Bits & Pieces (9/17/12)

  • Hope That Purifies – “The point of 1 John 3:2–3 is brilliantly succinct. Our entire future is bound up with Christ. When we see our future in Him, he becomes for us the model of our holiness, the goal of our holiness, the end of our holiness, and the motivation for our holiness.”


  • 7 Keys to Reconciling – Perhaps it’s because I went to a conference on biblical counseling this weekend, but I appreciated this summary of Peacemaker Ministry’s 7 keys for resolving conflict, provided by Ed Stetzer. 

 

  • Survey Says – Family Feud asked people who they were referring to when they mentioned “the king.” James Gilmore reports the responses and a reminder for what it means as we witness in our culture. 

 

  • Grandparent Commandments – One author provides his “ten commandments” for being a grandparent. If you are one, it’s a list worth considering. 

 

  • 10 Ways Ecclesiology Encourages Me – This would probably be more properly posted right before a Sunday, but may it encourage you as you commit to participate in corporate worship this week. 

 

  • Is Weakness a Good Thing? – “On the road of gospel obedience, whether in ministry or parenting or vocational work or anything else, a sense of weakness is a gift from God. It is a painful mercy that drives us to the power of our Lord and away from our delusions of self-sufficiency. And the fact that you experience weakness is often the indicator that you are exactly where the Lord wants you, giving yourself wholly to the work he has called you to do.”
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Bits & Pieces (9/14/12)

 

  • How Can I Believe in God & Pain? – “Maybe the reason we question God’s moral character when bad things happen is that we live our lives largely independent from God on a daily basis. In other words, we struggle to trust God in times of trouble because we do not really trust God when things are going well.”


 

  • Ministering During Suffering – Written for pastors, this post contains some good reminders for all those who are ministers of the gospel and must navigate how to minister during times of personal suffering. (H/T)

 

  • Is Election Unfair? – “The issue is complicated when we consider that God chooses to grant this saving grace to some but not to all. We recall that, in the first place, He owes it to no one. Once someone has sinned, God owes that person nothing. Indeed, even before sin, God owes the creature nothing. It is the creature who is indebted to God (for sustaining if not also saving grace), not God to the creature. But what is often assumed is that if God grants grace to some, then He must grant the same measure of grace to all if He is fair and just. Here we must stop for a moment and ask why this should be so.”

 

  • Being Authentic Christians – “[W]e need to identify more with who we are in Christ than our current struggles. We are not primarily defined by our anger, lust, impatience, or discontentment. We are defined by the fact that we are united to Jesus Christ, and that Christ himself lives in us!”
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