In Exodus 20:3-4 God says: “you shall have no other gods before me.” Makes sense. After all, he is our Creator and Redeemer.He goes on to say: “You shall not make for yourself an idol…” No problem. Back in Egypt and Canaan, people crafted idols, usually out of wood or stone. They represented the deity … Continue reading Modern idolatry
richard baxter
A God who never sleeps
Psalm 121:3-4 says this about God’s guardianship over his people: “He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” I think that the psalm is alluding to a story from 1 Kings 18. There the prophet Elijah is in … Continue reading A God who never sleeps
Thinking constructively about hardship
“Through history,” writes Mark Clark, “virtually every society has sought to teach people how to deal with pain and suffering. Sadly, our current culture has largely neglected this task. Why? Because for generations we’ve embraced a secular worldview that assumes that the material world is all there is, and that, thus, pain has no meaningful … Continue reading Thinking constructively about hardship
To unbosom the soul
Near the end of The Saints’ Everlasting Rest, Richard Baxter says that we live in a “vain, vexatious world.”* Can I get an Amen! He talks about how hard it can be to live in this world, and also how soul-satisfying it can be to talk to a best friend. Some you have a best … Continue reading To unbosom the soul
Labourers or loiterers?
Today is Ash Wednesday, the official start of Lent—the 40-day period of preparation (excluding Sundays) leading up to Easter. Some Christians attend services where ashes are put on their foreheads. In a pandemic, these services will either be skipped or modified. Ashes symbolize our mourning and regret for sin. They also symbolize our mortality. Recall … Continue reading Labourers or loiterers?
