“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 …
Christ First, Wood Second, Business Third
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16:11) Growing Dominion, Part 7 One of the great legacies of the Reformation is the idea of calling. Prior to the Reformation it was assumed that serving God in a serious way meant going into a monastery, or some kind of spiritual equivalent. The resurgence …
Work and Jobs
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16:11) Growing Dominion, Part 6 Dominion is a frame of mind and heart. It is not marked by work only — because slaves also have to work. The difference is this slaves work at a job; Christians are summoned to a calling. When jobs diminish, …
God Gives the Increase
Growing Dominion, Part 5 The man who labors to build his house apart from the blessing of God labors in vain. The one who is under the blessing of God may succeed even though everyone else says it is a really bad idea. Although certain principles remain constant, the particular methods can flourish when God …