Devotional Archives

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 » )