Eight Reasons Why I Believe Jesus Rose from the Dead

John Piper helps the church with this article. Print this out, be familiar with it, put it in your wallet or purse and keep it handy as a reference when someone pipes up with, "Hey, what do you think about this lost tomb of Jesus" or "Did you see the documentary on Jesus tomb on Discovery Channel?

A great site made better

If you aren't aware of the work of John Hendryx at monergism.com, let me introduce you to each other. John has had a great site for years, but not it has a totally new design and look that will make it much more accessible! Support this man's relentless efforts to provide great Biblical content for free. What a great resource for helping us be well-nourished in the words of the faith and healthy teaching.

Much ado about nothing: The Discovery of Jesus' Tomb

I am sure by now that you have seen something about the documentary that will be shown on Sunday night on the Discovery Channel with evidence suggesting that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and how they have unearthed Jesus' tomb alongside Mary and their son named Judas.

Don't lose any sleep over this latest sensational attempt to disprove that Jesus was the Son of God and that he rose from the dead. It happens every year around this time.

On the other hand, lots of people have seen this story in the newspaper, on the internet, or on one of the talk or new shows as there is a massive pre-publicity effort underway, especially since a well-known Hollywood producer is in on this hoax. So this will likely come up in your conversations with unbelievers in the next few days. Be prepared to give an answer for the hope that we have in Christ.

Here are a number of resources that are credible responses and make some excellent points worth pondering.

Transcript of Dr. Al Mohler on Larry King Live Monday night (you have to scroll down awhile after the interview with Mrs. Laura Bush)

Don't Lose Any Sleep Over Jesus' Lost Tomb

A host of other great links with refutation

The need for godly men!

Pastor John MacArthur discusses the need for godly men in this video clip from the Resolved Conference.

After the Amen

Yesterday, I urged our church family to train themselves to be godly. This will take much toil and striving (1 Timothy 4:7b-10). Those words suggest suffering, hardship, pain, and lots of effort. We are not used to such things as we live here in the United States of Abundance as some third world countries refer to us. We are used to prosperity and not tribulations. We think it strange to have to struggle, agonize, and work to the point of exhaustion for anything good almost.

Godliness is worth all the effort thought because it holds value for this life and for the life to come. Laboring in godliness requires that we fix our hope on the living God who is our Savior.

We can find encouragement from a letter that was written by a pastor named Clement who shepherded God's flock in Rome apparently around 100 AD. Thus he lived around the time of John who died on the Isle of Patmos. He wrote these words

But do not let it trouble your mind that we see the unrighteous possessing wealth while the servants of God experience hardships. Let us have faith, brothers and sisters! We are competing in the contest of a living God, and are being trained by the present life in order that we may be crowned in the life to come. None of the righteous ever received his reward quickly, but waits for it. For if God paid the wages of the righteous immediately, we would be engaged in business, not godliness; though we would appear to be righteous, we would in fact be pursuing not piety but profit.

Clement reminds us that as we train ourselves to be godly, we must have faith. We must be like Abraham "was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God" (Hebrews 11:10). In the great chapter of Hebrews 11, we are reminded that "all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised" (Hebrews 11:39). We want to see instant results in our godliness and it doesn't always happen as fast as we desire.

Clement's quote also reminds us that it is often the struggles, the hardships, the sufferings that train us best. Martin Luther said, "My tribulations are more necessary for me than meat and drink." Jesus sets the pace for us, Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him" (Hebrews 5:8-9).

Finally, we can learn, as Victor Kuligin points out in his book Ten Things I Wish Jesus Never Said, that "immediate rewards can cause us to lose sight of the important things we should focus on." We are so willing to trade heavenly treasures for worldly waste. Augustine reminds us well, "There remains the pleasures of these eyes of my flesh. . .Let not these occupy my soul; let God rather occupy it, who made these things, very good indeed, yet He is my good, not they."

We need to keep these things in mind as we train ourselves for godliness!

Taking up my cross daily

Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9:23, ESV).

Taking up my cross truly causes me to concentrate on God, to trust in Him more fully, and to stop relying on my own strength and wisdom.

Martin Luther once wrote in his Table Talk, "It is impossible for a human heart, without crosses and tribulation to think upon God."

So my heart sings though I do not live it like I should:

Jesus, I my cross have taken, all to leave and follow Thee.
Destitute, despised, forsaken, Thou from hence my all shall be.
Perish every fond ambition, all I’ve sought or hoped or known.
Yet how rich is my condition! God and heaven are still mine own.

Let the world despise and leave me, they have left my Savior, too.
Human hearts and looks deceive me; Thou art not, like them, untrue.
And while Thou shalt smile upon me, God of wisdom, love and might,
Foes may hate and friends disown me, show Thy face and all is bright.

Some audio message gems

I couldn't go to Minneapolis, MN for this year's Desiring God Pastor's Conference but I am working my way through listening to the messages on line. The original audience was more than a thousand pastors but there are gems for every Christian. You can read a synopsis of each sermon here and then listen on line if you wish.

If you have never heard R. C. Sproul preach on Isaiah 6 and the Holiness of God, this is vintage Sproul! God has used R. C. to particularly enlarge this generation's vision of God's transcendence.

So far, my favorite message has been William MacKenzie's message highlighting literature in the life of global missions. I always enjoy hearing a Scottish preacher anyway and this man is full of stories of God's great providence using the printed page to change the lives of millions in the past and still today! This is a message all members of your family would enjoy.

The treasures of church history

I just finished a book this morning entitled Pages from Church History by Stephen J. Nichols. Stephen has written several very readable books on the lives of major figures in church history. This book devotes one chapter to thirteen such men who made a mark on the church. Each chapter provides an excellent overview of each man's life with a lot of personal information and vignettes. The rest of each chapter considers one of the man's major writings, normally a book or two, and ends with the continuing legacy of this man's influence in the church today.

For example, Nichols spends several pages unfolding the life of John Bunyan, the beloved author of Pilgrim's Progress and several other lesser known books such as The Holy War which some of our church children are reading this year. Bunyan was imprisoned for holding an illegal religious service. He was to be released after three months, but his three month sentence turned into twelve years because he could not promise that he would not preach again when he was released.

Nichols picks up the story:

He feared most of his family as they would be without support, and he absolutely dreaded what might await his beloved blind daughter, Mary.

The church in Bedford rose to the occasion and supported the family throughout his imprisonment. Bunyan also contributed to his family's support by making shoelaces. So his fears for his family were never realized. In fact, Mary eventually memorized the route from her home to the prison, and the highlight of Bunyan's day came every evening as Mary arrived with a bowl of soup for her father. While she brought soup, Elizabeth [his wife] made daily treks to the courthouse to plead for her husband's release. . . .Always a lover of music, he fashioned a flute from one of the legs of his formerly four-legged stool.

Of course, Bunyan spent much of his time in prison writing his books as well. Eventually he was released from prison and spent the rest of his life preaching and writing. He was imprisoned again for six-months but was released largely due to the efforts of John Owen. H died on August 31, 1688 having contracted a fever on a horseback ride to London to preach.

Our study of Scripture ought to be a first-order discipline in our lives. But the study of church history can definitely be a worthwhile second-order discipline. This year I have already benefited not only from this work but also by listening to John Piper's biographical sketch of Andrew Fuller, a contemporary of and huge supporter of William Carey. Piper has delivered several such talks on men like Owen, Bunyan, Mueller, and Judson to name a few. Also our family is reading Piper's little 80 page book on William Wilberforce which has some great gems of truth. Even our youngest son is enjoying this journey into church history as we learn about Wilberforce's younger years and his steadfast, joyful perseverance in serving God in government and in the church!

Nichols ends his work with a balanced reminder of how we should interpret the lives of men and women in church history by noting,

Our tendency is to go on one extreme or the other. On the one hand, we tend to nearly idolize our heroes. Historians call this hagiography, the turning of our heroes into saints who can do no wrong. On the other hand, we can unduly judge them against modern standards or standards developed later in time. . . .Succumbing to either tendency causes us to misread and misapply history.

Reading church history doesn't have to be boring. It can be exhilarating and thanks to men like Nichols, John Piper, and Steve Lawson, it is easily accessible to us today.

Amazing Grace: The Life of William Wilberforce

The long awaited movie on the life of William Wilberforce arrives in theatres this Friday. I haven't seen the movie so I can't speak with first-hand knowledge of it, although I am cautiously optimistic that it is done well from what I have read of it by some respected Christians who have seen the movie.

Against great obstacles William Wilberforce, an evangelical member of Parliament, fought for the abolition of the African slave trade and against slavery itself until they were both illegal in the British Empire. Many are aware of Wilberforce’s role in bringing an end to slavery in Great Britain, but few have taken the time to examine his beliefs and motivations that spurred him on for decades.

Before seeing the movie, it would be helpful to read a book by John Piper (free and on-linehere).

Loving Leviticus!: The burnt offering

I am currently reading in Leviticus as part of my Bible reading. I have never really done an in-depth study of all the sacrifices and their meaning. But I have learned some insights this time around by using a wonderful book called Rose's Book of Bible Charts, Maps and Timelines. So far I have read about four types of offering.

The burnt offering represents complete surrender and dedication to God. It reminds me of such verses as this one: "For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." (Psalm 51:16-17).

God calls each one of his children to complete dedication to him, "" I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." (Romans 12:1, ESV)

The apostle Paul who wrote the above words is a great example of what complete dedication to God looks like. While he was in prison, he wrote the Phillippian church, "Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all." (Philippians 2:17, ESV). As he faced imminent martyrdom he again wrote, "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:6-7, ESV).

Absolute surrender of my life to God is His will for my life.

After the Amen: the influence of the world

One of the greatest enemies to being "constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of sound doctrine" (1 Timothy 4:6) is the continual droning of the world all around us with its siren songs. If you love the world, it will affect your friendships, decisions, thought life, conscience, passion for God, much more.

So, what effect is the world having on you? Do you see how it brings subtle and relentless pressures on you? Do you see how it creeps up on you little by little? Are you missing it?

Jerry Bridges has written “The world. . . is characterized by the subtle and relentless pressure it brings upon us to conform to its values and practices. It creeps up on us little by little. What was once unthinkable, then becomes thinkable, then doable and finallly acceptable to society at large. Sin becomes respectable, and so Christians finally embrace it. It is my perception that Christians are no more than five to ten years behind the world in embracing most sinful practices.”

We have to think real carefully about how the world influences us right now through television, music, movies, the Internet, friendships. Here are some questions to consider:

1.What are your favorite TV shows, movies, and bands?
2.What values do they promote?
3.How do their values compare to the Word of God?
4.Do you critically evaluate TV shows, your music? How?
5.Is there anything you refuse to watch or listen to. Why?
6.What types of Internet sites do you tend to visit?
7.How do you determine which sites are worth exploring?
8.Do you think your entertainment habits please God?
9.What qualities do you look for in friends?
10.Do you see these qualities in your current friends?
11.Do your friends influence you toward godliness or worldiness?

How to get the most out of your Bible reading

Thanks to Steve Camp for bringing to our attention some wonderful and helpful thoughts from Thomas Watson on how to gain maximum impact in our Bible reading and study of God's Word. This is practical stuff. Here is an excerpt. If you want the full version of Steve's thoughts, click here.

1. Remove hindrances. (a) remove the love of every sin (b) remove the distracting concerns of this world, especially covetousness [Matt. 13:22] (c) Don't make jokes with and out of Scripture.

2. Prepare your heart. [1 Sam. 7:3] Do this by: (a) collecting your thoughts (b) purging unclean affections and desires (c) not coming to it rashly or carelessly.

3. Read it with reverence, considering that each line is God speaking directly to you (2 Tim. 3:16-17; Psalm 19:7-11).

4. Read the books of the Bible in order.

5. Get a true understanding of Scripture. [Ps. 119:73] This is best achieved by comparing relevant parts of Scripture with each other.

6. Read with seriousness. [Deut. 32:47] The Christian life is to be taken seriously since it requires striving [Luke 13:24] and not falling short [Heb. 4:1].

7. Persevere in remembering what you read. [Ps. 119:52] Don't let it be stolen from you [Matt. 13:4,19]. If it doesn't stay in your memory it is unlikely to be much benefit to you.

8. Meditate on what you read. [Ps. 119:15] The Hebrew word for meditate' means to be intense in the mind'. Meditation without reading is wrong and bound to err; reading without meditation is barren and fruitless. It means to stir the affections, to be warmed by the fire of meditation [Ps. 39:3].

9. Read with a humble heart. Acknowledge that you are unworthy that God should reveal himself to you [James 4:6]

10. Believe it all to be God's Holy Word. [2 Tim 3:16] We know that no sinner could have written it because of the way it describes sin. No saint could blaspheme God by pretending his own Word was God's. No angel could have written it for the same reason. [Heb 4:2]

11. Prize the Bible highly. [Ps. 119:72] It is your lifeline; you were born by it [James 1:18] you need to grow by it [1 Pet 2:2] [cf. Job 23:12].

12. Love the Bible ardently [Ps. 119:159].

13. Come to read it with an honest heart. [Luke 8:15] (a) Willing to know the entire and complete will of God (b) reading in order to be changed and made better by it [John 17:17].

14. Apply to yourself everything that you read, take every word as spoken to yourself. Its condemnation of sins as the condemnation of your own sin; the duty that it requires as the duty God would require from you [2 Kings 22:11].

15. Pay close attention to the commands of the Word as much as the promises. Think of how you need direction just as much as you need comfort (Psalm 119:9-11).

16. Don't get carried away with the minor details, rather make sure to pay closest attention to the great things [Hosea 8:12].

17. Compare yourself with the Word. How do you compare? Is your heart something of a transcript of it, or not? (James 1:21-25)

18. Pay special attention to those passages that speak to your individual, particular and present situation. e.g. (a) Affliction -- [Heb. 12:7, Isaiah 27:9, John 16:20, 2 Cor 4:17. (b) Sense of Christ's presence and smile withdrawn -- [Isaiah 54:8, Isaiah 57:16, Ps. 97:11] (c) Sin -- [Gal 5:24, James 1:15, 1 Peter 2:11, Prov 7:10&22-23, Prov 22:14] (d) Unbelief -- [Isaiah 26:3, 2 Sam 22:31, John 3:15, 1 John 5:10, John 3:36]

19. Pay special attention to the examples and lives of people in the Bible as living sermons. (a) Punishments [Nebuchadnezzar, Herod, Num 25:3-4&9, 1 Kings 14:9-10, Acts 5:5,10, 1 Cor 10:11, Jude 7] (b) mercies and deliverances [Daniel, Jeremiah, the 3 youths in the fiery furnace]

20. Don't stop reading the Bible until you find your heart warmed. [Ps 119:93] Let it not only inform you but also inflame you [Jer 23:29, Luke 24:32].

21. Put into practice what you read [Ps 119:66, Ps 119:105, Deut 17:19].

22. Christ is for us Prophet, Priest and King. Make use of His office as a Prophet [Rev 5:5, John 8:12, Ps 119:102-103]. Get Christ not only to open the Scriptures up to you, but to open up your mind and understanding [Luke 24:45]

23. Make sure to put yourself under a true ministry of the Word, faithfully and thoroughly expounding the Word [Prov 8:34] be earnest and eager in waiting on it.

24. Pray that you will profit from reading [Isaiah 48:17, Ps 119:18, Nehemiah 9:20].

Natural obstacles You may still be able to profit from reading even though:

1. You don't seem to profit as much as others do. Remember the different yields [Matt 13:8] though the yield isn't as much as others it is still a true and fruitful yield.

2. You may feel slow of understanding [Luke 9:45, Heb 5:11].

3. Your memory is bad (a) remember you are still able to have a good heart despite this (b) you may still remember the most important things even if you cannot remember everything, be encouraged by John 14:26.

Love Christ with an "overtopping" love!

I recommend that you check out Steve Camp's blog on a regular basis. On "Theology Thursday" this week I offer you some of his meditations on the love of God and then in response our love for God, which one Puritan said should be a "superlative, overtopping love."

All of the law and prophets are contained in the two great commandments: "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." And the second is like unto it, "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:30-31). To love the Lord with every fiber of our being is the great privilege and joy of every true believer in Christ. It is the primary motivation for our worship, service, obedience, and daily life with each other. As our brother John Piper says, "God is most glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in Him." That is genuine biblical love in action.

Love, though, is such a watered down and misunderstood word today--even in the church. We use the word love in such a casual way, even when referring to inanimate objects, that it seems to lose its very meaning if we fail to understand it biblically. Simply put, biblical love is not an emotion or feeling; it is not conditioned upon anther's response. True love, agape love--the love of God as demonstrated through Christ Jesus our Lord on the cross is four things: it is unmerited, undeserved, unfailing, self-sacrificial, and unreciprocated. In other words, He does not love us because we are lovable, lovely, or doing philanthropic acts of kindness lovingly. He loves us not because He finds good things in us to love, but because it is His divine self-pleasure and elective choice to do so (Ephesians 1:4-14). "God demonstrated His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)

• His love is unmerited, because we cannot earn it... it is His grace gift to us in Christ Jesus on the cross.
• His love is undeserving, because in and of ourselves we are worthy only of His justice, enmity and wrath; worthy only to be sentenced to an eternal hell, a perditious suffering that knows no end, because of the sinfulness of our sin that has rendered all mankind by nature as "children of wrath" (Ephesians 2:1-2).
• His love for us is unfailing, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, 'For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:35-39).
• His love is self-sacrificial, for Christ gave His life as a ransom for many by paying once for all the ultimate price for our redemption from our sin. Think of it beloved, if Jesus had not fully satisfied God on the cross as a "propitiation for the sins of the people" (Hebrews 2:17) it would be impossible for God to love me or you.
• Lastly, His love is unreciprocated, for even an eternity of praise and worship to Him can never repay Him for His unfailing love.

I so appreciate the Puritans... they are my favorite body of authors for theology and practical Bible study. Even though much of the language they used seems by today's standards to be formal, flowery, and archaic, one thing is certain, the Puritans had a high view of God and His Word and loved Him truthfully, wholly and unashamedly. In reading and listening to their words we also will be brought to that same place of worship, love and awe of our holy God.

Thomas Brooks is one of my favorite Puritan writers and he has blessed us with a powerful remembrance of what it means to "love the Lord Jesus Christ." I have reprinted his words for you below with the hope that it will refresh and renew your hearts today to love the Lord Jesus Christ!

"Look that ye love the Lord Jesus Christ with a superlative love, with an overtopping love. There are none have suffered so much for you as Christ; there are none that can suffer so much for you as Christ. The least measure of that wrath that Christ hath sustained for you, would have broke the hearts, necks, and backs of all created beings.

O my friends! There is no love but a superlative love that is any ways suitable to the transcendent sufferings of dear Jesus. Oh, love him above your lusts, love him above your relations, love him above the world, love him above all your outward contentments and enjoyments, yea, love him above your very lives; for thus the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, saints, primitive Christians, and the martyrs of old, have loved our Lord Jesus Christ with an overtopping love: Rev. xii. 11, 'They loved not their lives unto the death;' that is, they slighted, contemned, yea, despised their lives, exposing them to hazard and loss, out of love to the Lamb, 'who had washed them in his blood.'

If you want to be inspired more here is Steve's post in its entirety.

Celebrating the homegoing of a Christian

I never met Alan Groves but I will one day in heaven. Alan was a professor of Academic Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Westminster Theological Seminary in PA. He was promoted to heaven this week. He and his family kept a blog for the last year relating day to day events of his living with cancer. Here is his wife Libby's beautiful, moving, faith-filled account of his homegoing.

Al is home with Jesus, safely through the Valley of the Shadow, and he has woken up in the glorious sunshine of heaven, face to face with the savior he has loved for 44 years. We are so glad!!

Al slipped mostly out of consciousness during the night, maybe around 2 a.m., and starting around 10 this morning he began struggling to breathe. We thought that meant that he would pass away soon, but he remained with us for ten more hours, laboring to breathe all that time. We kept talking to him, singing, reading Scripture, praying, touching him, and visiting around his bedside, occasionally laughing–even uproariously on two occasions. He was there in the midst of us, very much a part of us, even when he was to all appearances unresponsive. They say that people in that state can hear what is being said, so we kept including him in our conversations. We kept telling him how much we loved him and were thankful for him, and we kept telling him how thankful (and even envious) we were that he would soon be seeing Jesus face to face. Sometimes we laughed, sometimes we cried, and often we sang songs of worship.

Our hope from the beginning was that we could all be there at the moment that Al actually died, but after a mostly sleepless night last night we realized that we would need to sleep tonight and that probably we would not all be awake when it happened. That was okay, because we had had so much wonderful time with him in the past several days. Each of us let go of that expectation with peace.

Yet the Lord graciously arranged it so that in fact we were all there in the room with him when he died. Some of us got there only a few seconds before, but we were all there. Al simply took his last breath, his heart slowed down, and he was gone. We cheered, we cried, we hugged each other, we practically literally danced with joy at the sure knowledge that Al was free–from pain, from exhaustion, from labored breathing, from the fibromyalgia that has pummeled him for years and years, from cancer, and from death itself. There just weren’t enough ways to express the joy we felt. The best we could do was sing with every bit of gusto in our souls the song “On Jordan’s Stormy Banks I Stand.”

On Jordan’s stormy banks I stand,
and cast a wishful eye
To Canaan’s fair and happy land,
where my possessions lie.

I am bound for the promised land,
I am bound for the promised land;
Oh, who will come and go with me?
I am bound for the promised land.

O’er all those wide extended plains
shines one eternal day;
There God the Son forever reigns,
and scatters night away.

I am bound for the promised land,
I am bound for the promised land;
Oh, who will come and go with me?
I am bound for the promised land.

No chilling winds or poisonous breath
can reach that healthful shore;
Sickness and sorrow, pain and death,
are felt and feared no more.

I am bound for the promised land,
I am bound for the promised land;
Oh, who will come and go with me?
I am bound for the promised land.

When I shall reach that happy place,
I’ll be forever blest,
For I shall see my Father’s face,
and in his bosom rest.

I am bound for the promised land,
I am bound for the promised land;
Oh, who will come and go with me?
I am bound for the promised land.

What a celebration! No doubt the sadness will set in, perhaps tomorrow, but for tonight we can feel only joy, intense and exhilarating. And relief. We have all been walking around since heaving sigh after sigh of relief and feeling the tension, and concern, and adrenaline drain out of our bodies.

Since we had been praying over and over for two days that God would come and take Al home and waiting and waiting for him to answer that prayer, we yearned for that release and homecoming more than anything. So when it finally happened, there was nothing left to feel but joy–no regret, no wising for more time, no vestiges of wanting to hang on. Perhaps that was God’s gift to us in making us wait. His timing is perfect.

I have to go, as there is still lots to do, but I wanted to let you know that the Lord’s faithful servant is home at last in his Father’s house. Hallelujah! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice!

Where to look in distress

Last evening at our congregational prayer meeting I presented some thoughts from Psalm 17. At the conclusion of my message I mentioned that Harry Ironside liked to link three verses together in the Psalms.

As for "This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him." (Psalm 18:30, ESV)

"As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field;" (Psalm 103:15, ESV)

"As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness." (Psalm 17:15, ESV)

The first teaches that no matter what comes into our lives—sickness, financial trouble, family problems—whatever is, God makes no mistakes. His way is perfect.

The second teaches that we can't expect too much from man; he won't live forever.

So, therefore I will put my hope in God and be satisfied with His righteousness!

This psalm reminds us of our focus as repentant believers in Jesus Christ in times of distress.

When attacked by the world, believers should look upward to God in prayer, asking for his divine help in perilous times! “Though the outlook is bleak, the uplook is always bright.”

We should also look inward! We should make sure that our own hearts and lives are right and make sure that our sin has contributed to the attack or that we are responding in the wrong way to such an attack. "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." (James 5:16, ESV)

And we should look forward to the day when the heat of adversity will be no more. Look forward to the glory of heaven and the beauties of the world to come. This world is passing away, but heaven is eternal!

A faithful and godly wife

A few weeks ago I shared some thoughts from Gary and Betsy Ricucci's book on how husbands ought to love their wives.

Now it is the ladies turn. In one chapter, this couple gives trustworthy biblical teaching about how wives can fulfill their God-given calling in marriage. They don't offer an exhaustive list, but their thoughts will make you think and if implemented will be highly effective in helping you be a godly wife.

God gives three basic commands to wives in Titus 2:3-5. Wives must love, respect and submit to their husbands.

A wife can cultivate love toward her husband by. . .

• Pray for him and with him
• Learn to understand him
• Communicate in ways that serve him
• Demonstrate physical affection to him
• Enjoy shared activities with him.

A wife should demonstrate and cultivate respect for her husband (Ephesians 5:33b) in her thoughts, words, and actions. To test the level of respect for your husband, you might ask:

• Am I more aware of my husband's deficiencies or his strengths?
• Am I more inclined to criticize my husband (whether verbally or in my heart) or to commend him?
• Have I failed to express respect for my husband because I'm so concerned about a particular area of sin in his life?
• Have I ever thought, If I encourage him in one area, will he think I'm condoning everything else he does that's wrong?

Respecting your husband begins with the right thoughts. This is one way that a wise woman builds her house well. So a wife should evaluate her thoughts as follows:

• What thoughts spring to my mind when I think of my husband?
• Do these thoughts honor my husband?
  

Wives should seek to commend and encourage their husbands with respectful words--at all times. A wife should ask herself:

• How do I speak to my husband when we are alone?
• How do I speak to him in public?
• How do I speak of him to others?

Respectful actions speak volumes as to how you view your husband. So you may ask:

• Do I show respect to my husband through my actions? How so?
• Do I freely display affection for him through appropriate contact (depending on the circumstances)?
• Do I listen intently to him when he is speaking, whether in public or private?
• Do my deeds communicate a lack of respect, inattentiveness or even indifference. . . like interrupting him, looking elsewhere when he's talking, or forgetting to get to things he asked me to do?
  

There is much more practical help in this chapter, so you might want to get this book and read it as a couple. [Hey, what a great read for February and with Valentine's Day around the corner]

The goal of every wife should be to be an "excellent wife" who is "the crown to her husband" (Proverbs 12:4a). This is "a woman who endeavors by God's grace to give her utmost to the great call of being a faithful and godly wife--and God gives grace where he intends to reveal grace."

After the Amen

On Sunday I preached from 1 Timothy 3:14-16 about the church's calling, conduct and confession. Paul wrote 1 Timothy so that we might "know how one ought to behave in the household of God." Our conduct as a local church and as individual Christians is vitally important for it affects our evangelism. God cares about how we act because God desires that all men come to the knowledge of the truth. As ones who know and believe the truth we ought to have a passion to see others taste and see that God is good and be saved.

John MacArthur just wrote an article that shows the importance of our conduct as individuals who belong to the church of the living God. In "A Case for Holy Living" he points out 3 reasons that our conduct matters:

• It honors God's Word
• It silences the critics
• It adorns the Gospel

God help us to live lives that are worthy of the gospel to which we have been called!