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Do you ever experience FOMO? The fear of missing out? “They” say (whoever “they” are) that part of social media addiction is the fear of missing out on something. It is just common that no one wants to be “left out in the cold.” Even introverts want to be included. Do you know who got left out of the biggest event of history? The angels. Sure, they were there and are mentioned in the story. But Peter says they longed to look into these things (1 Pet. 1:12). The angels were left on the outside looking in. To what? Redemption. The angels are not recipients of redemption. The writer of Hebrews emphasizes this when he writes, “For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham” (2:16). Jesus was born in human flesh, not angel flesh, and died as a ransom for humans, to free us from our bondage to sin and death. Angels who have not fallen into sin have... Keep Reading

Last week I initiated this two-part series on the importance of the Word of God as a means of grace. I contend that if we do not attend to the word of God “with diligence, preparation, and prayer; receive it with faith and love, lay it up in our hearts, and practice it in our lives” (WSC 90), we short circuit God’s grace in our lives. Last week I sought to woo our hearts to treasure Scripture rightly. We make time for the things we value. If we value the Bible as a means of God’s grace in our lives, we will make time for laying it up in our hearts. Today, I want to talk about those practical habits that bring God’s word into our hearts and lives. I highlight four. Attend to the preaching of God’s Word. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:21, “It pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.” And one of his final exhortations to Timothy is, “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (2 Tim. 4:2). As counter cultural as it may seem, God has ordained the preaching of his word to be a primary means of grace for his people. There are very few places where people gather to listen to a message on a regular basis (especially after one finishes school). We are an entertainment saturated culture where attention spans dwindle. But God has chosen the folly of preaching “to save those who believe.” Therefore, we must be diligent to attend to the preaching of God’s word. This means being in church on a regular basis. Also, we should make Sunday mornings a priority for our week. That includes getting a good night of sleep to be physically alert. We can prepare our hearts and minds for the sermon by reading and reflecting on the Scripture text ahead of time. Listening to a sermon is not a passive activity, but takes proactive engagement, expectant of God’s grace. ... Keep Reading

I have made it a practice in my ministry on an annual basis to highlight the importance of the Word of God as a means of grace. If we do not attend to the word of God “with diligence, preparation, and prayer; receive it with faith and love, lay it up in our hearts, and practice it in our lives” (WSC 90), we short circuit God’s grace in our lives. I would be failing as a shepherd if I was not leading the flock of Christ to the green pastures of God’s word. So, hear my annual appeal afresh. Let me start with a foundational presupposition. I believe that we all make time for the things we value. Therefore, our commitment to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly (Col. 3:16) is not a question of how busy we are, but a question of what we value. The psalmist says, “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day” (119:97). Do you see that connection? The psalmist loves God’s word (“law” in Ps. 119 speaks not particularly of a list of rules but of God’s covenant with his people; I think it is safe to hear this word encompassing the entirety of God’s word, which centers of Christ as the covenant keeper and sealer). His love energizes his meditation “all the day.” He understands that there is something valuable about God’s word, and that motivates the daily discipline of meditation. That word “discipline,” however, is deceptive because it carries a connotation of sacrifice. I do not believe the psalmist would count his daily activity of meditation a sacrifice. It is a delight and benefit. ... Keep Reading

At our last Session meeting an Elder ask me for “my perspective on giving.” This is my response. I wish above every church door a banner would read, “No perfect people allowed; only the fallible, hypocritical, and feeble permitted to enter.” I struggle with the discipline of giving to God. I like the fact that our church considers the whole church service worship, the preaching, our public confession not just our singing. I miss the act of passing the collection plate. I like the weekly reminder mid-service to grab my checkbook to write a check and make a conscious decision to worship by giving. Although most of my adult life I have attended churches with a collection box in the back of the sanctuary, I prefer hurriedly writing my check before the plate makes it to me as a conscious way of worshipping, a reminder to give to God. I remember my dad taking the church envelope out of his coat pocket with a pre-written check. I like the weekly prompting to reflect on my giving to God. I do not utilize the box, QR codes, and phone apps as I should. Because I struggle with the practice of giving, I find myself thinking transactionally. “God, I have not given as you requested; that is why things are not going well currently.” I know this is bad theology when we treat God as the “big slot machine in the sky.” ... Keep Reading

In ministry training, one area of focus is planning worship services. A minister of the gospel must know the why and the how of a worship service. One key component of the worship service is the Call to Worship. This is a summons from God to enter his presence with hearts ready to worship. Since the summons is from God himself, we look to Scripture for a Call to Worship. One of the most commonly known passages is Psalm 100. Read again this familiar text: 1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! 3 Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! 5 For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. Notice that there are seven commands. This is where we understand that this is a Call or a summons from God. He commands: make a joyful noise, serve the Lord, come with singing, know that he is God, enter with thanksgiving, give thanks, and bless. While there are nuances to each command, there is a common thread that ties them together: Worship the Lord as the greatest in your life. He is our greatest delight, our greatest strength, our greatest hope. The superlative commands direct us to place God in the highest place in our hearts and lives, with no competition. ... Keep Reading

Let’s talk about money. I know for many, talking about money is uncomfortable. It is a personal topic and we do not like others getting nosey and passing judgment. The Bible, however, has a lot to say about money, especially the Proverbs. One has observed that the Proverbs have more to say about money and the issues related to money than any other topic. By one count, there are 109 unique proverbs addressing this topic (these do include the proverbs confronting sloth, which I treat as a separate topic). Throughout human history money has always been a source of temptation and a stumbling block. Therefore, it is the way of the wise to allow Scripture speak into our lives about our money. I’ll break down my observations under six headings. Big Picture: Honor the Lord Like all the other topics that Proverbs addresses, the issue of wealth or money is a matter of the heart. If we treasure God and his ways in our hearts above all else, we will handle money rightly. Proverbs 3:9-10 captures this picture big perspective, “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” When we put God first, everything in our lives will be rightly ordered. There are Many Things Better than Wealth The Proverbs never condemns wealth, nor do they commend it as ultimate. Wealth can be seen as a blessing, but it never is viewed as essential. The Proverbs communicates a healthy perspective on wealth through several comparisons. In 3:14-15 wisdom is better than the gain from silver and gold. 15:16 says that the fear of the Lord is better than great treasure. In 16:8 righteousness is better than great revenues. 16:19 says it is better to be of a lowly spirit than to gain spoil with the proud. 19:1 tells us that integrity is better than wealth. And 19:22 says that it is better to be poor than a liar, implying that truthfulness is better than wealth. Lastly, 22:1 says a good name is better than great riches. Through these comparisons, Proverbs teaches us to keep wealth in its place. There are many things more valuable than wealth.... Keep Reading

I have found the perfect proverb to address church conflict. In a broken world of sinful people, church conflict is inevitable. And, unfortunately, church conflict is one of the causes of people leaving and staying away from the church. Christ calls us to be peacemakers. Therefore, we must know how to address and work through church conflict. First of all, we must identify the root cause of church conflict. Some might assume that conflict arises from differences. Differences of preferences. Differences of convictions. Differences of perspective. But God made us to be different. Our differences can complement one another and strengthen the body. So, we cannot, and should not, say that differences are the root of conflict. What is the root of conflict then? This “perfect proverb” brings us to the heart of the matter. At root is our heart attitude towards the people with whom we are in conflict. Proverbs 10:12 says, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.” How we deal with differences with someone we hate is vastly different than with someone we love. That’s what this proverb addresses. Let’s unpack how this applies to church conflict. ... Keep Reading

I find it interesting that in the “seven deadly sins” there are no sins of communication, like lying. As the Roman Catholic Church identified them, the list includes pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth. Compare that list with what we find in Proverbs 6:16-19, There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. Of the seven things that the Lord hates, two of them are related to speech: a lying tongue and a false witness. If the Lord hates crooked speech this much, you might think that it would make the list of seven deadly sins. In fact, there are more than 80 proverbs that directly address matters of speech. This is a significant issue for wise living in covenant relation with God. ... Keep Reading

Ever since the Lord drew me to Himself back in high school, He’s placed a growing burden on my heart for those who don’t know Christ. This stirs in me a deep desire to be more equipped and, in turn, to equip others to share the truth, beauty, and goodness of Christ with boldness and compassion to all. One Scripture passage that has continually shaped how I think about having gospel conversations is Acts 17, where Paul finds himself in Athens surrounded by idols. Paul doesn’t withdraw or mock the culture around him. Instead, he engages it thoughtfully, truthfully, boldly, and compassionately for the sake of the gospel. Recently I was reading The Gospel After Christendom, where Sam Chan unpacks Acts 17 as a model for having gospel conversations in everyday life. His reflections have been helpful, and I’d like to share a few of them along with some of my own observations. ... Keep Reading

The Roman Catholic Church has identified seven deadly sins: pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth. Some of these are directly addressed in the Ten Commandments. Most of these are confronted in the Proverbs. While we normally don’t use the category of “deadly sins,” this list does highlight some of the most common sins by which people are ensnared. We have already considered the Proverbs’ teaching on lust in chapter 5-7. Today, let’s consider sloth. Proverbs addresses sloth, or laziness, with some vivid illustrations and a repeated memorable warning. Consider 6:6-11: 6 Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. 7 Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, 8 she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. 9 How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, 11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man. The “ant” is mentioned again in 30:24-25, “Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise: the ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer.” In both places, the ant is commended as a wise, diligent worker, which provides food in a timely manner. In contrast, “The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth” (19:24). The sluggard is so lazy that he does not even make an effort to feed himself. ... Keep Reading