The Apostle Paul knows who he is and he knows what is behind who he is (1 Corinthians 15:10). He says, "By the grace of God, I am what I am." This is not a flagrant statement that is meant to excuse character flaws. I'm not sure why it rings that way to my American ear (maybe I've listened to too much country music).

Paul simply knows who he is (1 Corinthians 15:9). He knows he is a sinner who Jesus Christ came into the world to save (1 Timothy 1:15). And he knows about the powerful grace of God in the source and work of his life, represented in verse 15a by the Manner. Paul is what he is, by the grace of God.

So it's free grace. Paul was destined for wrath and helpless. At no point …

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With Luke 1:26-38 open and the whole testimony of Scripture in mind, Kenny Stokes asked three questions about Mary in a recent sermon:

1. Should we view Mary as blessed?
2. Should we worship Mary?
3. How should we view Mary in relation to our salvation?

He concluded with three simple suggestions on how we should view her:

1. She is wonderfully and uniquely blessed
2. She should be honored
3. She should be imitated

He starts this part of the sermon at the seven minute mark.

Jonathan Edwards, from Miscellanies #188:

The best, most beautiful, and most perfect way that we have of expressing a sweet concord of mind to each other, is by music. When I would form in my mind an idea of a society in the highest degree happy, I think of them as expressing their love, their joy, and the inward concord and harmony and spiritual beauty of their souls by sweetly singing to each other.

Do you think he's right? Why or why not?

The perfect gift for that special someone.

(A little Christmas humor from our SGM friend, Mark Altrogge.)

What was your last cab ride like? 

A dear friend of Desiring God recently wrote to us about an experience in a London taxi that blessed him—and made more than a few of us here laugh out loud in delight!

Indeed
by Rick Segal

Wednesday night I was on my own in London. Such a void in the schedule gives me the chance to taxi in from Chelsea Harbor to Central London to Foyles, my favorite bookstore in all the world.

The distinctive, boxy, black London taxi is a masterpiece of western civilization. In no other city can one navigate urban traffic in a cleaner, more spacious, more professionally operated vessel at a more reasonable price. Unlike the usually filthy, dinged-up yellow cabs of Ma…

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Paul gives a two-part command in Philippians 3:17—join in imitating me and keep your eyes on those who live like us. This idea of imitating Paul and leaders like him is not unique to this passage (2 Thessalonians 3:7-9; 1 Timothy 4:12; 2 Timothy 1:13; Hebrews 13:7). However, the Philippians 3:18 ground to the command carries a particular weightiness.

Paul tells us to imitate him and those who live like him, "for many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ."

Paul says that apostasy is the basis for why we should imitate him and those who live like him. Paul does not suggest the benefits of having a role model, he narrows…

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Growing up, it was the source of endless entertainment. My dad was the guru of shortcuts. He lived on an endless quest for the shortest route to all of the places to which he regularly drove. He was never satisfied with his latest discovery.  He was always after a better, time-saving route than the last one. My mom used to kid my dad that most of his shortcuts were in fact “longcuts.” I remember one thing my dad would say in his search for the shortest distance to wherever, “The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.”

Have you ever wondered what David means in Psalm 27:11 when he says, "Teach me your way, O Lord, lead me on a level (straight) path because of my enemies"?

…

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Many helpful summaries and explanations of the justification debate and N. T. Wright have arisen over the last couple of weeks surrounding the meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society in Atlanta. One takeaway from the whole thing is the importance of articulating the relationship between our faith and our union with Christ.

Faith should never be exalted to a place that undermines Jesus and our union with him. No evangelical wants to do that. The “in Christ” reality is very good in the good news. A crucial question arises in how one might be “in Christ.”

In my opinion, this is a high point in John Piper's book, The Future of Justification. Piper quotes Wright from his essay…

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Such was the love of the Son of God to the human nature, that he desired a most near and close union with it, something like the union in the persons of the Trinity, nearer than there can be between any two distinct [beings]. This moved him to make the human become one with him, and himself to be one of mankind that should represent all the rest, for Christ calls us brethren and is one of us.

How should [we] be encouraged, when we have such a Mediator! 'Tis one of us that is to plead for us, one that God from love to us has received into his own person from among us.

And 'tis so congruous that it should be so, and is also so agreeable to the Scripture, that it much confirms in me the truth …

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Why You Weren't Born As an Impoverished Child in an Unreached Nation

Have you ever thought about why you were born into your particular circumstances? If you are reading this blog entry you are most likely a Christian whose life has been purchased by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. You are also likely relatively wealthy, at least compared to most people living in the world. If you have the ability to eat three times per day and have shelter over your head, you are better off than many people in the world. If you earn $25,000 per year, you are the richest 10% of the world. You are rich. In fact if you earn $2,200 per year you are the richest 15% of the world. If you reading this you are…

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