“What sacrifice could be equal to His own
The cross of Christ has declared that there is nought I owe
Yet I know I owe Him all”
- “From Whom All Blessings Flow”
JP and I once talked about how we’d rather have a child who had a whole lot of personality than one who was just a plain ole goody-goody.
Looks like God answered our “wishes” with girl #2 and I’m not sure we’re ready for it 😬
In the parable of the talents, the master didn't punish the servant for losing money. He punished him for burying it. Risk aversion isn't safe. It's a violation of stewardship. God gave you 1, 2, or 5 talents. He expects a return on that investment. Digging a hole and hiding your potential because you're scared of the market is an insult to the Giver. Invest. Risk. Serve.
Immanuel Church Nashville is right down the road from our church. We know a lot of families that attend there. Good time to take your hands off the keyboard and pray for that church--for their pastors and their congregants.
Below are the ages of several godly men when they completed their race on this earth:
• Charles Spurgeon - 57
• Jim Elliot - 28
• John Knox - 58
• William Tyndale - 42
• Robert Murray M’Cheyne - 29
• Samuel Rutherford - 60
• Jonathan Edwards - 54
• Dietrich Bonhoeffer - 39
• John Owen - 59
• David Brainerd - 29
• John Wycliffe - 54
With many of us men in our 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond, it's sobering to consider how many men at this point in life had already finished their course with joy.
May the Lord teach us to number our days (Psalm 90:12), and help us truly grasp how short life is.
May we faithfully serve our Savior with whatever days He has given us.
The days are short. Ministry will always be knocking. But your kids will only be young once.
Do the math: 18 years. That's 936 Saturdays.
Your church can get a new pastor. Your kids can't get a new dad.
Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12
God is good if he gives you 3 kids in 4 years.
He’s also good if he gives you 2 in 18 years.
He’s also good if you have a bunch of babies waiting for you in heaven.
He’s also good if you have no babies.
God’s goodness is not based on what He does or does not do for you.
Mark Dever says the gospel is always fresh to him and tears up as he recognizes he deserves God's judgment. He says, "The fact that we trust the same Christ is far more important than anything that divides us." This is it. This is gospel-centrality.