Here are some thoughts from my talk last night on dating.  For more on this topic, please read Dating and Freedom by Les Newsome and Singled Out for Good by Paige Benton Brown.  You can also checked out Mark Driscoll's talking on dating at http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/religionsaves/datingSome Things to Think about 1.     How is your relationship with Jesus? (you first need to work on your relationship with Jesus before anyone else.) i.e. Hosea and Ephesians (Christ is the husband we are the bride.) So how is your relationship with Christ? 2.     Are you believing the cultural lies? or Are you believing the gospel?...

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Given the trying times all of us are having to endure in one way or another, I found Susan Fiske's excellent article in the Fall 2009 edition ofbyFaith (the official magazine of the PCA) entitled Be Anxious for Nothing--Now? especially relevant--and deeply helpful. In it she writes, "It is in prying open our hands from our abilities, accomplishments, and possessions that we can discover the true promise of God: Himself. [Paul] Tripp says, 'The hardest thing to hold onto, but the most beautiful when we get it, is that what God promises to us in times of suffering is not first relief of the suffering. His...

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Below is a very insightful comparison between “religion” and “the gospel” drawn from the sermons of Tim Keller (Senior Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan). Tim does a remarkable job of probing hearts and revealing how easily we slip into self-dependence mode. As I’ve been saying each Sunday, real slavery according to the Bible is self-reliance. So, read the comparison list below with humility and care. It will do your soul good. RELIGION: I obey-therefore I’m accepted.THE GOSPEL: I’m accepted-therefore I obey.RELIGION: Motivation is based on fear and insecurity.THE GOSPEL: Motivation is based on grateful joy.RELIGION: I obey God in order to get things from God.THE GOSPEL: I obey...

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In their excellent book How People Change, Paul Tripp and Tim Lane identify seven counterfeit gospels—-”religious” ways we try and “justify” ourselves apart from the Gospel of grace. I found these unbelievably helpful. Which one (or two, or three) of these do you tend to gravitate towards? Formalism. “I participate in the regular meetings and ministries of the church, so I feel like my life is under control. I’m always in church, but it really has little impact on my heart or on how I live. I may become judgmental and impatient with those who do not have the same commitment as I...

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One of the doctrines that always amazes me is the doctrine of the providence of God.  As I have looked back on my life and how God has guided me through life, it always amazes me how much God is REALLY part of my life.   One of the major themes in the book of Ruth is the providence of God.   God’s providence is His invisible hand.  Providence is called God’s invisible hand because God is working in our lives even though we may not see or realize it.  This is why the Bible says we should live by faith and...

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