- The Root of Anxiety and How to Fight It. John Piper writes “If anxiety could be conquered, a mortal blow would be struck to many other sins.”
- Stop Believing Your Best Years Are Behind You. Daryl Dash writes “As you get older, expect physical decline. Try to hold it off as long as possible, but be realistic: you’ll never be able to keep up with those who are young. But refuse to believe that your best years are behind you.”
- Is Morality Just a Matter of Opinion? Jason Thacker answers in this episode of Honest Answers.
- What Encouragement Would You Give to Suffering Christians? In this video, Derek Thomas provides encouragement to Christians who are enduring suffering.
- What Is the Most Common Misconception that Christians Have About God? In this video, Sinclair Ferguson explains a crucial aspect of who God is that Christians often miss.
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- Favorite Quotes of the Week
- The Freedom That Kills Regret. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the questions “I write because in Galatians 5:1and then again in verses 13–26, Paul teaches that Christians are called to live in the freedom that Christ has won for us, a freedom not to indulge in the flesh but to live by the Spirit. If you are struggling to live free, what do you think it means to be ‘set free’ in Christ? How does freedom in Christ differ from the freedom the world offers, which is basically to do whatever you want, whenever you want to do it? And what does it mean that we are freed in order to love in Galatians 5:13?”
- The Secret Superpower of Silence. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds the questions “In Mark 15:1–5and again in Mark 15:15–39, we see Jesus respond to false accusations and suffering as he stands before Pilate, and then as he endures the cross. Why did he remain silent in the face of accusations? How does his silence reflect humility and obedience to God’s will, even when he seemed to have every right to defend himself? Was this all only for his act of self-emptying in obedience to the Father? Or does his example teach us also how to respond to injustice and personal suffering?”
- Kill Your Ego, Find Your Joy. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the questions “We read in Psalm 115:1that the psalmist declares this: ‘Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!’ Why do you think it is so important to give glory to God as opposed to seeking out glory for ourselves? How does this whole dynamic challenge the tendency we naturally have to take credit for our achievements or blessings in life? In what ways can we better practice humility and recognize God over our lives, especially in moments when we experience success or recognition from others?”
- The God Who Gives You Worth. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “I first encountered the idea of Christian Hedonism two years ago when I first read your book Desiring God. I wanted to understand how God can still be good toward us if he does everything for his own glory. I know and understand that he is supremely valuable, and that the best thing he could ever give us is himself, so in doing everything for his glory, we also receive the greatest good. It’s a win-win situation. He gets the glory; we get the joy. However, I think I’m missing something, because this doesn’t make me rejoice in how much God loves me. It sounds more like a transaction. We seek our joy, and God gets glory; God seeks his glory, and we get joy. As I understand it, both sides act for themselves, and it just so happens that the other side benefits. Could you please help me grasp how this reflects our love for God and his love for us, rather than selfishness on both sides?
- Are You Really Filled With the Holy Spirit? Guy Waters writes “Who in Scripture is “filled with the Spirit”? What does this expression actually mean? How can I pursue and experience this filling of the Spirit?”
- Nancy Guthrie and the Reformation of Women’s Ministry. Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra shares this long article about the life and ministry of Bible teacher Nancy Guthrie.
- The cross is the pulpit from which Christ preached His love to the world. Augustine
- It is not your hold of Christ that saves you, but his hold of you. Charles Spurgeon
- Why did Jesus have to die in order to forgive us? There was a debt to be paid—God himself paid it. There was a penalty to be born—God himself bore it. Forgiveness is always a form of costly suffering. Tim Keller
- Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life. Jonathan Edwards
- Culture is never so bad that it can’t be redeemed, nor so good that it can’t be critiqued. Tim Keller
- Jesus, today and every day, we declare that our hope is built on nothing else, nothing less, and nothing more than you and what you’ve done for us on the cross. Scotty Smith
- “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good.” The Christian does not merely hold this as a theory, but he knows it as a matter of fact. Charles Spurgeon
- When we get safely home, we will not think we have done and suffered too much on the way. John Newton
- Stewarding my time is not about selfishly pursuing only the things I like to do. It’s about effectively serving others in the ways I’m best able to serve and in the ways I am most uniquely called to serve. Kevin DeYoung
