Author: Tim Challies

Sunday Devotional: Your Best and Worst Days

There can be a subtle danger that comes with a long focus on the spiritual disciplines and the building of good habits. If we are not careful, we can begin to take a kind of comfort in our habits that makes us think they are what makes us acceptable to God. Even though we know we have been saved by grace through faith, we can still believe that God’s ongoing favor toward us depends upon the strength of our devotional lives. Conversely, when our habits are disrupted or neglected, we can feel a kind of fear that our poor habits have made us unacceptable to God. And this is where we need this crucial reminder from Jerry Bridges: “Your worst day are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace.” Even on our worst and most neglectful days, God does not suddenly begin to relate to us by works rather than grace. God’s love for us does not waver on the days we neglect Scripture and prayer. But we also need to be reminded that our best actions on our best days are never so good that they make us more acceptable to God or more righteous before him. Through the gospel we have been accepted once and for all, not on the basis of who we are, but on the basis of Christ’s sacrifice!See AlsoThe Means and the EndA Whole Batch of New Books for KidsGod Sets the Terms and Conditions

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Weekend A La Carte (July 6)

A La Carte: The Kansas City Chief’s kicker and reflections on motherhood / Does the Bible blame women for rape? / Progress in Cameroon / Discipleship is life / The living and abiding Word of God / Stewarding your commute time well / Kindle deals / and more.See AlsoA La Carte (July 3)Weekend A La Carte (May 25)A La Carte (May 13)

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Molded in the Master’s Hands

Peter lives in the shadow of Paul. When we think of the early church, when we think of the Apostles, when we think of the doctrine of the New Testament, our minds probably go first to Paul. And perhaps rightly so, since he is responsible for the majority of the didactic parts of the New Testament.See AlsoWhat Is Doctrine and Why Is It Important?Putting Unity FirstA Ministry of Unity

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A La Carte (July 5)

May the Lord be with you and bless you today. Amazon has just put a batch of Christian books (hardcover and softcover, not Kindle) on sale at around 50%-60% off. They include: Grudem’s Systematic Theology; MacArthur Study Bible ESV, NASB, Spanish; Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken; Greg Koukl’s Tactics; Hays & Duvall’s Grasping God’s Word; Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar. You may be able to find more here. Kenya’s Eco-Tax Revolt: A Christian Response You may have heard about riots in Kenya that were sparked by a new “eco-tax.” Paul Schlehlein has a really interesting article about it. He covers the way the West places demands on developing nations, the fact that the borrower is slave to the lender, and the Christian responsibility toward the natural world. Ayaan Hirsi Ali: In Her Own Words (Video) You probably heard that Ayaan Hirsi Ali has made a profession of faith in Christ. Glen Scrivener sat down with her to hear about it in her own words. I appreciate the way he teaches and disciples her along the way. Thomas Jefferson, the Baptists, and a Giant Block of Cheese Christian history doesn’t get a lot stranger than America’s early Baptists presenting Thomas Jefferson with a mammoth block of cheese. Here’s the odd story. It Truly Rots the Bones We have read that envy rots the bones. In this article, Kristin shows how very true and terrible that is. Should a Christian Get Cremated? “Prior to 1980 very few Canadians were cremated, but according to recent data, about 75% of Canadians are…See AlsoA La Carte (May 30)A La Carte (May 16)A La Carte (May 13)

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A La Carte (July 4)

A La Carte: Zoomers and the future of the church / Good sex starts with the heart / Political ideology vs. science / The sacrifices of a wife / Thou shalt not catastrophize / What happens when we trust God for the next step? / and more.See AlsoA La Carte (July 3)A La Carte (July 2)A La Carte (July 1)

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