  Still ‘tis God’s hand that leadeth me.  As believers, we do not navigate this world alone. We do not direct our own ste...

  The Spirit Gives Life Persevering in Prayer for Our Children Never never let us forget that children for whom many prayers have been offered seldom finally perish…such prayers are heard on high. Such prayers will often bring down blessings…Let us pray more for our sons and daughters. J.C.Ryle Perhaps the greatest longing of the heart of a Christian mother is that her children will one day walk with her in eternity alongside our Savior. Phil Wickham recently released a new song  Homesick for Heaven  and in it he sings, “I want to see my children run to Your arms,” and as a mother it resonates deeply with me. We have been made sharers in the inheritance of the saints in light. And having tasted such sweet communion and joy with our Savior, we plead with the Lord that our children too would be made sharers of this joy. Our hearts ache and yearn for an eternity of everlasting joy and delight shared with our children in the presence of our Savior. In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul de...