Earlier today a wonderful brother in Christ pointed me to Philippians 3:12. There Paul writes, "Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own." I was exhorted to rejoice in the truth that Christ Jesus has made me his own. That is a wonderful encouragement that all Christians should re...

Over the past few weeks, I've been working on a writing project that addresses how to biblically view, deal with, and approach a particular set of sins. I've been reading various books and articles on the subject, but mostly I've been trying to read the Scriptures. This morning I spent some time reflecting on passages like Luke 18:11-13 and 1 Corinthians 10:13. The Luke 18...

In my sermon, I mentioned that holiness is ultimately about God. Holiness isn't about what we do or don't do. It is about reflecting God's good, gracious, and holy character. I could have (and maybe should have) also mentioned that holiness is not about something outside of us, but rather about what is happening inside of us. It is certainly true that holiness can be seen ...

Brothers Sisters, Last week I wrote expressing my thanks for pouring into me as your pastor in allowing me to attend the T4G conference and a small pastor's network meeting. In that note, I began to share with you some of my reflections on that time. I mentioned a few thoughts from talks delivered by Thabiti Anyabwile, Matt Chandler, and Mark Dever. Let me pick up where ...

This past Monday morning I was extremely edified and encouraged by Charles Spurgeon's morning devotion from his book Mornings and Evenings. I thought that it could be useful to your soul as well. Here is what Spurgeon had to say in reflecting upon Romans 8:28, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to ...

I have long prayed for our congregation to be faithful in evangelism. I think that the Lord has given us much grace in this regard. Several members of our congregation are in active conversations with co-workers, family members, friends, and neighbors. I praise God for that. Earlier in the week, I realized that while I was regularly praying for us to be faithful in evangel...

This coming Lord's Day, consider how the Lord is able to judge the wicked for their wickedness and rescue the godly from their trials, it strikes me that the Lord's sovereign power in this regard ought to make us humble. What shall we who are worthy of judgment do before our all sovereign and just God? Nothing but implore him for mercy. When we do this, we can be sure and ...

The Washington DC area is constantly in a battle over revenue and what those funds will be spent on. Let's let Thomas Goodwin change the subject to a more edifying discussion of revenues for a moment: "What shall be the revenues of glory purchased by His death? Think what a large possession the blood of Christ will procure. Think, I say, what a glorious heaven it must b...

Just as I do every week, I endeavor to read each day a passage that we'll be studying as a way to prepare my heart for hearing from God when we gather. The passage is a bit longer this week, so I've been digesting it in smaller parts. This morning I read a section of Lamentations which included the two verses that Lamentations is famous for, Lamentations 3:22-23. Consider ...

During our initial study of the book of Judges, we spent a little bit of time reflecting on the subject of repentance. The people of Israel in the opening of Judges 2 appear to be broken, but as Sir Richard Baker once said, "Other things may be worse for breaking, yet a heart is never at the best until it is broken." A true brokenness, which may even include weeping, may v...