“We shall never see much change for the better in our churches in general till the prayer meeting occupies a higher place in the esteem of Christians.” So wrote Charles Spurgeon in his famous address, “Only a Prayer Meeting.”[Only a Prayer-meeting (Ross-shire: Christian Focus, 2000), 9.] By “the prayer meeting” …
If you are a true believer, Satan hates you because you bear the image of Christ, because you are the peculiar workmanship of God created in Christ Jesus unto good works, and because you were snatched from his power. You deserted Satan and fled his territory. By grace, you acknowledged …
The Heidelberg Catechism (Q. 31) says Jesus is called the Christ because Christ means “anointed,” and He was ordained by God and anointed by the Spirit for His work as our prophet, priest, and king. What is perhaps more startling is the way the Catechism applies this to us in …
Consider that in Christ, God promises us wise and tender correction through affliction. This is because we undergo trials not as enemies of God, but as children of God through our saving relationship with Christ. Keeping this in mind will help us face our troubles with the view of how …
Consider the plan of Christ. Highly exalted, there is no name like His. At His name, every knee will bow (Phil. 2:10). The eternal plan lying behind all His affliction was eternal glory—not only for Himself, but also for you. He returned to His Father differently than He came. He …
Here are three big reasons: The Bible is big. In fact, it’s huge! It’s more like a library than a book. It is a library of books: sixty-six of them. That’s a lot of books! Some of you may not even own sixty-six books. The Bible I was using when …
Dear Believer, I am writing to you about something you may be well acquainted with: affliction. (I originally wrote most of this booklet as a letter to myself several decades ago while going through deep affliction. Later, I revised it so that it could serve as a generic letter to …
For the Puritans, probably the most important theme for meditation was heaven—the place where God is supremely known and worshiped and enjoyed, where Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, and where the saints rejoice as they are transcribed from glory to glory. “Meditation is the life …
Spiritual growth is intended to be part of the Christian life of believers. [This booklet is adapted from Joel R. Beeke, “The Puritan Practice of Meditation,” in Joel R. Beeke and Mark Jones, A Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2012), 889–907.] Peter exhorts believers to …
For years we care for our children like birds care for their nestlings. We shield them from danger, bring them good things to eat, and attend to all their needs. Every father and mother, however, will face the day when their precious children leave the nest and fly on their …
