Good judgment is more than a quick technique. It comes from good character. And where does good character come from? It comes from godliness and spiritual maturity, which in turn come from seeking God and knowing Him more fully.
Knowing God is the greatest adventure, the ultimate undertaking in this otherwise disappointing world. How bracing to climb a little way up the slope and feel the air freshen, to climb even further and catch a thrilling glimpse of the distant summit!
Coming to a greater knowledge of God is a thing we would have no right to do if it weren’t for God’s grace. But because of grace, knowing God is a goal that deserves the very best of our courage, our diligence, and above all, our love.
In our study of God, it’s easy to get lost in the details, but it is important for us to keep our heads and our hearts in the right place. Christianity is not a dogma. Jesus Christ is not a doctrine. It is a real kingdom, and He is its real King.
As God reveals Himself in His word and restores the knowledge of His character and will, it is His intention to lead us back to His immediate presence. “No one ever graduates from Bible study until he meets the author face to face” (E. T. Harris).
Nowhere, except in the very person of His Son, has God shown His glory any more than in His word. But we study the Scriptures drowsily and much of the wonder of God’s word is lost on us. We need to wake up and pay attention.
There is so much more of God than any of us have ever experienced, even in our moments of greatest maturity. His bounty is beyond what any of us have ever sought from Him. Let us have a grander vision of what there is yet to know about our great God.
We must be humbly willing to be used at God’s discretion. Can we not see that this is the only path toward peace for our souls? We can’t have peace without our God, and we can’t have God without His will. “In his will is our peace” (Dante Alighieri).
When we pray, we must seek more than some particular blessing from God; we must seek Him and whatever His will may be. True prayer is about learning to want what we should want. “Let not that happen which I wish, but that which is right.”
Let us not be deceived. That which passes for “religion” can delude us into thinking that we’re closer to God than we are. It may even be that we are dead, though we have a reputation for being alive. It happened at Sardis; it can happen to us.
There is simply no force in the world more potent than love — and when love is a holy passion for God, it is a force that will move us ...
Is it any wonder that we see so many exhortations in the Scriptures to keep the faith. These warnings are greatly needed. We should not be doubtful about our salvation, ...
Despite the negative aspects of “warfare,” it is a fact that strength, as well as gratitude, is generally built up through struggle. Danger is certainly one of the “good and ...
Heaven won’t be for those who have earned it by their own success in being good people; it will be for those who have been rescued by the Great Redeemer. ...
For all Job knew, he was going to die from his afflictions, but if so, he was unconcerned: “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he ...
Confronting the awfulness of our sin, without self-pity or evasion of responsibility, we should grieve how we’ve rebelled against God’s love. And we should yearn to be with Him in ...
We tend to see people only through the lens of their past. And unfortunately, if a person’s past is so sinful that we deem them unfit candidates for God’s grace, ...
Human beings have always faced an ultimate choice. Do we lay aside our self-sufficiency and trust in our Creator, or do we double down on our self-sufficiency and trust in ...
Rather than dismissing the distinction between godliness and ungodliness by saying, “Only God knows who His people are,” we need to be growing in our ability to make this distinction ...
Let’s avoid thinking that “eternal life” is different only in that it lasts longer than our earthly life. It is indeed “eternal” because it is unending, but more than that, ...
The fact that, as Joseph knew, sin is always against God should weigh more heavily in our thinking than any social consideration. Social consequences are serious, no doubt, but separation ...
We can stay where we are, which is easier, at least in the short run, or we can let the Great Deliverer begin to break our chains. Between now and ...