One time there was a man who did not like the legalistic and fussy way many Christians approached their lives. They always had scruples about everything. There was always a problem with something. And although he had a point, I am afraid he over-reacted, and he began to do things just to get a reaction …
A Fourth Decade of Psalms/Psalm 39
Introduction: This psalm, along with many other passages, teaches us how to understand the transience of our lives. “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Ps. 90:12). Some men ignore this truth. Some see it and despair. Others, blessed of God, see it and learn wisdom. The …
A Fourth Decade of Psalms/Psalm 36
Introduction: This is a psalm that clearly contrasts the wicked with the righteous, but it is not a psalm of imprecation. An imprecatory prayer is when we ask God to deal with the wicked in a particular way. This is an “oracle” about the nature of transgression and righteousness; it is teaching, not a request. …
Lord”s Day Prayer 74
God of the Sabbath, we thank You for the rest You have bestowed on us in Jesus Christ our Lord. We thank You for calling us out of the darkness of sin and selfishness, and for calling us effectually into the triune fellowship of Your holy name. We thank You for this food, we thank …
In the Kind Name
Gracious Lord and God, Father of Life, the gift of rest is one of the great blessings You have bestowed on us, and the blessing of work goes with it. We thank You for it all, and seek to rest before You now, preparing our hearts to worship You in the morning. We ask that …
Blessed Meat and Wine
Gracious Father and God, we rejoice before You now, and look to You to continue to pour out Your grace and mercy upon us. We are glad that You have given us this food, and we thank You for the hands that prepared it all. We ask You to bless the meat and the wine, …
Worldview Wheel V
Introduction: We come now to the fourth spoke of our “worldview wheel.” We are not using this illustration for the sake of some sort of mandatory hokiness, but rather to fix the point in our minds, and, more importantly, in our lives. A worldview consists of far more than the thoughts a man thinks. …
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30. Violence and the Sacred/Girard/really good 31. Saving the Queen/Buckley/fun read
The BB Gun and the Plate Glass Window
Once there was a boy who disobeyed his mother. When confronted with it, he confessed it to her (under some pressure), but when she sought to talk to him about it, he muttered something about how he had done most of what she had said. She tried to talk to him about this, but he …
No, He Said
Once there was a man who was racked with guilt, but he did not know that this is what it was. All he knew was that he was frightfully unhappy and miserable, and that no one else ever seemed to treat him as he thought he deserved to be treated. He had never really heard …