Devotional/Theology Archives

The Righteousness of Christ - 2 Cor. 5:21 (November 12, 2009) - The Righteousness of Christ from Covenant Life Church on Vimeo.This sermon, by Joshua Harris, was preached Sunday, November 8, 2009, at Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Md. The first message in the series, "Bookends of the Christian Life," Joshua considers... ( Keep Reading » )

The Gospel and a Heart for the Poor (October 24, 2009) - "Like nothing else could ever do, the gospel instills in me a heart for the downcast, the poverty-stricken, and those in need of physical mercies, especially when such persons are of the household of faith. When I see persons who... ( Keep Reading » )

A Less Busy Heart (October 17, 2009) - "The quest for a contemplative life can actually be self-absorbed, focused on my quiet and me. If we love people and have the power to help, then we are going to be busy. Learning to pray doesn't offer us a... ( Keep Reading » )

Jerry Bridges on Power in Prayer (September 8, 2009) - "[W]e must keep in mind that the Spirit of God is sovereign over when and how he works through the instruments of prayer. He certainly hears our requests and responds to them. But it's not for us to question the... ( Keep Reading » )

Gollum and Slavery to Sin (September 7, 2009) - I'm reading J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring to my two older kids. Last night we read the passage in which Gandalf explains the history of the pathetic Gollum as well as story of the One Ring to... ( Keep Reading » )

Proverbs 3:5—Living Off Balance (August 18, 2009) - Listen to the audio of the whole message.... ( Keep Reading » )

Francis Chan: Praying Proverbs 30:7-9 (August 1, 2009) - ( Keep Reading » )

Job by John Piper-Illustrated Edition (April 22, 2009) - Watched this video for John Piper's book of poetry based on the Old Testament book of Job and my thoughts went to a number of dear saints I know who are grieving and suffering today. My prayers are with you.... ( Keep Reading » )

Tim Keller on Religious Idols (April 22, 2009) - Today in his message at The Gospel Coalition, Tim Keller talked about the importance of confronting idols in preaching the gospel. He taught that idolatry is anything I look at and say, "If I have that, my life has value."... ( Keep Reading » )

J.C. Ryle: Cry to God for Mercy (April 18, 2009) - It is useless to say you cannot pray till you have faith and a new heart, and that you must sit still and wait for them. This is to add sin to sin. It is bad enough to be unconverted... ( Keep Reading » )

A Bigger Problem Than Death (April 15, 2009) - Here's a portion of a sermon on John 11. Don't you love how weird I look in this freeze frame? It's my imitation of what Lazarus looked like when he came out of the tomb.... ( Keep Reading » )

Good Friday Meditation by Kevin DeYoung (April 10, 2009) - Kevin DeYoung wrote the following reflection as he prepared for his Good Friday service and I wanted to share it with you: Hebrews 2:14-17 "Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same... ( Keep Reading » )

Charles Spurgeon on Manmade Gods (April 3, 2009) - "Earthly comforts are loaned. They are not gifts, for all that we possess is God's property. He has only lent them, and what he lends He has a right to take. We hold possessions and friends on a lease that... ( Keep Reading » )

Power in Weakness, Vision in the Valley (March 27, 2009) - This morning I read 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 in which Paul, after asking that his "thorn in the flesh" be removed, shares how God enabled him to boast in his weakness:But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you,... ( Keep Reading » )

D.A. Carson: The Gospel in the Storyline of Scripture (March 23, 2009) - "Thus the gospel is integrally tied to the Bible's story-line. Indeed, it is incomprehensible without understanding that story-line. God is the sovereign, transcendent and personal God who has made the universe, including us, his image-bearers. Our misery lies in our... ( Keep Reading » )

John Stott: The Double Influence of the Christian (March 23, 2009) - "You are the salt of the earth....You are the light of the world."—Jesus, Matthew 5:13-14 "So Jesus calls his disciples to exert a double influence on the secular community, a negative influence by arresting its decay and a positive influence... ( Keep Reading » )

Philip Graham Ryken on the Church (March 13, 2009) - I'm working on chapter eleven of my new book. (No, I don't want to tell you the title yet. No, it's not coming out soon. Lord willing, it will release in February 2010.) Anyway, this chapter is about God's purpose... ( Keep Reading » )

Love Your Enemies (February 26, 2009) - Jesus said, "But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.... ( Keep Reading » )

Horses and Chariots of Fire All Around (February 5, 2009) - Here's a passage that has encouraged me. Take heart, Christian. Those who are with us are more... "When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots... ( Keep Reading » )

Charles Bridges: Lie Low but Look High (February 2, 2009) - A quote I've been encouraged by recently... The main difficulty, therefore, is not in our work, but in ourselves; in the conflict with our own unbelief, in the form either of indolence or self-dependence. When faith is really brought into... ( Keep Reading » )

The Day is at Hand (October 18, 2008) - Romans 13:11-14 says "...the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast... ( Keep Reading » )

I Will Yet Go Forward! (July 2, 2008) - "I must venture: to go back is nothing but death; to go forward is fear of death, and life everlasting beyond it! I will yet go forward!"—Christian in John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress... ( Keep Reading » )

Reflections on John 21: "You Follow Me!" (April 29, 2008) - After his three denials on the night of Jesus' betrayal, John 21 tells the story of Peter's restoration by Jesus. The Master asked him, "Do you love me?" And how was Peter to show his love? By feeding Jesus' sheep.... ( Keep Reading » )

Week of Prayer (March 6, 2008) - Twice a year our church has what we call the Week of Prayer, a special time we set aside to focus on the priority of prayer. One of my favorite features of the week is our prayer room, open... ( Keep Reading » )

Jonathan Edwards in Charity and Its Fruits (February 13, 2008) - "Do you think the injuries you have received from your fellow-man are more than you have offered to God? Has your enemy been more base, more unreasonable, more ungrateful, than you have to the High and Holy One? Have his... ( Keep Reading » )

Feeding on the Heidelberg Catechism (January 24, 2008) - As part of my daily time of communion with God I've been reading through the Heidelberg Catechism. Today questions 26 and 27 ministered to my soul. Q. What do you believe when you say: I believe in God the Father... ( Keep Reading » )

From "Why Me?" to "Why You?" (December 9, 2007) - From Suffering and the Sovereignty of God: "So often the initial reaction to painful suffering is Why me? Why this? Why now? Why?...[then] He comes for you, in the flesh, in Christ, into suffering, on your behalf. He does not... ( Keep Reading » )

Gift Idea: Journals (December 5, 2007) - Last night we had our annual Staff Christmas Party—always a wonderful time of fellowship and celebrating evidences of God's grace in those we work with. As a gift from the pastors, all the staff received leather PaperBlanks journals. These... ( Keep Reading » )

No Excuse (November 15, 2007) - "God did not teach us the reality of His rule in order to give us an excuse for neglecting His orders." - J. I. Packer, Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God, page 34... ( Keep Reading » )

Momentous Knowledge (November 13, 2007) - Today I read this in J. I. Packer's book Knowing God: "What matters supremely, therefore, is not, in the last analysis, the fact that I know God, but the larger fact which underlies it--the fact that he knows me. I... ( Keep Reading » )

Daring to Be Holy (November 3, 2007) - Today I came across a quote I'd written in my journal. In his book Holiness, J.C. Ryle quotes puritan William Gurnall: "Say not that thou hast royal blood in thy veins and art born of God unless thou canst prove... ( Keep Reading » )

This Isn't Complicated (November 2, 2007) - This week in my devotions I read the words of my Savior in John 14:15: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments."How can I express my love to Jesus today? How can I show my love to one... ( Keep Reading » )

Get to Love Him Best of All (September 29, 2007) - "If you make doctrine the main thing, you are very likely to grow narrow-minded. If you make your own experience the main thing, you will become gloomy and critical of others. If you make ordinances the main thing, you will... ( Keep Reading » )

Simply Christ's Herald (May 19, 2007) - "Paul in his own estimation, was not a philosopher, not a moralist, not one of the world's wise men, but simply Christ's herald. His royal Master had given him a message to proclaim; his whole business, therefore, was to deliver... ( Keep Reading » )

Why Sacrifice? (May 16, 2007) - This month our church is asking the question, "Why sacrifice?" To sacrifice is to give up something valued to achieve a greater goal. Sacrifice isn't a concept most of us are naturally drawn to. Why give up anything that... ( Keep Reading » )

God Wants Your Heart (May 12, 2007) - Today I'm preparing a sermon about sacrificial giving and living for the sake of advancing the gospel. Our church is focusing on sacrifice as we prepare to give to our "Go Forward Fund." This fund was created to accelerate... ( Keep Reading » )

Are You Willing to Give Up Anything? (May 5, 2007) - J.C. Ryle's classic book Holiness is one of my personal favorites. The following quotation (from his powerful chapter on Moses, drawn from Hebrews 11:24-26) is a challenge I need to hear repeatedly:Are you making any sacrifices? Does your religion cost... ( Keep Reading » )

I'm Not Indispensable. (April 21, 2007) - I have this quote from J.I. Packer's book Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, written on the first page of my personal journal:...the Christian must never for one moment imagine himself to be indispensable to God, or allow himself... ( Keep Reading » )

Do Not Be Wise in Your Own Eyes (November 16, 2006) - We're working with our little girl on humbly receiving instruction. On Monday, I had a little special "breakfast time" with her in my office, and we worked on memorizing Proverbs 3:7, which says: "Do not be wise in your own... ( Keep Reading » )

Change Happens Because of the Gospel (October 25, 2006) - Today I'm working on a message I'll be giving to the small-group leaders of our church. The theme is "change." We're taking two days away to talk about sanctification, how God's Spirit works in us to change us and conform... ( Keep Reading » )

Domesticating God (October 12, 2006) - My mentor, CJ Mahaney, frequently cites D.A. Carson's book The Cross and Christian Ministry as the most influential book in shaping his view of pastoral ministry. If that doesn't make you want to check it out, here's a compelling quotation... ( Keep Reading » )