As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“When I was still teaching at a state university in Georgia, one of the most alarming developments I noticed was the rise in the number of overwhelmed and exhausted students who were trying to balance multiple low-paying, part-time jobs just to make ends meet.” - IFWE
From the archives…
Christian parenting experts often seem unable to see the forest for the trees. Whether it’s “grace based,” “gospel centered,” “heart focused,” or some other phrase du jour, many seem to begin with a lofty concept about what the Bible ought to teach about parenting then go to Scripture and—surprise!—find it there.
As a result, we have constantly clashing emphases—to the everlasting frustration of parents, who just want to know what God expects of them and how to perform those tasks more effectively.
“The video game industry especially fosters this by creating addictive virtual worlds, oftentimes filled with occultism, profanity, sensuality, triviality, and lurid violence. Gamers are rewarded for their distractibility, recklessness, greediness, and perversity, and they are encouraged to think of themselves as heroes for conquering fake substitute realities in a short period of time.” - ACCC
“It is God’s call on our lives—our whole lives—that makes me see the idea of retirement as a myth. Now more than ever, I believe we are in a time where we are being stirred to action to use the gifts God has placed in us, no matter what stage of life we are in.” - IFWE
“In a culture of death, nothing can satisfy us. The things of our world have become exclusively means… of our self-directed projects of building and securing worth, goodness, and meaning—and thus are no longer meaningful, good, worthy ends in themselves.” - Desiring God
Read the series.
The fourth characteristic that God emphasizes about himself is that he is “abounding in lovingkindness.”
If you’ll compare the different ways that last word is translated, you find that it has a broad range of meaning and significant theological depth—
“Before you start complaining, be sure you’ve checked arrogance at the door. Come with your pain, not your pride.” - Ref21
“Our hope is in our Lord. That is true when the side we voted for wins AND when it loses…. this occasion for rejoicing should be a bit muted. We are not in the Kingdom yet.” - P&D
“You might think that worry that consumes us would drive us to prayer. The burden is deep, so we pray….You would think this would be the case, but that’s not always so. At least not for me.” - Chuck Lawless
“Christians sometimes fail to speak out against this distorted view of leadership strength because they embrace a false dichotomy between secular and sacred spheres. They tout biblically-based leadership models like “steward leadership” or “servant leadership” for those inside the four walls of ministry but hesitate to apply those same biblical truths to secular leadership.” - IFWE
Discussion