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Building The Wall . . . Holding The Sword
Ever since I was young I have always felt an exhilaration in getting to put my hands to work crafting something new. Perhaps it was the coffee table for the living room my dad and I built when I was about twelve. Maybe the bee supplies I built for my business, gun stocks I’ve worked on, or the raised beds we constructed for our gardens over the years. It is an enjoyable process to take a bunch of mixed materials, put them together, and cut them just the right way, in order to make something sturdy enough to serve its purpose for years.
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Contentment Where Christ Has Placed You
Discontentment marks our era of history in so many deeply profound ways. The young teenager constantly looks over at his friends to see if he is keeping up. A young mom glances at social media swiping through the pictures of her friends’ “perfect children.” Men wrestle with enjoying the moment because of a ceaseless compulsion to reach the next stage of their careers. Singles struggle with finding joy in Christ even as newlyweds have an anxious stir in their hearts until the children come. Life is always filled with “the next season” which shall have its own twists, turns, successes, bumps, and bruises along the way. The key to going through this path of life is to learn to be content as we take each step day by day.
Biblically Defending A Bill To Abolish Abortion in Arkansas
History’s exquisite stage has a way of demonstrating those with true conviction as opposed to compromisers who cave when the pressure reaches its height. There are those such as Benedict Arnold who turn their back on everything that they once declared noble. You will find men like Judas who betray that which is perfectly good for thirty pieces of silver and a blood-stained conscience. All is not hopeless, for there are still courageous men willing to stand for that which is righteous even at great cost. Men like Paul who gave his life for the faith never backing down a single inch from the truth. Such a man was William Wilberforce an English Evangelical political figure in the 18th century who was the pivotal figure in leading the charge to abolish the slave trade. He held to no compromise . . . no incrementalism . . . but total abolition!
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Dear Young Pastor . . . Don’t Forget Your Call To Grow
Any pastor knows that the work of the ministry is multi-faceted with several differing needs arising over the course of any week. Just as soon as the call to visit a couple who had their first baby comes, another comes in that an elderly saint has just been called home to their reward. Marriages occur in the life of the church, as does marital counseling because one is in the middle of strife. New Christians need discipleship and mature saints need direction in how to serve. With all of the unique situations that arise, we often see areas in the church and in people that need growth. Sometimes a person needs to grow in their patience as evidenced by their testiness when someone visits with them. The congregation as a whole may need to advance perhaps in some spiritual way, with financial management, or perhaps in evangelizing the community. Paul’s charge to Titus to “put what remained in order” certainly means that pastors are called to shepherd the flock into increasing conformity to the Word of God by combatting both false doctrine and practices while pursuing that which Christ has commanded (Titus 1:5).
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A Mark of True Friendship
The wide variety of friendships over the course of our lives often adds a spice of adventure. That is not an inherently negative statement, simply a true one. The man who has been a waiter for the last ten years at the restaurant you go to every week may be a friend but he perhaps might not be the most intimate one with whom you share your life trials. Then there is the friend who you knew over your childhood but have not talked to in fifteen years. Another category of friend is the one that you talk to nearly every day and you are really invested in each other. These various types of friendships weave into our lives interactions with people in a fascinating degree of levels ranging from “how are you today” to working through someone’s deepest hurts. Yet, we are also left with a pressing question, what is the mark of a true friend?
A Lesson From The Life of Charles Spurgeon
As a young boy growing up in Baptist churches the name “Charles Spurgeon” was frequently cited with respect. Knowing little of him at that age, I simply took pleasure in hearing his theological insights as well as his witty sense of humor. Once I grew up and entered the work of the ministry, Spurgeon became more than a mere distant figure. Reading his books, learning about his life, and gleaning from his wisdom became a regular occurrence for me. Here was a figure who took Scripture seriously. This was a man who labored faithfully for the Lord over the course of his life. Beyond a doubt, he was the most influential preacher of his day. In fact, his fame is almost shocking considering how unapologetic he was for standing on biblical truth. Seemingly, he is just as renowned in our day as many preachers and Christians continue to learn from his life.
