• What About Pet Idolatry? Randy Alcorn has a forthcoming book in which he provides a biblical view on animals and pets. Here he answers a question about idolizing pets.

• Is the Devil Real? During a live Clearly Reformed Q&A Event, Kevin DeYoung answered a range of questions presented to him by attendees.
• Obedience Will Never Ruin Your Life. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “What would you say to a young single woman, a Christian, who is secretly considering an abortion because it would make life easier? This is where I find myself right now, and I never imagined it would happen to me, yet here I am, shattered and scared.”
• Who is Jesus? During a live Clearly Reformed Q&A Event, Kevin DeYoung answered a range of questions presented to him by attendees.

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• More interesting article links
• Favorite Quotes of the Week

• How Can I Be More Discerning? In this video, David Garner discusses the Christian’s need for theological discernment and where we can turn to pursue growth.
• Breaking Prayer Ruts. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “I have been trying to grow my prayer life, but honestly, it feels completely foreign to me to ‘pray the Scriptures.’ Whenever I try to use the Bible while I pray, it feels like I’m just reading a textbook out loud to God. It feels fake and mechanical. My regular prayers usually just end up being vain repetitions where I loop over my own private concerns, my work stress, my budget woes, and the various anxieties of my life in my late twenties. I want to care about God’s larger purposes, but I don’t know how to turn the Bible into my prayers. Can you teach me?”
• Why Does Jesus Call Himself the “Son of Man”? Alistair Begg states “Jesus, interestingly, never refers to himself as the Son of God. Other people mention him in those terms, but his favorite self-designation is actually Son of Man.”
• When Your Pastor Feels Distant. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the questions “Paul describes his pastoral ministry with tender imagery, like a nursing mother caring for her children, in 1 Thessalonians 2:7–8. And he emphasizes a willingness not only to share the gospel but his very life with the people. In light of this model, how did you approach the work of pastoral care for individuals and families under your shepherding? What principles shaped your ministry to the hurting, the wandering, and the grieving? Especially as your church began to grow, how did you balance spiritual counsel from the pulpit, practical support, and emotional presence?”
• Why Do I Keep On Sinning? During a live Clearly Reformed Q&A Event, Kevin DeYoung answered a range of questions presented to him by attendees.
• God’s Plan for Your Prayers. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “In 1 Chronicles 29:10–20, David offers a hugely important and powerful prayer that acknowledges God’s absolute sovereignty over all things. He says, ‘Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours’ — very powerful (1 Chronicles 29:11). He just states this fact. David doesn’t focus on his own achievements or on Israel’s wealth. Instead, he humbly recognizes that everything they give has first come from God’s hand. ‘For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you’ (1 Chronicles 29:14). His words overflow with reverence, gratitude, and dependence on God. So, how important is God’s sovereignty in shaping the content of all our prayers?”
• Should You Marry Her Anyway? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper answers the question “Recently, I met a girl who is a loving, Christian woman. I like and share a lot in common with her except for this: She is not a virgin. This came as a shock to me. To be honest, the clarity I once had is gone. I don’t know what to do now. She has repented and asked Jesus for forgiveness. But I’m also painfully aware that sins have ongoing consequences, and that I’m going to have to carry this memory for the rest of my life, should I marry her. I’m worried I’m going to have a ‘second-rate’ marriage. I know ultimate happiness isn’t found in marriage or this life, but in Jesus alone. However, I am in a position where I could end this relationship and find another Christian woman who is a virgin. I guess what I’m asking is this: What biblical truth can you offer as I make this decision?”
• What Was God Doing Before Genesis 1? During a live Clearly Reformed Q&A Event, Kevin DeYoung answered a range of questions presented to him by attendees.

• Abraham Lincoln’s Theology of God’s Providence. In this video, Albert Mohler discusses the theology, leadership, and historical significance of Abraham Lincoln in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
• Influenced. “How do you measure the far-reaching impact of John MacArthur’s life and ministry? One way is to view it through his influence on those he closely ministered alongside. Hear from H. B. Charles, Albert Mohler, Paul Washer, and others about how the Lord used John in their own spiritual growth, and the ways the church continues to benefit from his unique influence.”

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• God is calling us to so greatly love others that we do not desire for them anything that might separate them from God. Rosaria Butterfield
• By “free will,” not one person can be saved. But by free grace, many will be saved. Martin Luther
• Moralism says to unbelievers, “Be what you are not.” Christianity says to believers, “Be what you are.” Alistair Begg
• The main problem our heart has is not so much desires for bad things, but our over-desires for good things. Tim Keller
• You will never turn from a sin you don’t hate. Jen Wilkin
• Affliction teaches us to know ourselves. In prosperity we are for the most part strangers to ourselves. God makes us know affliction, that we may better know ourselves. Thomas Watson
• Fear-based repentance makes us hate ourselves. Joy-based repentance makes us hate the sin. Tim Keller
• If God is not at the center of your life, something else is. Tim Keller
• Unless we are born of the Spirit of God, unless God sheds His holy love in our hearts, unless He stoops in His grace to change our hearts, we will not love Him. R.C. Sproul