The Magnificat, when Mary praises God after Gabriel tells her that she will be the mother of the Messiah, is a beautiful picture of the grace of God towards fallen humanity (Luke 1:46-56). But there is another side to the Magnificat ignored by many. Just as God is merciful to his children, he is righteous … Continue reading The Two Sides of the Magnificat
Too many of us celebrate the birth of Jesus while neglecting Christ himself. This negligence is because, though many of us would like to experience the joy of our salvation, our indulgence in worldliness cuts us off from it. We have lost the reason to celebrate. Many of us also desire the Lord to use … Continue reading Celebrating Christmas with Jesus Himself
The following is a guest post by Pastor Rob Golding of First Artesia Christian Reformed Church. He also writes for the Westminster Theological Seminary Magazine. Do not forsake individualist Christianity! We are rightly concerned with avoiding over-individualism. We know Westerners are inherently individualistic. Americans are proponents of “rugged individualism.” We have heard that Old and New Testament … Continue reading Good Individualist Christianity
Sometimes our lives can grow dim because we are no longer walking closely with the Lord like we used to. However, our God is so gracious that even after we have wandered away, he not only forgives our sins, but he also gives us times of refreshing (Act 3:19-21). In Acts chapter three, the phrase, … Continue reading Times of Refreshing
In the Christian life, there are times of rest and times of struggle, and what we do when the sun is shining will often determine how well we will fare when the rains fall and the winds blow. It is usually the pleasant times when self-confidence becomes exaggerated that many professing Christians tend to chip … Continue reading Chipping Away Our Confidence in Christ
I saw the effects of it in an old friend ravaged by a virus that attacked his motor skills to the point he lost the ability to speak. I saw it in another friend fighting the grief of losing their spouse to disease. It reared its head in the news of another family friend who discovered their six-year-old has … Continue reading The Tyranny of Sin
The person sitting in the other pew at church is more glorious than you realize. It is easy for us to look at some of the other people in our church and think, “I am glad they are part of this church, but they are not that significant.” If we feel like that, it exposes … Continue reading Why There Are No Insignificant Christians
Revelation speaks about our future condition to help us in our present condition. That is one of the main reasons our Lord gave John the vision. The church was under intense persecution, and John himself was in exile when he was told to write what he saw. Like all apocalyptic literature in scripture, Revelation is designed to increase … Continue reading Our Future Glory
When a man or woman of God invites you in as they process their grief of losing a loved one, they are giving you a spiritual gift to strengthen you. Throughout church history, many faithful Christians have suffered the loss of children and encouraged others through their experiences. Samuel Rutherford, John Flavel, John Bunyan, and George Whitfield … Continue reading Seasons of Sorrow
It started with the drama at the throne (Revelation 5). The scroll containing the inheritance of the children of God was sealed with seven seals, and no one could open it. No one, that was, until the slain Son of God appeared. Because he died and rose again, he is worthy. He had borne the wrath they deserved. Because of this, he is both just and … Continue reading The First Six Seals of Revelation
The Fight of Faith 