Love is a personal thing or so we are told. Problems come when love is too personal. When love is all about me, bad things happen. Love must be defined by God, specifically by the work of his son, Jesus. The Holy Spirit tells us that we know what love is by how Jesus loved (1 John 3:16). By looking at Christ we see that love is other-centered, not me-centered. This takes some radical rethinking. Love is not about what makes you feel good or happy. Love is dying to your wants, your desires. Only by loving Jesus first can anyone experience this sort of love. The Holy Spirit provides specific examples of what other-centered, true love looks like in […]
Midlife
By Paul Tripp True identity is rooted in worshiping God as Creator. To have a sense of identity that will not fail you when you are buffeted by the sure-to-come storms of life, you must start at the beginning. Every part of the fabric of your personhood was carefully knit together by God’s creative hands. There was no part of you that was hidden from him. He carefully examined every aspect of your unformed body before you were born. There were no accidents, no glitches, no thoughtless moments. Just like David, you too were “fearfully and wonderfully” made. The color of your eyes, the shape of your body, your intellectual and physical gifts, your hair, your voice, your personality, the […]
By Paul Tripp True identity is rooted in worshiping God as Creator. To have a sense of identity that will not fail you when you are buffeted by the sure-to-come storms of life, you must start at the beginning. Every part of the fabric of your personhood was carefully knit together by God’s creative hands. There was no part of you that was hidden from him. He carefully examined every aspect of your unformed body before you were born. There were no accidents, no glitches, no thoughtless moments. Just like David, you too were “fearfully and wonderfully” made. The color of your eyes, the shape of your body, your intellectual and physical gifts, your hair, your voice, your personality, the […]
Scripture not only lays before us the wonderful promise of eternity, but it also understands the deepest issues we experience before we get there. In the narrative of God’s Word we find an eloquent and practical wisdom that speaks directly to these pressing issues. So we need constantly to carry two commitments with us wherever we go. First, we need to commit to be persistent and teachable students of God’s Word. We were never designed to figure out life on our own. Only as we submit to the wisdom of the Wonderful Counselor will we escape the hold of our own foolishness. Second, we need to be committed to a habit of ongoing self-examination. You and I need to get […]
True identity is rooted in worshiping God as Creator. To have a sense of identity that will not fail you when you are buffeted by the sure-to-come storms of life, you must start at the beginning. Every part of the fabric of your personhood was carefully knit together by God’s creative hands. There was no part of you that was hidden from him. He carefully examined every aspect of your unformed body before you were born. There were no accidents, no glitches, no thoughtless moments. Just like David, you too were “fearfully and wonderfully” made. The color of your eyes, the shape of your body, your intellectual and physical gifts, your hair, your voice, your personality, the color of your […]
Our God is the author of new seasons. He is the giver of you seeds, new roots, and new fruit. He causes fruits and flowers to grow where weeds and thorns once were. He is the God of the new harvest. In midlife God calls you to turn from mourning over your previous harvest to planting new and better seeds. Maybe you mourn about the harvest of your parenting. Plant new seeds. Maybe that means working to restore distant or broken relationships with your adult children. Or it could mean being a wise and godly grandparent, sowing spiritual seeds the souls of the next generation. Perhaps you mourn that your life was controlled by your career. Take advantage of […]
Powerful Personal Interpretations and Your Children In this brief series of posts we are taking advantage of the excellent work done by Paul Tripp in his book Lost in the Middle. One thing that Paul and Tedd Tripp have made abundantly clear in their writings is that it is the heart that drives us as people. This is true for people of all ages. Whether it is in mid life, in the toddler years, in youth or in old age, humans are heart driven people. People seek the treasures that their hearts long for. Christ clearly teaches about this relationship between treasures and heart in Matthew 6:19-21: 19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust […]
The next few posts are drawn from the penetrating insights of Paul David Tripp’s book Lost in the Middle. These insights intersect with the biblical perspectives taught in Tedd Tripp’s Shepherding a Child’s Heart. I can almost hear someone asking, “What does a book on midlife have to do with a book on childrearing?” The connection is this: what rules those in midlife also rules children. That connection, of course, is the heart. Proverbs 4:23 says: Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. The heart determines the things that matter most to us. Our treasures in this world reflect the true longings of our hearts. This is true for everyone, including both the child […]