Life can sometimes feel out of control, like we’re lost in a world of random surprises and twists, subject to the whims of chance. But while this may be the feeling, it’s not the truth. The truth is God is in control at all times. He is directing all things. God directs all things. (Categories adapted from Wayne Grudem’s 1995 discussion in his Sytematic Theology, pp. 315-354) God directs nature. (Psalm 65:9-10, 104:14, 148:8; Job 5:10, 37:6-13; Matthew 5:45; Acts 14:17) (Scripture … [Read more...] about Every Little Step
Archives for March 2012
The Testimony of Tebow
Ross Douthat writes an intriguing op-ed in the New York Times about Tebow's move to New York. It's worth reading the whole thing, but one part jumps out in particular. Douthat writes: But let’s be unsophisticated for a moment. Why is Tim Tebow such a fascinating and polarizing figure? Not just because he claims to be religious; that claim is commonplace among football stars and ordinary Americans alike. Rather, it’s because his conduct — kind, charitable, chaste, guileless — seems to actually … [Read more...] about The Testimony of Tebow
God’s Love Will Find You
Springtime brings weeds and vines as much as it bring leaves and flowers. One look at the woods behind my house confirms that. The Creation around us is not only blossoming with growth but bursting forth with overgrowth. Lawns need mowing. Beds need weeding. Hedges need trimming. It can really feel like a jungle out there. Our own lives have similar seasons of growth and overgrowth. We sometimes find ourselves overwhelmed, overrun, and choked out. Stress, illness, or the loss of a job can … [Read more...] about God’s Love Will Find You
Jesus Alone Creates New People
In Christ Jesus, we are a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17), and that's all that really matters.Christianity is not primarily about being religious, that is, about attending church services, dressing a certain way, performing certain rituals, lighting candles, repeating certain phrases. It's about being a new creation. It's about finding your self remade by and in Christ. When the Apostle Paul wrote Galatians, a letter to the church in Galatia, he confronted this very idea of inflating Christianity … [Read more...] about Jesus Alone Creates New People
Spiritual Springtime
Spring is a season of renewal. The old gives way to the new. The dried up husks of Winter become the soft shoots of Spring. And the abstinence of Lent becomes the abundance of Easter. This change of seasons fitly symbolizes the spiritual change of believers. For we too were once as dead as Winter, not physically but spiritually. We were dead in our sins, hopeless and helpless to do any good (Ephesians 2:1). We were like fallen leaves, our destiny done and our journey ended. But, in Christ, … [Read more...] about Spiritual Springtime
A Brighter Day
God's creation displays profound beauty, but it also displays deep brokenness. All is not well. For every blossom bloomed, another withers away. The fields of soft Spring grass now also yield thorns and thistles (Genesis 3:18). The creation, while still speaking of God's glory, now also speaks of our great sin. For the original sin of mankind brought a curse on the earth (Genesis 3:17). We now live at odds with nature, parched by drought, buffeted by winds, crushed by storms, and haunted by … [Read more...] about A Brighter Day