In my recent sermon on the spiritual discipline of the Bible, I mentioned that our approach to the Bible ought to be multi-faceted: not just reading the Bible but memorizing the Bible, talking about the Bible, hearing the Bible preached, and more. Yet we must never neglect fundamental study of the Bible with our own…
Well, it might not be long after you start getting serious about the discipline of the Bible and exhorting others to the same discipline that you receive the accusation of “bibliolatry.” There is no standard definition of the pejorative term, but “bibliolatry” is usually used to refer to excessive devotion to the Bible or even…
Growing up, I liked to watch cartoons, and one of the frequently featured techniques of a cartoon villain is brainwashing. Using either diabolical technology or nefarious magic, the villain could force whole masses of people to believe something that wasn’t true or to act in ways that they would never normally choose to act. This…
I will never forget a certain question someone asked me during a session of biblical counseling. I was trying to help a young man grow in his spiritual walk with Christ, and he asked me one time, “How many hours of Bible reading do I need a day to overcome this sin?” He was asking…
(Today’s article is a guest post from our brother, Mark Twombly. Mark originally published this article on his blog in April 2020; he has graciously allowed me to repost it with some slight edits. I’m sure you’ll find its content still just as relevant today.) Make me know Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your…
Psalm 19:1-6 1, The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. 2, Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge. 3, There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard. 4, Their line has gone out…
Now that we’ve finished studying Habakkuk together, it’s worth taking time to consider who else in the Bible similarly struggled with the difficult providence of God and ultimately came back to the same place of trust and worship. Three other OT men come to mind: Job Job was a righteous man who suddenly lost everything—a…
I hope you all got to enjoy the Sunday school presentation and/or conversation with our kingdom workers this past Sunday. I felt both encouraged and sobered by their report about what ministry in their country is like, especially when I compare my experience in America. Often missionaries or foreign brethren can give us a fresh…
One theme you might have noticed in Habakkuk over the past two Sundays is the theme of sight. Many times in the first two chapters of the book do we see terms that directly relate to looking, seeing, or beholding. In fact, these purposefully used sight terms emphasize for us what we should be doing…
One of the most poignant scenes in the Bible is Jesus’ praying to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record how Jesus requests in great agony and grief for God, if at all possible, to remove the “cup” from Jesus (Mt 26:39; Mk 14:36; Lk 22:42). The “cup” that…