Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:10-11 The acronym is LIAR. It is the Lexicon of Intentionally Ambiguous Recommendations. For someone who has proven himself to be a lazy employee, one might recommend him to another business by saying: “You would be very fortunate to get this person to work for you.” For an employee who has been habitually in trouble with the law, one could say: “He is a man of many convictions.” For an employee who is lacking in qualifications, one could write: “I most enthusiastically recommend this […]
Godward Orientation
Thinking biblically implies knowledge. Paul praises God for “the riches of [his] wisdom and knowledge” in Romans 11. Therefore, if you are to think biblically, you must know your Bible.
Anyone running a race knows that it is as important to start quickly as it is to run fast and hard all the way through the finish line tape. Eric Liddell, the Scottish missionary to China, was knocked down in a 400-meter race shortly after the race began and by the time he regained his footing, the pack leader was more than thirty meters ahead.
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” —1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Jesse was in his forties and had a successful track record as a crackerjack salesman and executive in several Fortune 1000 companies. His success led him to start his own business. His desire was to found and run […]
ENDURE is a practical, Scripture-steeped guide to help men finish the race God has set before them. Written by Pastor Bill Newton for all men – young or seasoned, married or solo, spiritually fit or totally anemic, ENDURE will help men grow in biblical maturity, be challenged to change, and find strength for the road ahead.
Deuteronomy 6 is wonderfully descriptive of the parenting role. Verses 6–9 frame the daily instruction parents are to give their children in God’s ways. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:6–9, NIV) Notice that the parents’ role is that of instruction. The instruction is heartfelt. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. […]
One aspect of guarding your heart is having an awareness of what’s going on inside. Often, we can see what’s coming at us, but we fail to see how we are processing life internally and dishing it back out. Self-awareness in our culture is called emotional intelligence or EQ. It’s the ability to know yourself and how you relate to others. It’s an awareness of how you come across. Do you realize how you come across? Ask someone close to you, “How do others view me?” (Husbands, I dare you to ask your wife.) Some people are said to have low EQ, like the father who criticizes his kids for being on electronics way too much while he can’t even […]
Proverbs 4:23 gives us this instruction: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (NIV). To guard and keep your heart means to protect what comes in and goes out. You have to constantly be on guard and keep your heart with all vigilance because it’s the command center for all your words, actions, and desires. John Flavel, an old Puritan pastor, used the example of guarding your heart like a besieged garrison with enemies on the outside and treacherous citizens on the inside. The imagery is dated, but the idea is good, so let me run with it in a modern equivalent. Before I was a follower of Christ, I had an unguarded and […]
All Things Are From God God’s sovereignty, his rule over all, is the bedrock certainty for a proper theology of suffering. However, his sovereignty alone is not enough: we must maintain its connection to his goodness and wisdom. If we do not maintain this connection, we lose our perspective of God as the one who intimately cares for his creation, and we thereby undermine hope. Theologians refer to this connection as providence, which is one of the most comforting doctrines in the Bible. What Is Providence? By providence we mean God employs his sovereign power and wisdom to continuously preserve every part of his creation and guide it toward his intended purpose. Sometimes people misinterpret sovereignty as a cold, sterile, […]
In our attempt to understand God’s ways in the midst of our suffering there are two common temptations which often fight to claim the higher ground in our mind. Second Temptation: The Temptation to Remake God in Our Image If our conception of God is that he is only, or predominantly, love, and by this we mean that he does only what we perceive as good (for example, whatever does not involve pain), then irrational suffering tempts us to change our view of God to match our experience. An example of this is found in Nancy Eiesland’s influential book The Disabled God: Toward a Liberatory Theology of Disability. The author, a college professor in Atlanta and a lifelong sufferer of […]