The Flesh is Weak: Pastoral Reflections on Self-Control (Aaron Menikoff, 9Marks)
It’s good to remember the fight for self-control. I must fight more. But the fight isn’t the whole story. Self-control is both a call to action and a gift to be received. Self-control is a piece of the fruit of the Spirit. Until this fact is understood, and understood deeply, we’ll never go to God for help. We’ll never live with the confidence he’ll provide.
Christianity is a Crutch for the Weak (Matt Chandler, The Village Church)
We didn’t pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. That’s not the gospel. We were rescued and saved by grace alone through faith alone while we were still weak. God alone gets the glory.
The Main Ingredient in Personal Growth (David Mathis, Desiring God)
We grow in grace not by moving on from this good news that was preached to us, but by going deeper and deeper into that astonishing message. Christians mature not by moving on from the gospel into “deeper truths,” but by sending our roots deeper and deeper into the simple and unfathomable gospel of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness toward us.
Tragedy in Texas: Christian Testimony in the Face of Evil (Albert Mohler, AlbertMohler.com)
Christians have learned that sometimes we have to wait for an answer, and sometimes that wait goes beyond any answer we can get in this life. Charles Spurgeon, the great Baptist preacher of the 19th century in London stated this beautifully: “When we cannot trace God’s hand, we are simply to trust his heart.”
God Will Give You More Than You Can Handle (Sophie McDonald, Unlocking the Bible)
When we’re crying into our coffee and feeling burdened beyond our strength, we recognize we need a Savior, from sin andfrom all the human weaknesses that accompany it. That’s when we feel what’s true all the time: We are helpless on our own. We need a strength beyond our own to rescue us. If we were enough, there would be no reason for Jesus.
The post Key Connections (November 17, 2017) appeared first on Unlocking the Bible.