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Joy’s Crucial Ingredients
When the New Testament writers use the word joy, what they are referring to is “delight,” “cheerfulness,” or a “calm gladness.” So joy is a settled frame of mind and a fixed orientation of the heart: it is a solid state of contentment and confidence. Joy is not something superficial and external: it is not…
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The Power of the Promises
In Mortification of Sin, John Owen famously wrote, “be killing sin or sin will be killing you.” Owen’s piercing language touched upon a spiritual reality: that biblical Christianity is a good fight and those who refuse to take up arms will be conquered. Hence, all true Christians will actively be striving to mortify sin, because…
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The Spirits of Ahab and Jezebel (I Kings 21:1-17)
King Ahab and Queen Jezebel are two historical monarchs who appear in the narratives of the Old Testament. Ahab is best known for his failure to lead and his open endorsement of idolatry. Jezebel is best known for her bad behavior unbecoming of a queen, so much so that calling a woman a “Jezebel” is…
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The Beautiful Love of God (Two)
In the last post, we used Jeremiah 31:3 as a scriptural springboard to propel us toward the rich river of promises that speak of the beautiful and magnificent love of God. Today, the focus will remain on God’s love, but I will encourage all readers to stay focused on divine mercy and not to doubt…
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The Beautiful Love Of God (One)
Today, I have words of hope and encouragement for the weary Christian: do not forget about the beautiful, magnificent and eternal love of God. Allow your mind to be saturated with the memories of the kind, good works that God has continually wrought for His people. Allow your heart to be warmed by the hopeful…