Exam times bring a special level of stress to most people who go through them. The better students push themselves, driven by a desire to get into the course they want or to achieve a score they have in mind. Struggling students can be driven by fear they won’t pass. Everyone feels the pressure of …
In Genesis 1 and 2, we notice a repeated chorus, that God said that various parts of the creation were “good” as he made them. And when it was completed, he declared it “very good”. Yet in this perfect world, in Genesis 2:18 we see the first thing that God says is “not good”. It’s …
Life has some big important moments and a lot of smaller moments that seem less important. The big moments might include deciding to get married, accepting that job offer, or deciding to move countries. We want to make the right decisions at those key times in our lives. The big things do indeed matter a …
It is Reformation Day this week! (It happens to coincide with a large cultural festival marked by pumpkins, skeletons and ghosts, which is far less encouraging). Reformation Day is when we remember the time on October 31, 1517, when the German monk Martin Luther made his complaints about the state of the Roman Catholic Church …
There has been so much commentary in the past few years about the transgender movement. This has often ended up with Christians and transgender activists lining up on opposite sides from one another shouting opinions at on another. Too often the Christian traditional teaching on gender (which I hold to) comes across so poorly as …
All people, just because we are human, are in the image and likeness of God. This means that people are God’s representatives, made to be special, different from the rest of creation. This foundational truth taught in the first chapter of the Bible has all kinds of important applications to it, but today let’s consider …
There are few things more complicated in this world than parenting. Every set of parents is different. Every child is different. Every culture does things differently. This makes it difficult to see general wise principles when it comes to parenting. Yet there is a key principle that I fear is often not considered enough. Your …
The gospel is far more than information that we understand, it has all kinds of practical implications. Paul explores this in Romans 12, which teaches that it is logical and reasonable to devote our whole lives as sacrifices to God. He then goes on to explain what this looks like in practice in v2: Do …
Romans 12:1 encourages us to be living sacrifices (expanded upon in the previous blog post here). That’s not all this verse teaches; let’s look at it again: I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual …
When the apostle Paul moves from his explanation of the gospel to drawing out the practical implications in Romans, he starts with this: I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (Rom. 12:1 ESV) …