USA Today has an article asking, “Has the ‘notion of sin’ been lost?” Among those weighing in are: the Pope, Al Mohler, Joel Osteen, Michael Horton, Mark Driscoll and Tim Keller. Check it out.

(HT: JT)

God has been so gracious to turn the light on in my soul spiritually today. I was stirred by Lloyd-Jones chapter “The Mortification of Sin” in Studies in the Sermon on the Mount. It is so easy to just coast spiritually. What I mean by that is that we settle into the groove that discipline can so easily create. I am reading the Bible, praying and doing good reading and sermon work, but my heart isn’t necessarily engaged into the deep, holy, heart-stirring truth I am encountering. Lloyd-Jones urges a vigilance, a fight with this kind of thinking.

I was also hearing the audio I recommended yesterday and how C.J., Jeff, and Josh were speaking of the pastor’s care for his soul. C.J. came right out and said that the best way we as pastors can lead and care for the flocks entrusted to us is by keeping our hearts with all diligence. We have to guard our hearts against both sin and weak affections. I was really encouraged, for instance, to be more diligent in prayer. I go through so much of my ministerial day just coasting. I am not casting my cares on God. I am seeking to solve problems and diagnose heart problems with my own finite understanding. When I do this, I am forgetting that I am an undershepherd under THE SHEPHERD. Again, C.J. said it is only on HIS shoulders that the government rests. I wasn’t called to shoulder the burden primarily. I was called to take burdens and cast them on the Lord. I do have a role, but must keep it in its proper perspective.

The cumulative effect of these things in my life today is much spiritual encouragement. I feel the fire returning deep within. (I have also been able to catch up on sleep after an tremendously busy season.) I am thankful to God for His grace and wanted to encourage those of you who might go through seasons like this (because we all do). God hasn’t abandoned you. Receive the struggle He is allowing in your life as a means of grace to draw you back to Him. You’ll find Him there waiting to bring the prodigal home.

Just finished Tim Keller’s Reason for God today. I thought it was a very helpful piece and really gets to the heart of some presuppositions that we have all brought to the table at times when we doubt or don’t completely understand the claims of Christianity. This is the real strength of Keller’s work. He seems to know the pulse and questions that those who distrust certain elements of Christianity find difficult. I would commend the book as one worthy of attention.

We’ve been given some teasers (here and here) about the release of this. Now, it is finally available for download. This interview’s theme is “The Pastor and His Soul” and is going to be well worthy your time.

If you want something to whet your appetite for this Sunday, my good friend, Brad Russell, recommends checking out Piper’s 8 Reasons Why I Believe That Jesus Rose From the Dead.

As we think today, again, about our marriages, I have been reminded this weekend about my heart and the way it plays with my emotions and physical well-being. The heart responds to conflict (whether “good” or “bad” conflict) by interpreting the circumstances and reacting according. In their book, How People Change, Paul Tripp and Timothy Lane describe this stage as thorns or how do you react?/what do you want and believe? In commenting on this, they write:

You and I are never passive. We always respond to the Heat (or Rain) in our lives. Maybe it’s a tough boss or a crazy extended family, a rebellious child or a chronic sickness. Maybe it’s a new career opportunity or a newly acquired inheritance. Whatever it is; the Bible helps us see how we react to the Heat in our hearts and our outward behavior. It reminds us that sinners respond to the fallen world sinfully, and each reaction yields a harvest of consequences.

Thorns are about the Biblical category of “fleshly wisdom,” those foolish responses that come all too naturally to us when hard things happen. Someone speaks unkindly to us, so we let our bitterness grow. Something unexpected happens and we respond by denying, avoiding, blaming, or seeking to take control. Negative things come our way and we allow ourselves to doubt God and let our participation in worship and ministry wane. We are blessed with unexpected money and we spend it on ourselves. We don’t get the raise we thought we deserve, so we work halfheartedly.

Scripture makes it clear thse responses are not forced upon us by the pressures of the situation. What I do comes from inside me. The things that happen to me will influence my responses but never determine them. Rather, these responses flow out of the thoughts and motives of my heart. This is why you can have five people in the same situation with five different responses!

There is so much wisdom in these words. Our hearts are revealed in how we respond and handle difficult situations. In marriage then (or any interpersonal relationship for that matter) we need to be concerned about our own hearts and how events coming our way are being interpreted and actions are happening accordingly. Our hearts are at the center of this. Labor to have a heart, then, that glorifies God.

A recent article by Rich Richardson at the NA Blog asks some great questions about the Gospel’s influence into the everyday facets of life. It’s entitled Gospel & Ministry.

(HT: Thabiti)

I’m slowly reading through Kent and Barbara Hughes’ book Liberating Ministry From the Success Syndrome. In chapter 3, Success Is Faithfulness, they are talking about how Moses effectively “ministered” by providing water from the rock. All of earth seemed to suggest that this ministry was effective. The problem came in that God had commanded Moses to speak to the rock, not strike it. Moses had disobeyed. After relaying this narrative, Kent and Barbara write:

This tremendous lesson from the life of Moses teaches us that one can be regarded as hugely successful in the ministry and yet be a failure. It is possible to give people exactly what they need–the practical exposition of God’s Word, inspiring worship, programs that wonderfully meet human needs–and yet be a failure. It is possible to be held up as a paragon of success and to receive the ardent accolades of one’s people and be a failure.

I wonder how much of our ministries are successful not because of faithfulness to God and what He’s called us to do, but because we have pragmatic success. It is easy to be driven by pragmatism and think that because good things are happening, we are successful. God, however, has a different standard. May God make us faithful.

Tomorrow night at HomeWord, we are going to be looking at issues that relate to money in marriage. One resource I will be highlighting is Randy Alcorn‘s excellent work, Money, Possessions and Eternity.

You can read more information about Randy Alcorn, his ministry, and some good free online resources at his website: Eternal Perspective Ministries.

Since making a transition in my pulpit ministry to the English Standard Version, I have had numerous people come to me looking for study Bibles or other versions of the ESV. Most stores don’t carry this version and some wonder why. Well, if you are considering purchasing an ESV, you may hustle over to Westminster Books, where you can get a 45% off discount on ESVs. (Oh, and they have consistent $5 shipping no matter what you buy, delivered to your doorstep by UPS.)