A world with misplaced fear may be watching – do they see you eagerly waiting for Him or enslaved in fear of death?
Where Are You Looking?
Jesus alone has the power to see our journey through because he is the pioneer of our salvation. Look to him because he already endured the cross for you and has taken his seat at the Father's right hand. Look to him when you grow weary and fainthearted along the way and make your way toward your heavenly rest with new hope, not turning to the right or to the left.
Closing the Gap of Social Distancing
The Law of Freedom
Visiting the Garden - Part 2
Submitting in Difficult Times
Above all else, brothers and sisters, don't ever lose sight of the hope that we have in the gospel. Keep your eyes fixed upon Jesus and give thanks in all circumstances. For He has defeated death on our behalf and nothing that we face on this earth can separate us from His grace. Let our posts be filled with thankfulness and let us be known as a thankful people.
A New Command
What Do You Think?
…. ”if there is any excellence” the gospel is by definition excellent. ”if there is anything worthy of praise”, our Savior is most certainly worthy of our praise. These are the things we ought to think on. Christ-centered thinking is what we need. It leads us to Spirit filled worship. Colossians 3:1-2, ”If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
Blessed Authority
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” – Psalm 1:1-6
Visiting the Garden - Part 1
We would have done the very same thing they did. We would have disobeyed God just like them. A little bit earlier in Romans we read that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. A little bit farther along in Romans we read that the wages of sin is death. That means we are all sinners and we will all die as punishment for our sin. That’s bad news. Bad news for everybody.
But there is also Good News. The Good News is that Jesus died for our sin.
GCC and Our Commitment to Biblical Counseling
In What Do You Trust?
In the turmoil of these days, our hearts hear many voices and opinions beckoning us to put our trust in them. Let me pose some diagnostic questions that I have been asking my own heart as we have been studying Proverbs. Do you trust in your work? Do you trust in your plans? Do you trust in rest?
If you, like me, at different times in your day put your trust in the wrong things, call your heart back to trust in God. “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God” (Psalm 42:11).
Agree in the Lord
It takes a great deal of humility to defer to others, but it's what our Jesus calls us to do. After all, he showed the ultimate humility when he humbled himself, took on the form of a servant and went to the cross. He came not to be served but to serve and to give himself as a ransom for many.
So I call you, I call myself, I call all of us to "Agree in the Lord."
The Urgency of the Gospel at All Times
God Cares for His Children
God took them right to the place of bitter water even though they were thirsty and couldn’t drink it. Now why do you think He did that? I think it’s because He had something to teach them. He wanted His people to learn that He was a God who cares for them. He wanted them to learn to trust Him even when things looked really bad around them.
Reflections on Together for the Gospel 2020
Reorienting Our Affections
Our growing affection for God and his Word will always be grace-fueled and Spirit-empowered, not some desire to know him that we naturally possess in ourselves. So, we should pray, like the psalmist, that God would incline our hearts to His testimonies and we should strive to find our ultimate delight in God as he has revealed himself to us in his Word.
Be About the Good Work
Remember beloved, that it is not the end of the pandemic that we are waiting for. We are not just waiting for life to get back to "normal". We have a far greater hope and reality awaiting us. This time will pass, but don't let it pass by without making the most of the opportunities that God has provided in it.
Corona Him with Many Coronas
Whatever coronas we have in this world, we should cast them down before his throne, because King Jesus rules over all. Jesus alone is crowned in beautiful majesty with all authority in heaven and earth. And while we may succumb to death by the coronavirus, let us not forget Jesus, who is “crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” (Hebrews 2:9)
Visiting the Wilderness
Having to stay at home every day can be a challenge for some. Sometimes it’s like being in a wilderness. I don’t think God meant for us to live in the wilderness but I do think it’s good to visit the wilderness every once in awhile. Because in the wilderness we can learn things. We can learn things about God and about ourselves. Join us as we dive in to Matthew 4!