lust

'If you believe the power to overcome sin comes from discipline, you’re preaching a different gospel than the one that involves Christ on the Cross. Preach Christ crucified to your friends. Preach faith. Preach the power of God.' This article by Fabs Harford about struggling with lust is good stuff, practical, with a powerful tool from John Piper at the end that got a fist pump from me (and hopefully more than that, as it's also uber-practical in fighting lust with joy in Jesus).

Abba Changes Everything

This article by Russell Moore is really great. We're studying Romans at Biblestudy, learning about the gospel that enables us to call the Creator God our Abba. And I think adoption is pretty awesome, both theologically and practically (is that what one calls it?).

read

this awesome post from a mother of five about motherhood as a calling.
'Our culture is simply afraid of death. Laying down your own life, in any way, is terrifying. Strangely, it is that fear that drives the abortion industry: fear that your dreams will die, that your future will die, that your freedom will die—and trying to escape that death by running into the arms of death.'

'But a Christian should have a different paradigm. We should run to to the cross. To death. So lay down your hopes. Lay down your future. Lay down your petty annoyances. Lay down your desire to be recognized. Lay down your fussiness at your children. Lay down your perfectly clean house. Lay down your grievances about the life you are living. Lay down the imaginary life you could have had by yourself. Let it go.

Death to yourself is not the end of the story. We, of all people, ought to know what follows death. The Christian life is resurrection life, life that cannot be contained by death, the kind of life that is only possible when you have been to the cross and back.'

james and galatians

I've been thinking about this truth, that Christianity is outward and upward rather than inward focused, since listening to a sermon from Galatians. Then I read this article based out of James that confirms it. Read it here.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession.”

half-way-thru-the-year list

This list from Fabs Harford of questions to wrestle with now that July is upon us.
1. What has your interaction with God looked like so far this year?
2. If someone who didn’t know you tracked your schedule this year, what would they say are your top priorities?
3. If someone who didn’t know you tracked your spending this year, what would they say are your top five priorities?
4. How have your words reflected your heart this year? ('Ask someone what you talk about most.' !!!)
5. What do you want the next 6 months of your life to look like?

'we don't want to live at second hand'

This message from desiringGod is timely and helpful. i listen to a lot of good teaching podcasts and read a lot of meaty books but the truth is that people will know i am a christian by my love, not by my big head. it's also easy to live off the faith of someone else rather than dig down deep in God's word for myself. oh Lord, plant Your truths deep in my heart and work them out in my life. do whatever You must to cut away the blindness and callouses on my eyes, that i may SEE.