Common grace is one of my very favorite doctrines. I so love it and wish it were better understood and more often celebrated. “Common grace” points out that God loves the whole world, and exercises patience and kindness even to those who ultimately reject Him. In his excellent book Bible Doctrine, Wayne Grudem says, “Common grace is the grace of God by which he gives people innumerable blessings that are not part of salvation. The word common here means something that is... Read more
People often say, “We don’t understand now, but in Heaven we’ll know everything.” Is this true? Definitely not. God alone is omniscient. When we die, we’ll see things far more clearly, and we’ll know much more than we do now, but we’ll never know everything. (If we did, we’d be God!) The apostle Paul writes, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know... Read more
It was six years ago, but I remember like yesterday when Nanci and I traveled to Jamaica, where I spoke at a donors’ conference to help raise funds for Operation Mobilization’s ship Logos Hope. We were very familiar with it from a distance, partly because of a close relationship with OM founder George Verwer. I asked if it would be possible for Nanci and me to stay on board the ship after the conference. It turned out that it was one... Read more
If we are going to fully trust God, it’s vital that we believe in a happy God who cares deeply for our welfare and is active in creation and redemption. In his sermon “A Free Salvation,” Charles Spurgeon said, Let a man truly know the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and he will be a happy man! And the deeper he drinks into the spirit of Christ, the more happy will he become! That religion which teaches misery to... Read more
George Washington Carver (1864–1943) was born into slavery on a Missouri plantation. He was a frail and sickly baby whose father had recently died. While still an infant, George and his mother were kidnapped. He was later returned to the plantation and traded for a horse, while his mother was never heard from again. Carver was ten when he went to Kansas and put himself through high school. In 1891, he entered the college that’s now called Iowa State University.... Read more
During a Q&A interview earlier this year, I was asked “What would you say to your younger self?” Here was my answer: And for those who would like to read a summary of what I shared, and want more resources: 1) Learn to say no to even very good things so that you can be free to say yes to those few wonderful things God has called you to do. Years ago I wrote an article on Planned Neglect: Saying No to Good Things So We... Read more
I met Andy Stanley twenty years ago. I found him interesting and likeable. We had a number of mutual friends, I knew people at his church, and I have recommended several of his books that I found helpful and on target. I am sad to say that in the last eight years or so I have been unable to recommend Andy’s teaching for a variety of reasons. This 2016 article by Josh Buice documents some of those. I take no delight in... Read more
Jesus said, “There is more happiness in giving than in receiving” (Acts 20:25). This is the Good News Translation, and it correctly renders the Greek word makarios as happiness. One of the greatest gifts we can give our children is freedom from materialism. How? By teaching them to be generous givers who know everything belongs not to them, but to God. And by demonstrating that greater joy is found in giving than keeping. Giving statistics are bleak. They consistently show that older generations give... Read more
Psalm 119:107 says, “I have suffered much; preserve my life, O Yahweh, according to your word.” The God to whom the psalmist prays knows how much and the nature of his suffering. Jesus knows the same about us but invites us to pour out our hearts to Him nevertheless. God’s Word gives us strength in our weariness, and it comforts and sustains us. When not afflicted, we tend to go astray, but God uses our afflictions to help us obey... Read more
I love this audio devotional from the excellent book Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund. When I really love a book, I tend to either read it quickly or slowly. In the case of this book, I read it very slowly and spent multiple days reading some of the chapters because I found it so rich and nourishing and worthy of contemplation. Nanci also read it in the last year before she went to live with Jesus. I would highly recommend this book... Read more
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