Lay Aside the Weight of “I’ll Never Change” We all must come to terms with the way we are.
We Are Not Our Own: On God, Brittany Maynard, and Physician-Assisted Suicide. In several heart-wrenching videos (here, here, and here), 29-year-old Brittany Maynard has talked about her intent to take her life, possibly tomorrow, by means of physician-assisted suicide in Oregon, because of a fast-growing, inoperable, fatal brain tumor.
Joni Eareckson Tada, who has suffered more and longer than most of us, has responded to Brittany’s sorrowful plan with empathy and biblical conviction. All of Joni’s concerns merit serious consideration. Teach Believers What Happened to Them in Conversion. Everyone who is converted to Christ is converted through partial knowledge.
Real knowledge, to be sure — otherwise, there would be no true conversion — put partial, nevertheless. Your Wedding Is Still Something Worth Wanting. Maybe marriage isn’t all that great after all.
When divorce rates are high and the surviving marriages around us seem broken, messy, and unhappy — and there are plenty of other good things to keep us busy — lots of young men and women in their twenties and thirties have basically given up on marriage. With all the pain, failure, and friction, it simply can’t be worth it, can it? The Danger in Our Daily Devotions. Do we really need to read our Bible every day?
Happy is the man who does (Psalm 1:1). “His delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night” (1:2). God’s words revive the soul, grant wisdom, rejoice the heart, enlighten the eyes, and endure forever (Psalm 19:7–9). “More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb” (19:10). Need has to be the wrong question. The Potential Problem in Our Privilege. Sinner, Come Home. My heart was already full as John Piper began his message that would close the recent Together for the Gospel conference.
I prayed that God would use his message to implant a passion within our hearts that would shape our lives and ministries for the length of our days. 9 Reasons You Can Face Anything. God’s sovereignty is a precious reality.
Now chances are this truth didn’t seem too precious when it first confronted you. The natural, fallen response to hearing we aren’t the ones in control is to white-knuckle our will and refuse to bow. Humans tend to like the idea that we are the captains of our own destinies. How to Glorify God at Work. Just home from two weeks in Australia, I am brimming with thankfulness to God for his people there, and for the pleasures of working with them in Brisbane and Sydney and in the mountains of Katoomba.
One of the conferences was called Engage. It was focused on “young workers,” which, in their lingo, means young professionals in the workplace. I was asked in an interview if I thought this focus was a good idea. I said yes, because of 1 Corinthians 10:31, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” So they asked: How can young workers glorify God at work? Here’s the gist of my answer. Dependence. There are more things to say about glorifying God in the workplace.
Recent posts from John Piper — The Stupendous Reality of Being “in Christ Jesus” Being “in Christ Jesus” is a stupendous reality.
It is breathtaking what it means to be in Christ. United to Christ. Bound to Christ. If you are “in Christ” listen to what it means for you: In Christ Jesus you were given grace before the world was created. 2 Timothy 1:9, “He gave us grace in Christ Jesus before the ages began.”In Christ Jesus you were chosen by God before creation. How do we get into Christ?
At the unconscious and decisive level it is God’s sovereign work: “From God are you in Christ Jesus” (1 Corinthians 1:30). But at the conscious level of our own action, it is through faith. Give Others the Gift of Being Slow to Speak. Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.
(James 1:19) Listen. Wait. Respond. The Story of Ian & Larissa. Dear Friends, Desiring God exists to help people everywhere understand and embrace the truth that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. And I would add, especially in suffering. Being satisfied in God (or anything) always seems easier when all is going well. But when things you love are being stripped out of your hands, then the test is real. If God remains precious in those moments, then his supreme worth shines more brightly. The most meaningful testimonies I receive are when people tell me that it was a vision of the sovereignty and goodness of God that got them through the most difficult times of their life.
Jesus Chooses and Uses Failures. “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved. Sitting on the beach after breakfast, Jesus had just asked him for the third time if he loved him. Peter had already wholeheartedly answered yes twice. What else was he supposed to say? With these questions, the Lord was putting his finger on a very tender wound in Peter’s heart. Jesus had told him that he would do it.1 But in the Upper Room, over the Passover meal, with his fellow disciples around him, Peter did not believe it. He had had no idea how weak he really was. I am not. Jesus Gives Us Reasons to Obey. It’s puzzling. When I speak on living by faith I often ask, "How many of you know that Jesus calls us to love our enemies? " Everyone nods and says they know this. Then I ask, "How many of you know the reason Jesus gives for why we should love our enemies?
" Almost always the response is the same — very few know the reason. Self, Doubt, and Writing. I used to think my self-doubt and insecurity about writing were signs of my profound humility. It felt noble and heroic to be this full of agonizing self-doubt. It felt lowly and meek to be so tortured about whether or not I could write. I could almost hear the soundtrack and the violins. Don’t Give Up. “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints” (Revelation 14:12). We all long for rest and refreshment. That’s a God-given longing that he promises to fulfill: “I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish” (Jeremiah 31:25). And in a very real way Jesus gives rest to “all who labor and are heavy laden” and come to him (Matthew 11:28).
But in this age, it is not the complete rest. A Guide for Staying Christian in Seminary. Finally Alive by John Piper What Happens When We Are Born Again.