“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 1611) Growing Dominion, Part 12 We have noted the importance of Christians “getting healing right.” Christ is our Savior and Healer, and He brings His salvation and healing not only to us, but also to the whole world. And one of the central ways this …
Father Hunger
I have been listening to an outstanding talk on fatherhood by Tim Bayly. His message is defending a particular reading of Ephesians 3:14-15. Paul thanks the Father (Pater) from whom all fatherhood (patria) derives its name. The debate has to do with whether patria should be rendered as “family” or as “fatherhood.” Bayly argues, rightly …
The Running Father
Different names have been suggested for the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Some have suggested the Parable of the Self-Righteous Older Brother, but one of the best suggestions comes from a theologian who calls it the Parable of the Running Father. God delights to forgive, and, in forgiving, He frequently throws aside the kind of …
Dominion and Medicine
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 1611) Growing Dominion, Part 11 Among Christians, talk of dominion is just great so long as we keep it general. But the problem is that in order to actually exercise dominion in the world, a host of specific decisions are necessary. And the immediate decisions …
Quarrels and Worship
Have you quarreled with anyone this week? If you did, was it for the cause of righteousness, or was it merely because you wanted your own way on something? If it was the latter, as it probably was, was the quarrel worth it? Did the quarrel bring you closer to God, establish you in His …
Unless the Lord Builds the House
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16:11) Growing Dominion, Part 11 All dominion is a function of trusting God to do what He promised to do. If He says “do this, and I will respond with this blessing. Go the other way, and I will chastise you,” we can see immediately …
Scripture and Cell Phone Coverage
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16:11) Growing Dominion, Part 10 The Lord Jesus resisted temptation by quoting from the book of Deuteronomy. One of the things he quoted was the famous passage on not living by bread alone. But the passage says more than what we do not live on. …
Tattoos and Baptism
Getting tattooed is all the thing these days, including among Christians. The heritage of tattooing should weigh more heavily on the minds of such Christians than it appears to be doing. A more fundamental pagan activity can hardly be imagined (Lev. 19:27). But the real problem with Christians getting tattooed has to do with the …
Cultural Trajectory
Growing Dominion, Part 9 Dominion will never be understood through worry. The natural tendency of those who are able to identify trajectories is to assume that what they currently see will go on forever and ever. Herman Melville thought that civilization would end as soon as we ran out of whale oil. After a week …
Counterintuitive Wisdom
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 1611) Growing Dominion, Part 8 In order to exercise wisdom in the world, we have to come to grips with the fact that wisdom is counter-intuitive. If you have ever taken any kind of lessons, whether driving lessons, piano lessons, golf lessons, guitar lessons, or …