Here are some of my favorite quotes from key Christian articles around the web. Including, the necessity of striving for holiness during the Christian walk, and some potential misuses of social media…
Moralism can only take a person so far in life, but a pursuit of holiness is a life marked by submission to God in a joyful manner. Jerry Bridges once stated, “Holiness is nothing less than conformity to the character of God.” It must be stated, holiness is not an optional choice for the child of God. Hebrews 12:14 states, “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” Peter writes, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Pet. 1:14-16). Remember, holiness is not legalism. Holiness is the product of a life changed by Jesus.
When the enemy attacks our hearts, we don’t want our self-righteousness standing guard, but the breastplate of actual righteousness, Christ’s righteousness. When the enemy whispers his accusations into our ears with his forked tongue, we don’t want some trite, social media-quality daily affirmations sitting there; those would protect us about as much as cotton-ball earmuffs. But the helmet of salvation is another story. If my mind is ready with the great salvation of the gospel encasing it like a force-field of grace, I am really prepared.
Useless crowds of little thoughts, ideas, and amusements restrain my soul by their sheer number and can seem formidable. These are the little foxes that spoil the vine (Song 2:15). Social media, hobbies that I have wrongly prioritized, my children’s social lives, endless entertainment options, politics, and more can keep the head so jam-packed that there is no room for thoughts of God and eternity. The strength of the mind can be wasted on the trivial through unhealthy habits that slowly erode our spiritual health.
Jim Elliot once said: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Jim Elliot had seen through the lie of consumerism. He had seen the emptiness of all this world offers. He had realized the far greater value of the new creation that God promises.
God was working as much in the wind that brought affliction, pain, and distress and in the worm that brought sorrow, loss, and disappointment as he was in the vine that brought comfort, joy, and blessing.
In this post, I want to tackle the much-asked question: “As a Christian, is it ok for me to watch [insert generic TV show]?” Somewhat surprisingly, the 16th-century “Solas” (Latin for ‘alone’) of the Reformation act as a useful test or filter through which we can measure our cultural consumption...
Jesus's words on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46), open four windows into what was happening in these hours of darkness. My prayer for today is that as you look through these windows you will be changed by what you see. Window #1: Sin...
With tears in my eyes, I read the lyrics to the worship song on the screen: Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. I didn’t open my lips to sing them for fear of what sorrowful sound might leap from my mouth. In the wake of our...
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