From One Degree to Another

…has a new website. Check it out.

I own a couple of books by John Ensor and when he preached last week at Covenant Life, it was good to hear some of the truths he emphasizes in sermon form. The sermon, “Doing Right in Heart Matters“, really gets at the truth of his book. Enjoy this free audio, then.

Oh, and I guess I should mention, the “heart issues” in question relate to manhood and womanhood. Enjoy.

John Piper exhorts us to take care as to how we hear the Word of God. Here is his closing exhortation:

When you hear preaching or read your Bible take hold of it like a miser taking hold of gold and silver. Take hold of it like a pearl of great price and a treasure in a field. Take hold of it like a drowning man seizes a float. Fight off every word-destroying demonic bird and burning affliction and deceitful desire. Then you will “have” and “more will be given.” You will bear fruit with patience.

For today’s marriage Monday, thinking of applying yesterday’s message to our marriages, I thought a word could be said about kindness to our spouses. I think we assume this is a given in marriage, but it is not always the case. Often our spouses or families are the ones who see us at our worse. Therefore, it is in our marriages that we need to express kindness above all.

I am still struck by that quote from Daniel Block about Boaz (again commenting on Ruth 2:8-16)): “In th[is] man who speaks to this Moabite field worker, biblical chesed [or kindness] becomes flesh and dwells among human kind.” I wonder if God’s convenant faithfulness, kindness and goodness are ever incaranated in your marriage. Does your spouse and family see a consistent expression of God’s kindness flowing through you? This is to be the pattern that we follow. Let’s God’s kindness from through you to your spouse and family by lavishing goodness and providing/protecting for them, even when they are most unworthy.

Isn’t this what Ruth is experiencing from Boaz in Ruth 2:8-16?

I really like how Chris Elrod weighs in on how this kindness to those we don’t deem worthy is expressed in evangelism at the church entrusted to his care, Compass Point.

Over at 9Marks, the latest E-Journal is up. You may not normally check these out, but I would highly recommend this one. It is on marriage. You can get a PDF of the whole thing.

Some things that really stand out to me are:
The Marriage Book Comparison Chart – This chart takes some popular books out there and rates them for their faithfulness to a complementarian position, whether or not they center on the Gospel, encourage involvement in the local church, etc. This chart alone is worth having.

An article by C.J. Mahaney on marriage and pastoring.

There is also a nice section for pastor’s wives.

Check this out: How to Sleep Comfortably on a Hot Night

Here’s the first paragraph:
When it’s very hot out and you do not have air conditioning, it’s difficult to fall asleep. You can toss and turn to no avail. All this movement will make you even hotter than you already are, but there are ways to get cool and remain cool long enough for you to fall asleep.

(HT: Adrian)

It’s Wednesday and time for my free audio of the week post. Adrian Warnock has been posting on some sermons that have influenced him. He was able to obtain and get permission to post this sermon by C.J. from a while back. Introduced as one Charles Mahaney, this sermon is C.J. with a younger voice but with the same infectuous passion. Check it Out.

Holiness of God by C.J. Mahaney

For today’s Marriage Monday segment, I want to follow up on last night’s message on God’s Word by reminding you of the importance of God’s Word in your family’s life. In his book Simplify Your Spiritual Life, a former professor of mine, Dr. Donald Whitney writes of the importance of the Bible in family devotions:

The centerpiece of family worship is the Bible. Read a passage of appropriate length for your family, making any impromptu comments that come to mind. Those wtih younger children should emphasize the narrative portions of Scripture and possibly the Proverbs. Eventually, most seem to work up to about a chapter a day, reading consecutively through a particular book of the Bible. I recommend that you ask a few questions to determine comprehension, or just ask the children to repeat what they remember.

A simple procedure like this could work wonders if your family. We regularly use a Bible storybook, since we have children aged 2 and under currently. The Word must be the center of our lives as families. If the Bible is God speaking (and it is), then we had better listen. Center your family life on God’s Word.

Midweek I usually recommend some free audio on the web. This week, I am happy to recommend this sermon from Matt Maka (a pastor of Youth and Parenting at Covenant Life Church). I appreciated Matt’s passion for God’s Word exposed in this text. This is influential to me because this Sunday night, I am starting a new series on God’s Word seeking to stoke the embers of passion for God in His Word in our people. This sermon got at the blessing as well as the discipline required in embracing God’s Word. I highly recommend it.

Matt Maka – Psalms Part 10: The Young