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Articles by Desiring God

Desiring God

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Articles from the Teaching Team at Desiring God.

Articles by Desiring God

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He Did Not Revile in Return: Following Jesus in an Age of Anger

David Mathis | In Christ, we do not sin in response to sin. When insulted, we endure. When reviled, we bless. When slandered, we pray, forgive, and follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

Find Your Fathers in Christ: Advice for Younger Men

Marshall Segal | If you are a younger man, you need the example and encouragement of men who are further along in faith. You need the firm love of spiritual fathers.

Give Thanks Against Temptation: The Spiritual Power of Gratitude

Scott Hubbard | Christians are an unusual people who don’t wait until after the fact to thank God. No, we thank him every step of the way.

Bring Order to the Chaos: The Calming Force of Good Pastors

David Mathis | Good pastors don’t just work hard to preach to their people; they help them through conflicts with a calm force that brings order to the chaos of life.

Order and Beauty: A Little Theology of Christian Writing

Greg Morse | The craft of Christian writing obsesses over reality, arranges truth with care, quests for fitting phrases — and stands ever enthralled by the One above all words.

Romance Can Ruin You: How a Relationship Becomes a God

Marshall Segal | Romance can be a friend and an ally, or an enemy and a terror. It can point us to the Love we were made for, or it can leave us lovesick forever.

Apologetic of the Heart: Why Costly Love Captures Us

Jon Bloom | Even when arguments don’t win the mind, love may win the heart. Dying sacrifices speak to our deepest hopes and draw out our highest admiration.

Single Men with Many Sons: How to Be a Spiritual Father

Scott Hubbard | What might happen in the church if even single men increasingly thought of themselves as spiritual fathers for younger men?

Children Caught in the Crossfire: The Tragedy of Same-Sex ‘Adoption’

Greg Morse | When a society makes room for homosexual lust, the disorder ripples throughout that society, even to the youngest and most vulnerable.

We Have Sinned and Grown Old: Seeing Through Six-Year-Old Eyes

Marshall Segal | What does it say about us that as we grow older, we often lose our ability to notice and enjoy the brilliance and creativity of God in all that he’s made?

Jesus Is Better Than Working for Jesus

David Mathis | What joy could be greater than seeing the lost saved, the saints sanctified, and the kingdom of darkness destroyed? The joy of having your own name written in heaven.

The Spiritual Discipline of Sky: How the Heavens Shape a Heart

Scott Hubbard | When was the last time you stopped, looked up, and stared at the sky? A song of glory resounds. A heaven of wonders awaits.

Real Protestants Keep Reforming

David Mathis | The Reformation began in 1517, but you will search in vain for an end date. The work continues as each generation, standing upon the shoulders of others, comes to drink for themselves at the headwaters of God’s own word.

‘The Shadow Proves the Sunshine’ How to See God in Spiritual Darkness

Jon Bloom | “The shadow proves the sunshine.” Those lyrics are a profound window into reality, and might help lead someone out of the shadows of spiritual darkness.

The Ache of ‘If Only’

Greg Morse | Maybe we say “if only” to protect us from the disappointment of dreams fulfilled and longings still unmet. Maybe the grass is always greener — and we prefer to have it so.

The Dangers of Alone: Five Questions for Single Men

Marshall Segal | If you want to live your single years well, find good answers to five crucial questions: Who’s over you? Who’s ahead of you? Who’s beside you? Who’s behind you? And who’s against you?

Counseling for Normal Christians

Scott Hubbard | How can normal Christians grow in counseling others? Learn from the Wonderful Counselor. Listen — really listen — to others. And then pray, discern, and respond.

Preach to Comfort and Disturb: A Plea to Pastors

Greg Morse | We need men in pulpits who will preach the whole counsel of God — the promises and warnings, the mercies and conditions, the comforting and the discomforting.

A Brief Life Still Burning: The Unlikely Impact of Robert Murray M’Cheyne

Jon Bloom | What makes the brief life of Robert Murray M’Cheyne so compelling? He lived to the hilt. He burned with love for Christ. He was a truly holy man.

How to Love a Sister in Christ: A Guide for Single Men

Scott Hubbard | How does a godly young man relate to his sisters in Christ? By diligently cultivating purity, clarity, courage, and community.

The Successful and Worthless Husband: Five Marks of Foolish Men

Marshall Segal | One way to grow as a husband is to learn from a bad one. Here are five marks of a foolish man.

Greg Morse | Live for something. Stand for something. Die for something. If God has made you a man, then rise up and act like one.

The Use and Abuse of Scripture: How Christian Preachers Wield the Word

David Mathis | Christ calls his preachers to “use Scripture.” It is the pastor’s tool belt, his staff, his weapon, his wand, his scalpel for the most delicate and exacting of surgeries.

Stepping Through Darkness: Obedience on the Hardest Days

Scott Hubbard | When it seems like night may never end, keep obeying your Lord in the darkness, and dare to believe that he will bring the dawn.

Until You Get to Pastor: Seven Ambitions for Aspiring Men

Marshall Segal | Unwanted waiting can be the best preparation for future ministry. Here are seven ambitions for aspiring men who feel stuck behind a closed door.

His Majesty Lifts the Lowly: The Attractive Force of God’s Mercy

David Mathis | Our God is majestic, both in his greatness and might, and his grace and mercy. In silence we wonder, What is man that you would care for us? Who are we that your Son would die for us?

Wander Away to Her

Greg Morse | When was the last time you got lost thinking about your bride? Have you let life rob you of the radiant, ever-changing beauty beside you?

A Faithful Man Who Can Find?

Jon Bloom | Where can we find a man true to his word — not just for a moment or some big occasion, but over a lifetime?

Where’s the Lion Now? Making Hard Decisions with Aslan

Marshall Segal | When faced with big life decisions, we may find surprising wisdom from a simple question, drawn from Narnia: Where’s the lion now?

Attack at Dawn: The Spiritual War Against Ordinary Devotions

David Mathis | Satan knows the devastating power of our early morning devotions. He will do whatever he can to disrupt them. But we need not be ignorant of his schemes.

Get Behind Me, Sluggard: Four Lessons Against Laziness

Scott Hubbard | The sluggard can find a home in any soul, however hardworking. Have you found weapons for putting your laziness to death?

The Severe Kindness of Jesus: Hearing Mercy in His Hard Words

Jon Bloom | The same Jesus who invited the weary and heavy laden also called his followers to hate their families. How do we understand the hardest words of Christ?

How to Read a Book by God: Eight Questions for Better Understanding

Marshall Segal | God wrote a book — the greatest book ever written. Because he decided to reveal himself in human words and phrases, we should want to read as well as humanly possible.

‘Oh Slay the Wicked’: How Christians Sing Curses

Greg Morse | Should Christians pray the imprecatory psalms? Did these curses die at the cross, or do they have a counterpart in the new-covenant religion?

Habits of Grit: Athletics, Grace, and the Christian Work Ethic

David Mathis | The Christian work life is founded squarely on Christ’s finished work and aimed at his eternal glory.

‘Just Not Feeling It’: How Routine Awakens Devotion

Scott Hubbard | The next time “not feeling like it” tempts you to keep your Bible closed or pass a morning without prayer, remember all the good God can bring through routine.

Rediscovering the Joy of Writing: Six Lessons for a Lifelong Habit

Scott Hubbard | Maybe you used to write but fell out of the habit. Maybe you’ve never written much of anything outside of school. Either way, you might consider what a pen might do for your joy in God.

Wrestling with What Won’t Be: The Meaning of Midlife Melancholy

Greg Morse | Why do so many hit a wall in their early forties, wondering who they are and what they should be doing?

Greet with a Holy Kiss? Applying an Uncomfortable Command

David Mathis | The call to “greet one another with a holy kiss” may strike us as odd and outdated. But what lessons might God have for us in this uncomfortable command?

The Wilderness of the Little Years: How Satan Tempts Tired Parents

Marshall Segal | Though Jesus was not a father or mother, he sympathizes with the lies parents face in the wilderness of the little years. And he can overcome them.

The God We Can Kiss

David Mathis | Biblical kissing may seem foreign and uncomfortable today. But press through the discomfort, and the kiss is a stunning window into the glory of Christ.

Loud and Quiet Women: The Portrait God Finds Beautiful

Scott Hubbard | More than once, the Bible encourages quietness in women. What kind of quietness pleases God, and what kind of loudness defies him?

How to Build (or Break) a Habit

Jon Bloom | Is there a godly habit you really want to start? Or an ungodly habit you really need to break? These four steps might help you press through.

Uncomfortably Limited: The Frustrating Beauty of Finitude

Marshall Segal | Like blades of grass, we are here today, gone tomorrow — frail, fragile, finite. But those who fear and follow God know a steadfast love that will outlive the mountains.

Almost Saved: Four Reasons to Examine Yourself

Greg Morse | Many come to the end of life almost saved, almost rescued from God’s wrath, almost in possession of joy forevermore. But only almost.

The Godliness of a Good Night’s Sleep

Scott Hubbard | On occasion, God may call us to renounce sleep for the sake of something greater. But on most nights, he welcomes us to embrace the godliness of a good night’s sleep.

When Sharp Disagreements Separate: Lessons for Churches in Conflict

Jon Bloom | Sometimes fellow pastors have such strong, diverging convictions that they cannot continue together. What can we learn from the splitting of Paul and Barnabas?

Fasting, Feasting, and Our Daily Bread: Following the Diet of Jesus

David Mathis | God made us to fast, and to feast. But on most days, he made us to enjoy a modest portion of daily bread, received with thanksgiving and self-control.

The Rare Courage of Real Friends: Why Love Will Sometimes Wound

Marshall Segal | Ask God for the kind of friends who love your soul more than your feelings, who will prize your eternal destiny even above the friendship itself.

The Pro-Child Life: Three Ways We Love the Littlest

Scott Hubbard | If we want to oppose the anti-child forces in this world, we will need more than a pro-life position, a high view of motherhood, and a robust Sunday school program.

Uncomfortably Affectionate: Toward a Theology of the Kiss

David Mathis | It says something profound about our God that his people, in ancient Israel and the early church, are a kissing people.

For Fathers of Young Children: Lessons from the Last Graduation

Jon Bloom | The years of fatherhood are few and precious. The days may seem long, the sleep short, and the seasons tiring, but in the end, you’ll look back and wish to have much of it again.

Live for Days You Will Not See: The Beauty of Christian Legacy

Scott Hubbard | Live for yourself, and your life will mean little to those beyond you. But spend your life on others, and it will grow a harvest in due time.

O Me of Little Faith

Greg Morse | Sometimes we settle for weaker faith because we fear what greater faith might cost us in this life.

How to Love an Immortal

Marshall Segal | What might it look like to study and work, to date and marry and parent, to disagree and forgive, like you’ll live forever?

Did Jesus Pursue His Own Glory? The God-Centeredness of the God-Man

David Mathis | We might assume the God-centeredness of God would lead to the Christ-centeredness of Christ, but the Gospels present a more complex and wonderful picture.

That Kind of Happy: The Wide Eyes of a Psalm 1 Man

Marshall Segal | Some men read the Bible assuming they’ve seen it all before. Others open the same book always expecting to find some new reason to treasure God.

Imagine Lust: A Lost Weapon in the Fight for Purity

Scott Hubbard | Many in the battle against lust try to shut off the imagination, but what if God means for you to win the battle through imagination?

Stabbed by Joy: The Longings That Led Me to Christ

Greg Morse | Some joy does not leave you satisfied, but still aching for a pleasure barely glimpsed, hardly heard. The longing is inconsolable, until it leads our hearts to Christ.

Gentleness Made Him Great: Learning from the Strongest of Men

David Mathis | The world has its own visions of manly strength. In Scripture, what sets godly strength apart is its added ability to be gentle.

Your Life of Unlikely Courage

Marshall Segal | ‘The Hobbit’ resonates with us so deeply, all these years later, because the tension in Bilbo is a tension in all of us. We love comfort, but we were made for mountains.

A Problem in Prayer: Learning to Ask as We Ought

Greg Morse | Jesus says, “Ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you.” Did he really mean that? If so, what would that prayer sound like today?

No One Who Abides in Him Keeps on Sinning

Scott Hubbard | The born again are not perfect, but they are new — irrevocably, eternally, mightily new. And new people can’t keep peace with old sins.

What Does God Sound Like? Hearing the Voice of Majesty

David Mathis | The people of God perceive his majesty not only with the eye, but by the ear — in the greatness, power, and surprising glory of his roaring, thunderous words and his still, small voice.

Goats in Sheep’s Clothing: Why We Warn the Lukewarm

Greg Morse | A professing Christian may live years in the church, even decades, yet in the end still hear those haunting words of Jesus: “I never knew you.”

‘My Kingdom Is Not of This World’: The Lordship of Christ and the Limits of Government

John Piper | The New Testament opposes Christians looking to the state to teach, defend, or spread ideas or behaviors as explicitly Christian. The sword is not to be the agent of religion.

Entrusted with Agony: How to Love a Suffering Soul

Jon Bloom | What qualities make someone the kind of person suffering people seek out and trust? He offers judicious counsel with discernible humility and kindness.

When God Sets Sunsets Free: Imagining the World to Come

Marshall Segal | One day soon, God will make all we know unmistakably new. Have you learned to long, and pray, for the wonders of a better world to come?

Good Leaders Fail Well: How Mistakes Become a Staircase

Scott Hubbard | As men step into leadership, many expect the burdens of responsibility, decision-making, and initiative. Fewer are prepared for just how often they may fail.

Confrontational Christlikeness

Greg Morse | Faithfully following Jesus will put us at odds with those who ignore or refuse him. Does anyone in your life dislike how Christian you are?

When Was I Born Again? How ‘Regeneration’ Blossoms in Reformed Theology

David Mathis | You must be born again, says Jesus, to receive his saving grace, but how does ‘regeneration’ relate to predestination, justification, and the rest of salvation?

Reversing Romans 1: A Glimpse of the Godward Life

Joe Rigney | Do you want to catch a clear and beautiful vision of the Godward life? Take a text about the ugly futility of mutiny against God and turn it on its head.

Mercy Swallows Any Sorrow: Struggling Beside a Sea of Blessing

Marshall Segal | Are you weighed down with the burdens and sorrows of life? Despite all of your afflictions, if you’re in Christ, his mercy is more.

Assurance for the Unassured: Finding Hope in the Names of God

Scott Hubbard | Those who often deal with doubts over their own salvation may find deeper assurance from a surprising source: God’s infinite commitment to his name.

Train Them Up in Jesus: The One-Verse Vision for Dads

David Mathis | What does it mean to raise children in the “discipline and instruction” of the Lord? These two concepts represent indispensable facets of faithful Christian fatherhood.

Find Your Way to Help the Hurting

Marshall Segal | When suffering comes to those around you, don’t assume someone else will step up and help. Assume God plans to meet one of their many needs through you.

Grumbling Obedience: Resisting a Common Temptation

Joe Rigney | How often is there a hitch in your obedience, or an edge to your obedience, or self-pity in your obedience?

Roast What You Kill: Becoming a Man Who Follows Through

Greg Morse | Meet the sophisticated sloth: he dates but never marries, attends church but never joins, works hard only when others watch — and rarely finishes what he begins.

Slow to Chide, Swift to Bless: Vision for Earthly Fathers

David Mathis | As sinful as we are, our heavenly Father is “slow to chide, and swift to bless.” How much more should earthly fathers aspire to be the same with our children?

Wise Women Build Homes: Motherhood’s Lasting Influence

Scott Hubbard | As an imperfect but God-fearing woman builds her house, she becomes for her children Wisdom’s first face, first voice, first touch.

Not All Obedience Is Christian

Joe Rigney | Christians do not work for our salvation, but we do work out our salvation as God powerfully works within us. All Christian obedience, then, begins on the inside.

Flee the Gospel of Me

Marshall Segal | The greatest news in the world is that, through Jesus, people made by God, and who have rejected God, may still get to have God.

We Travel to a World Unseen

Greg Morse | The ground beneath our feet, the hills around our house, the sky above our heads — these seem as real as real can be. But another world is still more real.

Love the Place You Want to Leave

Scott Hubbard | If today you woke up in a place you don’t like, dare to believe that God has purposes for you here, however much you may want to leave.

The Forgotten Habit: Fellowship as a Means of God’s Grace

David Mathis | Fellowship is an irreplaceable means of grace in the Christian life and offers us two priceless joys: receiving God’s grace through the helping words of others and giving his grace to others through our own.

Sleep Beneath His Promises: Learning Rest from the Psalms

Scott Hubbard | How did the psalmists fall asleep on the most unlikely nights? They laid every care and sorrow before the Lord who is our shield, shepherd, comfort, and life.

Appointed and Disappointed: Four Lessons for Passing Leadership

Jon Bloom | Every earthly calling you accept will be one you eventually have to release. Have you thought about how to do that well?

God So Loved Himself: Overlooked Help from a Well-Known Friend

David Mathis | God created the world to glorify himself. But does this truth diminish his love for his people in Christ? Consider Jonathan Edwards’s enduring answer.

The Ministry of the Pew: Sunday Morning for Normal Christians

Greg Morse | How many of us arrive on Sunday mornings, sing, listen, and then leave?

Why Do Christians Struggle to Love?

Jon Bloom | If God gives the Holy Spirit to those who believe in Jesus, why do we still have such a hard time walking in love?

Join That Church: Why God Made You for Membership

Marshall Segal | In an age of independence and suspicion of authority, becoming a church member is a loud, arresting statement of our devotion to Christ and our need for his body.

Raw Passion and Messy Missiology: A Tribute to George Verwer (1938–2023)

John Piper | On April 14, 2023, one of the greatest missions leaders of the last hundred years passed into glory — and only glory can measure the global influence he left behind.

The Art of One-Anothering: How the Church Loves Like Christ

Scott Hubbard | To love another well, we need to put on Christ himself. We need to have his mind, offer his welcome, speak his words, show his love, and give his grace.

Beware of the Birds: How Satan Sabotages Sermons

Greg Morse | What if the distractions keeping you from listening to sermons are an act of spiritual warfare?

The Syntax of Sacrifice: Introduction to Leviticus

Joe Rigney | The book of Leviticus can seem as mystifying as a foreign language — until we learn the basic nouns, adjectives, and verbs of the sacrificial system.

The Easter Yet to Come

Marshall Segal | How pitiful would your life seem if Jesus did not rise? How promising and thrilling is it if he really did?

Tree of Shame: The Horror and Honor of Good Friday

David Mathis | Jesus endured the cross, Hebrews tells us, “for the joy that was set before him.” What joy did Jesus see on the other side of Good Friday’s shame?

The Most High on His Knees: Learning Humility from the Last Supper

Greg Morse | Before Jesus gave his hands to the nails, he used them to wash the dirt from his disciples’ feet. What thoughts caused one so high to go so low?

Redeeming Discipline: How Grace Reforms Our Effort

Scott Hubbard | When the apostle Paul lost his legalism, he did not lose his discipline — not even a little. So what did he know about discipline that we may not?

Does Alcohol Still Sober You? Five Warnings About Abuse

Marshall Segal | A healthy, godly use of alcohol remains vigilant against at least five great dangers of alcohol.

The Father’s Way: When Good Parents Say Yes and No

Joe Rigney | If we love our children, we sometimes must say no. But we would do well to think carefully about how, and how often, we say no.

He Comes Quickly: Are You Still Waiting?

Greg Morse | The last picture of the church in Scripture shows a bride looking up to heaven, crying out, “Come!” Do we still look and long for our Lord’s return?

Still on the Throne: The Glories of a Seated Christ

David Mathis | Jesus rose and ascended, then his Father seated him on heaven’s throne. But what is he doing right now up there where he’s been sitting for centuries?

What God Can Make from a Shattered Life

Scott Hubbard | In the midst of suffering, it can be hard to imagine how all this heartache could possibly end in glory. That’s why God didn’t leave us to our imaginations.

What Will Make You Resilient? Learning from a Living Miracle

Jon Bloom | Any Christian who lives in a cursed world like ours will need to learn resilience, and God hasn’t left us without staggering examples to follow.

Should We Get Married? How to Find Clarity in Dating

Marshall Segal | If you want to pursue greater clarity in a dating relationship, look carefully in three directions: your desire, your community, and your opportunity.

My Son, Give Me Your Heart: The First Desire of Fruitful Parenting

Joe Rigney | An ancient proverb teaches us that we are to aim at more than just our children’s obedience. More than anything, we want their hearts.

The Shadow We Cannot Shake: What to Do When Darkness Remains

Scott Hubbard | “Up and be doing.” It’s not the only wise counsel to give to someone walking through doubt or spiritual darkness, but it might be the counsel some need to hear most.

God of Ages Past: The Awakening We Need Today

Greg Morse | Though our experience may tell us to expect few conversions, few baptisms, and no grand spiritual movements, the God who revives and awakens is still our God today.

Thirty Days of Easter: Invitation to Enjoy the Risen Christ

David Mathis | Narnia, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter — the best stories reward re-reading. And none matches the one we rehearse each spring as Easter approaches.

Losing Christ in Christianity

Greg Morse | Christianity without Christ is a sunless solar system, a waterless ocean, an airless sky. Yet how subtly and easily we who name Christ can lose sight of him.

Do You Want to Die Well?

Marshall Segal | What would life be like if you were unafraid of death? If you knew death would really be gain, what kind of life might you be free to live?

A Holy Conspiracy of Joy: The Heart of Healthy Pastors and Churches

David Mathis | In the healthiest churches, we find a holy conspiracy between pastors who gladly care for the sheep, and sheep who do what they can so that the pastors might serve joyfully.

Sit at the Feet of Loss: What Endings Teach the Living

Jon Bloom | The wisdom we need in this world often wears black. Painful as they are, all our deaths and endings hold lessons we cannot live wisely without.

Man Enough to Weep

Greg Morse | When was the last time you cried over someone’s soul? Do you ever ask God to make the tears flow again?

Four Marks of Faithful Teaching

Scott Hubbard | In Paul’s final meeting with a group of pastors, he gives them four marks of faithful teaching — the kind of teaching God uses to win the world.

Live Against the Drift: Refocusing the Distracted Soul

Marshall Segal | For many Christians, our greatest danger is not that we will suddenly run from Jesus, but that we will slowly, subtly drift away.

The Stable Presence: Five Traits of Resilient Fathers

Joe Rigney | Our homes need men who see with clarity, stand with stability, and act with wisdom. We need resilient, sober-minded fathers.

Move the Body, Renew the Mind: A Christian Use for Exercise

David Mathis | To think seriously about Christ and his word, you will need to push your brain. And if you want to push your brain, you may need to push your body.

Friends Who Fell Away: When Apostasy Comes Close to Home

Greg Morse | They sang with us in church, confessed to be Christ’s, renounced the world and Satan — and later walked away. How can we make sense of such painful apostasies?

Suffering Proves We Are Real

Marshall Segal | No one asks for suffering. But when it comes through the hands of our wise and loving Father, we can do more than tolerate it. We can rejoice, even in this.

The Living God: What Makes Him Different and Satisfying

Joe Rigney | Have you considered how wonderful it is to draw near to the God who now and always lives?

Faith in the Wilderness of Waiting

Scott Hubbard | The gnawing ache of hopes unmet and prayers unanswered tries our faith. But God is with us in our waiting. None who trust in him to the end will be disappointed.

Beneath the Mountain of Smoke: Recovering the Awe of Worship

Greg Morse | Does Sunday morning feel like a gathering before almighty God? We can far too easily lose sight of what we’re doing when we come together to worship.

Christ Did Not Please Himself: The Joy of Bearing with Others’ Failings

David Mathis | Christians know ourselves called to love (and keep loving) difficult people. Fewer of us may realize that this hard path is also the path of joy.

Every Marriage Needs a Mission: Three Steps for Husbands

Scott Hubbard | How can a husband lead his marriage into God-glorifying mission? He might begin by taking three modest steps: dream, draw, and do.

Does Technology Help or Hurt Dating?

Marshall Segal | Technology can help dating relationships, and technology can hurt them. Unfortunately, many assume the former, while living the latter.

Be Still, My Soul: A Hymn for the Hardest Losses

Jon Bloom | Some three centuries ago, a hymn appeared that has comforted countless hearts in the deepest pain of grief and loss: “Be Still, My Soul.”

The Light and Momentary Success of the Wicked

Joe Rigney | Many see how the wicked prosper and abandon the costly path of faith and godliness. If only they could see where each path leads.

How Not to Pray: Learning from Pharisees and Pagans

Greg Morse | The look-at-me prayer of the Pharisee and the say-more prayer of the pagan both find their cure in the simple Godward sincerity of the Lord’s Prayer.

The Spiritual Power of Staying Put: Why Christians Are Slow to Leave

Scott Hubbard | In one sense, it’s never been easier to move — to find a new job, a new home, a new church. In another sense, it’s never been better to stay.

Lovers of Good: Eyes of Hope in a World Gone Bad

David Mathis | Christians believe in good. They look for good. And they do good because, at bottom, they are lovers of good.

Forgive Me and Help Me Forgive: The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Sin

Marshall Segal | Many Christians pray at every meal and often thank God for giving them daily bread. But how many pray as often about forgiveness?

Begin Where You Are: How to Renew Your Prayer Life

Joe Rigney | C.S. Lewis wrote a book on prayer in which he pens four words that might change your prayer life: “Begin where you are.”

Do the Will You Know: The First Step for Further Guidance

Scott Hubbard | How can you walk in God’s will for your life? Do the will you already know. Discern the will you don’t.

The Curse Under Our Breath: What Grumbling Sounds Like to God

Greg Morse | If we could hear all that our grumbling says, we would be slower to murmur and quicker to seek more joy in God.

You Can Understand the Bible

Marshall Segal | God gave us the Bible to reveal himself, not to hide himself. So whoever you are, you can understand the Bible.

Pray This First

David Mathis | Few prayers are more familiar than “Hallowed be your name,” yet few prayers also are less understood. What do we mean when we ask God for the hallowing of his name?

Sin Is Never Inevitable: How to Escape Overwhelming Temptation

Scott Hubbard | Do you want to overcome temptation? Remember how others have fallen. Be prepared for escape to be hard. And trust that God won’t flee.

We Call Him ‘Father’: The Privilege of Christian Prayer

Jon Bloom | God wants us to relate to him not as mere subjects to a king, nor as mere sheep to a shepherd, but also as children to a loving, generous Father.

The Pleasure of God in Ordinary Work

Marshall Segal | If you could see your “ordinary” work through the perspective and pleasure of God, it might not feel so ordinary anymore.

Don’t Check the Boxes: My Breakthrough in Morning Devotions

David Mathis | For some, checking the boxes in Bible reading could put the focus and emphasis in the wrong place. Daily devotions are not about completing a task, but encountering the risen Christ.

Born Between God and Man: Welcoming Our Long-Awaited Priest

Jon Bloom | The king Israel wanted was not the king Israel needed. The king they wanted would have exacted justice; the King they received purchased them mercy.

We Long to Be Ruled: The Messianic Hopes in Every Heart

David Mathis | Christmas still enchants our unbelieving society because even as democratic as we may pretend to be, deep down we cannot shake our longings to be ruled — by the supremely benevolent King.

The Starving Eyes of Man: Why We Ache to See Glory

Greg Morse | Of all the sights in heaven and earth, only one can satisfy the ravenous eyes of man: Jesus Christ in all his glory.

Mercies at Midnight: Seeking God Through Sleeplessness

Scott Hubbard | God “gives to his beloved sleep,” Solomon says. So how do we respond when, despite our prayers and best efforts, God takes from his beloved sleep?

Wisdom Above Came Below: How Christmas Speaks to Our Confusion

Joe Rigney | Wisdom from above is not merely about knowing what is true but knowing how to live. It addresses the head, heart, and hands.

A Time to Say Goodbye: A Father’s Gratitude as Children Leave Home

Jon Bloom | What does it feel like to watch children leave the home? One father of five mourns with joy over what was — and gladly receives what is now and will be.

The Secret Failure of Many Leaders

Greg Morse | Even good leaders and pastors can grow self-reliant over time and need the reminder that no ministry can succeed without their Lord.

A Rest for Any Restlessness

Scott Hubbard | If you wrestle with restlessness, you’re not strange. You’re human. And your restlessness can lead you to the rest you long to enjoy.

Awesome and Fearsome: God’s Majesty in the Eyes of His Friends and Foes

David Mathis | When God flashes the glory of his great size and strength, his people stand in awe and declare his majesty, while his foes cower in fear and feel terror.

You Can Be Forgiven: What Christmas Says to Our Sins

Marshall Segal | Deep down, we long for forgiveness — to be washed clean from our sins and welcomed home to our God. And Jesus lived, died, and rose to make that forgiveness possible.

The Joy of Christian Duty

Joe Rigney | Is there a good, wise, and Christian Hedonistic way of celebrating the value of duty in the Christian life?

Disorient, Distort, Deceive: Satan’s Core Strategy Against Us

Jon Bloom | If you have no battle plan in the war against temptation, you give Satan the advantage. Take time to learn from the only one who never sinned.

Two Kinds of Pastors

David Mathis | Should pastors be paid or unpaid? Scripture shows that both come with benefits, and a blend of both can be vital to healthy churches.

Honor an Old Face: The Lost Art of Respecting Our Elders

Greg Morse | In a day that prizes technology, beauty, and youth, we easily neglect a command once taken for granted: honor the elderly among you.

How to Keep Praying: Four Lessons from the Master

Scott Hubbard | Before you close your eyes to pray, take a moment to remember what prayer really is. Let Jesus reawaken you to the wonder of having God’s ear.

The Sweetness of a Godward Meal: Dad’s Wisdom for Thanksgiving Day

Joe Rigney | “My son, eat honey, for it is good.” On Thanksgiving Day, a father and son discuss taste buds, honey, and the sweetness of wisdom to the soul.

Can Christians Date Nonbelievers?

Marshall Segal | Should Christians date nonbelievers? God says no. And you might too if you could see all it might mean in marriage.

Lead Me, O Lord: Ten Prayers for Christian Leaders

Jon Bloom | Good leaders are good followers first. They depend on God for wisdom, guidance, courage, and everything else they need.

Screen Sabbaths: A Modest Proposal for a Digital World

Scott Hubbard | As we seek to resist the gravitational pull our phones exert, we might find help from an ancient Israelite practice: Sabbath.

The Current State of Complementarity: Five Years After Nashville

John Piper | As lovers of God’s revealed truth, we confront the cultural perversions of the day — and more. We apply the truth to all of life.

How to Fail a Wife: Learning Marriage from a Bad Husband

Marshall Segal | It’s a lot easier to be a bad husband than a faithful one — even in paradise. So what can men learn from the first husband’s failure?

How to Care for a Pastor: Five Ways to Uplift Your Shepherds

Greg Morse | Many of us want to bless our pastors better, but don’t know how. Here are five ways to love the men entrusted with watching over your soul.

To Groan Is Human — And Christian: Learning from the Emotions of Jesus

David Mathis | Some of the more stunning glimpses into the humanity of Jesus are the moments when he expresses sadness or grief. What might we learn from the groans of Christ?

How a Head Loves a Body: Watching Husbands and Wives Dance Well

Joe Rigney | In the church and in marriage, the head and body are profoundly interdependent. You can’t have one without the other.

Why Don’t We Have Good Friends?

Marshall Segal | It’s never been easier to make new friends and connect with old ones, so what’s keeping us from having more meaningful friendships?

Am I Ready for Ministry? Three Tests for a Man’s Aspiration

Scott Hubbard | How can a man discern if he genuinely aspires to pastoral ministry? He can begin by asking where his aspiration comes from, where it aims, and what shape it takes.

The Pastors We Didn’t Expect: Four Contours of Christian Leadership

David Mathis | We might expect Jesus to appoint world-class executives or entertainers to lead his church. Instead, he adopts a comparatively quiet plan: local teams of sober-minded teachers.

The Five Not-Points of Calvinism

Scott Hubbard | To grasp both the offense and the comfort of Calvinism, we would do well to consider what the five points do not mean, what TULIP never taught us.

The Indispensable Lives of Ordinary Christians

Greg Morse | When the world judges us as unimpressive, and we see ourselves as expendable, Jesus turns to us and speaks one word: “indispensable.”

Messy, Late, and Happy: How to Survive Sundays with Small Kids

Marshall Segal | Young families have some good reasons to stay home on Sunday morning. But we have even better reasons to gather the kids, pile in the car, and see God’s people face to face.

How Can God Forget My Sins? What We Remember at the Table

Jon Bloom | When we take the Lord’s Supper, we hear God the Father say, “Because my Son has shed his blood for the forgiveness of your sins, I will remember your sins no more.”

Living Among Majesties: The Grandeur of the People of God

Joe Rigney | “As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.” The Bible sees a majesty in believers that believers themselves often miss.

King Over Kin: The Warm Danger of Earthly Loves

Greg Morse | If your wife or husband or child or parent left the faith and tried to pull you away with him or her, would you?

The Inner Man of Pastors: Six Glimpses into God’s Design

David Mathis | The apostle’s charge to a team of local elders in Acts 20 gives us six glimpses into the mature masculine soul and its particular fitness for Christ’s pastoral calling.

You Will Be Breathtaking: Why God Clothes Us in Glory

Marshall Segal | The glory due to God alone is not kept by God alone. Amazingly, God not only frees sinners to enjoy his glory, but he also gladly glorifies them.

Shades of Grace: Catholics and Protestants in Conversation

Greg Morse | Both Catholics and Protestants may love words like justification, righteousness, and grace, but the realities they see in those words expose two very different religions.

To the Uttermost: How Jesus Keeps Us Day by Day

Scott Hubbard | Three words are enough to silence the objections, calm the fears, and resurrect the hopes of Christ’s believing people: to the uttermost.

Not by Head Alone: The Warm Heart of Justification

David Mathis | The beloved Reformed slogan of “faith alone” does not make good works optional in the Christian life. Nor does it mean that saving faith involves the intellect alone and not also the heart.

The Beautiful Roots of Courageous Submission

Joe Rigney | God describes feminine courage very differently from how the world does. So what makes a godly woman brave, and how might that change her marriage?

Give Me More of God: Why Spiritual Intimacy Can Feel Elusive

Jon Bloom | The path to intimacy with God can sound so simple, yet those who follow this path often find intimacy with God more elusive than they expected.

What Is the Lord’s Supper?

David Mathis | This is a family meal ordained by Jesus Christ himself, meant to be enjoyed by his gathered church, in order to remember him and nourish our souls.

The Hands That Made the Meal: What the Supper Says About Ordinary Work

Marshall Segal | When Jesus broke the bread and shared the cup, he blessed the ordinary work of ordinary hands like ours.

Doubt: A Personal History

Scott Hubbard | One of the more disorienting parts of facing doubt is that so few talk about their own struggles with doubt. Part of overcoming temptation is realizing you’re not alone.

My Flesh Is True Food: The Meaning of an Offensive Image

Jon Bloom | “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” Few words of Jesus have been more misunderstood and misapplied.

Humbled, Whole, and Honorable: What to Look for in a Pastor

David Mathis | As our lists grow longer of what to beware in a leader, do we have any corresponding clarity on what to pursue?

How to Squander Your Spiritual Gifts

Marshall Segal | Are you wasting your God-given abilities? God builds the church through ordinary, everyday members taking the capacities he has given and gladly using them for the good of someone else.

Better to Have a Burden

Scott Hubbard | Don’t assume that the burdens you’re bearing in this season are somewhere outside God’s good plans for you. Assume they’re one of God’s plans for you. Because they are.

What Spoils the Lord’s Supper? How Not to Come to the Table

Joe Rigney | In many churches, the Lord’s Supper feels somber, heavy, and introspective. But is that what Jesus intended when he broke the bread and poured the cup?

We Work with You: How Pastors Serve Their People’s Joy

David Mathis | Pastors, remember your people want to be happy. Dignify your people as partners, not just recipients. And embrace ministry that is harder, not easier.

Escape from Every Temptation

Jon Bloom | How does Jesus help us in temptation? He gives us all his promises. He delivers us from the fear of death. He always intercedes for us.

The Dark Side of Equality

Greg Morse | Equality can be a gift and mercy in an unjust world. But when cries for sameness rise up against God-established authority, we see equality’s dark side.

The Messy Home of Blessing: Why Children Are Worth the Chaos

Marshall Segal | Does parenting feel trivial? Does it feel unrewarding? Does it feel futile? Let God remind you of the giant blessings buried in the chaos.

Why Bread and Wine? Enjoying the Meal Above All Meals

Scott Hubbard | If you want to taste more of Jesus’s love in the Lord’s Supper, take a closer look at the meaning of the bread and the wine.

Be Comforted in Your Smallness

Joe Rigney | Does one of your callings in life feel overwhelming? Let C.S. Lewis help you take comfort in your smallness.

Breakfast of Pastors: How God Feeds and Keeps Spiritual Leaders

David Mathis | How do you find your legs for life and leadership each day? God has given us a golden, well-worn, surprisingly ancient path for daily stability, clarity, and strength.

A Little Theology of Dinosaurs

Scott Hubbard | If dinosaurs could preach, what might they say? Trust the God of wisdom. Fear the God of power. Praise the God of wonders.

O Beard, Where Art Thou?

Greg Morse | Beards are no prerequisite for godly manhood. In days like ours, though, they can be a symbol for it.

The Spiritual Gift of a Closed Door: How Waiting Serves Ministry

Marshall Segal | Why might God give a man an ambition to lead, and the character to lead, and yet withhold certain opportunities to lead? Because unwanted waiting can be some of the best preparation for ministry.

Other Billy Graham ‘Rules’? The Modesto Proposal

David Mathis | The infamous “Billy Graham Rule” is not actually a rule, but a resolution — and just one of four that the evangelist made in 1948.

What Does Disunity Say? Three Common Types of Division

Jon Bloom | Not all divisions are created equal in the church. Some arise from the flesh. Some enter through differences in maturity. Others are necessary to distinguish the false from the real.

Our Gentle and Terrifying God: How Justice Holds Out Mercy

Marshall Segal | We will not feel the full weight of God’s mercy toward us if we downplay or ignore the fury of his justice.

Martyr or Madman? The Unnerving Faith of Ignatius

Greg Morse | What person would not only submit to martyrdom, but would embrace it, relish it, and even eagerly long for it? Ignatius of Antioch.

The Lost Awe of Majesty: Why I Love an Overlooked Attribute

David Mathis | Our God is not only great, but good. Not only big, but beautiful. Not only strong, but stunning. He is, in a word, majestic.

Slow to Anger: The Beauty of God’s Perfect Patience

Scott Hubbard | The patience of God is not like our shallow, short-lived patience. It is deep and long, wide and high. And in the perfection of his patience, we find great hope.

Put Your Anger to Bed: Five Lessons for Young Couples

Marshall Segal | Feeling angry over a spouse’s sin may not be wrong. But staying angry is.

Are You Not Provoked? The Jealousy of Godly Men

Greg Morse | Too many men sit around and watch the world burn without stepping up to tell someone about Jesus.

Everything in God Is God: How to Think About His Attributes

Joe Rigney | How might we think in an orderly way about God’s attributes? Here’s often overlooked help from Jonathan Edwards.

A Rest Sweeter Than Sleep: Nighttime Prayer for a Troubled Conscience

Scott Hubbard | Even the most faithful Christians end some days deeply wishing we had walked more worthy of our God. How do we find rest when our conscience keeps us awake?

Calm Under Pressure: Recovering the Grace of Equanimity

David Mathis | Our families, churches, and communities need leaders who have learned to keep their heads when others are losing theirs.

You Still Need Good Friends

Marshall Segal | Few realities in human life are as captivating, fulfilling, and elusive as friendship.

Do Infant Baptisms Count? Reconsidering Open Membership

Joe Rigney | If a Christian wants to join your baptist church but they tell you that they were baptized as a child, what do you do?

Where Do We Find Unity Now? The Surprising Path to Real Peace

David Mathis | Many today may feel afresh that true unity is rare and precious. But do we know from where that kind of unity comes?

The Progressive Pilgrim: Allegory for an Easy Age

Greg Morse | The world, the devil, and your flesh will tell you there is surely an easier way to heaven than the narrow way, a more comfortable burden than the cross, and a more reasonable spirituality than self-denial requires.

We Need More Holy Fools: How God Awakened Me to Eternity

Scott Hubbard | This world needs more people willing to look foolish in the eyes of the world so that more in the world might be saved.

Some Conflict Is Healthy: How Division Can Serve Churches

Marshall Segal | Sometimes God allows conflict in a church so that the body might finally heal and be whole again.

Tenacious Grace: How We Become and Stay One

Jon Bloom | As Christians, we can build unity, protect unity, and maintain unity because Christ has already made us one.

Chapter-and-Verse Protestants: The Reformation Legacy of Little Berea

David Mathis | Faithful confessions, creeds, and commentaries provide crucial insights into Scripture. And they never replace the words of God.

The Prudence Bucket: Applying the Bible to Gray Areas

Joe Rigney | Many of the most difficult decisions churches face are ones the Bible does not clearly address. This means pastors have to regularly practice humble, Bible-saturated prudence.

If Your Brother Sins Against You: How to Forgive and Let Go

Greg Morse | When we are the victim of another’s sin, we are often in danger of becoming a culprit in how we respond.

Triage in the Trenches: When Do Second-Tier Issues Divide?

Joe Rigney | If sexuality and baptism are both second-tier issues, why is the former often more divisive in the wider church today?

Of Mountains and Molehills: How Much Should Doctrine Divide Us?

Scott Hubbard | All biblical doctrine is important, but not all biblical doctrine is equally important. So how do we discern which doctrines should divide us?

Why Is Christian Unity So Hard?

Jon Bloom | Unity is often harder in our relationships and churches because we assume it should be easy.

Jellyfish Christians: The Costs of Thin Christianity

Greg Morse | The deepest, fullest, most vibrant unity is found in embracing, not a few favorite verses, but everything God has said in his word.

American Prodigal: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of Alexander Hamilton

David Mathis | As the United States celebrates 246 years of independence, and Americans newly remember the ten-dollar founding father, what lessons might we learn from the rise, fall, and redemption of a prodigal son?

The Quiet and Crucial Work of Deacons

Marshall Segal | Deacons are not only handy, administrative, or good at meeting needs. They are also holy, humble, and unusually sacrificial. Deacons are spiritual giants who bow low.

‘In Faithfulness You Have Afflicted Me’

Jon Bloom | In his faithfulness, God promises not only that he will deliver us from affliction, but that we will do something good through the affliction.

A Wife No Man Would Want: Lessons from the Hardest Marriage

Marshall Segal | The moments when marriage feels most challenging are often the moments with the most potential to say something profound about Jesus.

Harry Potter Turns 25: What I Saw While Reading to My Sons

David Mathis | Today marks 25 years since the first Harry Potter book released. What Christian lessons might we take away from the bestselling series?

Casual Church: What Happened to Christian Reverence?

Greg Morse | Where reverence withers, worship suffers.

Immersed into Mission: Why Jesus Commands Us to Baptize

Joe Rigney | Being baptized into the church means being immersed in its mission. The old has passed and a new life now begins.

God Makes War with Words: Why Teaching Will Win the World

Scott Hubbard | Satan knows the power of words — he’s been undoing souls with them from the beginning. And wherever Christ is faithfully taught, the devil is undone by them.

Some Answered Prayers Hurt: The Hidden and Faithful Love of God

Jon Bloom | If God’s answer to your prayers hurts, don’t assume he doesn’t love you. Assume his love is working something good you cannot now see.

Do Not Fear to Leave This World

Greg Morse | Want to measure your growth in grace? Consider how deeply you long for heaven.

Find a Storm to Stir You

Marshall Segal | The friends we need will not always be the friends we want. They’ll often be the brotherly storm that wakes us back up to God.

Do Unto Authors: Four Principles for Reading Well

Joe Rigney | The best readers gladly observe the Golden Rule: they read others as they would want to be read.

Your Darkness Is Not Dark to Him

Jon Bloom | The hardest part of many trials is how far away God can feel. But he’s not far at all, and if we trust him, he will, in time, flood our dark nights with light.

Because They Are No More

Greg Morse | If a pitiless culture will not mourn for the missing, she will.

Jesus Shall Reign: The Remarkable Story of the First Missionary Hymn

Scott Hubbard | On Pentecost 1862, some five thousand men and women, many of them former cannibals, gathered in the South Pacific to sing the hymn “Jesus Shall Reign.”

Your Home Is a Hallway Out of Hell

Marshall Segal | Those who have been invited into heaven become people who love to open their front doors. They know that ordinary hospitality is often how the lost are found.

How Did Jesus ‘Make Disciples’?

David Mathis | He didn’t just give the Great Commission; he lived the Great Commission. What might we learn from Jesus’s own life about what it means to “make disciples”?

How to Watch for Wolves: Three Signs of False Teachers

Jon Bloom | False teachers may look like sheep, talk like sheep, and even act like sheep for a time. But eventually, they will show themselves to be the wolves they are.

Seeing Is Not Believing: Why We Miss God in Daily Life

Greg Morse | Some imagine they would believe in God if he would simply write his message in the clouds. But what if he actually did?

Do Not Despise the Day of Small Groups: Four Marks of Daring Community

Scott Hubbard | Small groups may feel unremarkable, but again and again, God has struck revival with small matches. Here are four marks of the small but daring community.

The Psalms Know What You Feel

Marshall Segal | No matter what situation you’re in, the psalms know what you feel. And the psalms can help you feel as you ought.

The Happiest Family of All: How Father and Son Glorify Each Other

David Mathis | An astounding and holy contest runs through the pages of Scripture, as the Father and Son seek to “outdo one another in showing honor.”

Submit Your Felt Reality to God

Joe Rigney | Our own sense of reality is not the same as reality itself. And simply recognizing that distinction can be the first step toward aligning our thoughts and emotions with God’s word.

Face Your Fear of Man: How Christ Delivers from Human Approval

Greg Morse | Jesus could love people like he did because he did not fear them like we do.

The Beast I Become: How to Bring Bitterness to God

Scott Hubbard | Sometimes, God seems to be answering a longtime prayer or fulfilling a deep desire — until it all crumbles before our face. How do we receive such painful turns from the hand of God?

The Pillar in the Pews: How the Church Upholds the Truth

Marshall Segal | What makes the church a pillar and buttress of the truth? She holds up and lives out what God has said — whatever God has said, however he has said it, whatever it means for us.

Midlife Clarity: Five Proverbs for Men in Crisis

David Mathis | A midlife crisis, disorienting as it may be, is not only a trial to be endured, but an opportunity for Christian maturity. New cracks in our soul may allow our theology to sink deeper than ever before.

A Most Harmful Medicine: How Subjectivism Poisons a Society

Joe Rigney | The surest way to give the world over to evil is to begin to deny such evil exists. And this is exactly what we have begun doing.

When My Mother Became Annie’s Mom: A Tribute to a Woman’s Great Love

Jon Bloom | “A woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” For Mother’s Day, Jon Bloom obeys this verse and honors his mother’s beautiful love for the least of these.

Stuck Between the World and God: How I Almost Died in Indecision

Greg Morse | God is not honored by mere checked boxes. He’s honored by a life that says he can be trusted, obeyed, and treasured above all else.

The Word of God Is Worth the Work

Scott Hubbard | If you want more joy, more warmth, more life from your devotions, don’t bypass the hard, necessary work of thinking.

We Stand for Truth Himself

David Mathis | Christians stand for truth, but not in the way the world might. Truth, for us, is unavoidably and irreducibly personal.

You Have Put More Joy in My Heart

Marshall Segal | The joy God gives is not a fragile joy, ready to vanish in painful circumstances. It is strong enough to sustain fragile people through them.

How to Entertain the Holy Spirit

Scott Hubbard | How do we show hospitality to the Holy Spirit? We hear his voice, heed his motions, hate his enemies, and receive his grace.

Me, Myself, and Lies: The Spiritual Dangers of Isolation

Marshall Segal | One of Satan’s favorite strategies is isolation, and smartphones and social media have made his work that much easier.

Invisible and Unmistakable: How Scripture Pictures the Holy Spirit

Joe Rigney | If you want to understand the Holy Spirit better, you can begin by grasping the images of the Spirit given in Scripture: wind and breath, spirit and river, oil and bird.

All-Sufficient, All-Satisfying: What Saving Faith Sees in Christ

John Piper | How does saving faith honor Christ? By seeing him as not only all-sufficient, but all-satisfying. Not only efficacious, but glorious. Not only trustworthy, but a treasure.

The Love in His Grief: How the Spirit Responds to Our Sin

Greg Morse | The Spirit can be grieved with us. But if we are in Christ, the Spirit will never leave us.

The Son Must Rise: What Made Easter Inevitable

David Mathis | Jesus did not merely rise from the dead — he had to rise from the dead. His resurrection was not optional. Do you know why?

Behold the Man Upon the Cross

Jon Bloom | Why do Christians call this Friday, of all Fridays, good? Because we would have no good apart from the horrors of the cross.

When the Dawn Seems to Die: How Jesus Keeps Us from Falling Away

Scott Hubbard | When hope flees, and faith feels weak, and the dawn seems to die, what will keep us from falling away? Jesus prays for us.

I Have No Good Apart from You: Prayer of the Satisfied Heart

Joe Rigney | Many of us struggle to experience contentment because we look for it in the wrong places. The satisfied heart prays, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”

The Best Sermon for Marriage: Seven Lessons for Lasting Love

Marshall Segal | The best marriages take their cues not only from the romance of the Song of Solomon, but from the daily, unspectacular faithfulness of the Sermon on the Mount.

What God Can Do in One Conversation: Recovering the Power of Personal Evangelism

Greg Morse | In all the emphases on slow, patient, relational evangelism, have we forgotten just how much God can do in a single conversation?

Did Jesus Need the Spirit? Pondering the Power of the God-Man

David Mathis | Jesus’s miracles certainly show that he is God — but the New Testament’s answer as to how he performed those miracles is not quite as simple.

Our God-Sized Ordinary: Six Ways to See the Holy Spirit

Marshall Segal | If you belong to Christ, God has flooded every familiar and unremarkable corner of your life with his Spirit.

Roses Grow on Briers: Unsentimental Love in a Sentimental World

David Mathis | When you think about the love of God, how much has your imagination been shaped by the sentimental age in which you live?

Sympathy Without Distress: The Exalted Compassion of Christ

Greg Morse | The risen Jesus remembers us, loves us, intercedes for us — and not in a way that diminishes his heavenly joy. That is really good news.

The Joy of God in Us: Why the Spirit Produces Happiness

Jon Bloom | Why is the Holy Spirit so often connected to joy in Scripture? Because he is the Joy at the center of reality.

How to Pray Like Jabez

David Mathis | Twenty years ago, ‘The Prayer of Jabez’ became one of the bestselling Christian books of all time. What made it so popular, and how might we learn from Jabez today, without throwing away Scripture?

The Prayer to End All Prayers

Marshall Segal | In the world to come, we will have nothing to fear, nothing to mourn, nothing to endure, nothing to confess. Can you imagine?

Some Kindness Stings: Why Love Uses Hard Words

Jon Bloom | The most loving people do not delight in wounding others, but they are willing to, for the sake of real healing. They know that soft words can sometimes be cruel, and hard words kind.

The Subtle Way to Waste Your Life: Confessions of a Sophisticated Sloth

Greg Morse | Life is rarely wasted all at once, but rather through thousands of small, seemingly insignificant moments.

Kneeling Among Lions: Learning to Pray Like Daniel

Joe Rigney | Before Daniel courageously survived the lions’ den, he courageously knelt before his God. What can we learn from his brave prayer?

Live Closer to Home: How Proximity Shapes Responsibility

Scott Hubbard | The best place to live today is the place you already are. And the best people to give your attention to are those already near you.

After Two Whole Years: Have We Humbled Ourselves Yet?

David Mathis | The question isn’t whether God’s humbling hand descended over these last two years, but have we acknowledged it, and humbled ourselves before him?

The Strange Sounds of Praise: A Sufferer’s Introduction to the Psalms

Jon Bloom | Why do we love the psalms? In part because we know, deep down, that real worship sometimes means weeping.

Lord, Let Me Die: Mercy for Those Tired of Living

Greg Morse | Some walk through the valley of the shadow of death and long to just lie down. How does God respond to those who pray for life to end?

The Stories We Tell Ourselves: Questioning How We Frame Reality

Joe Rigney | Are you ever perplexed that two people can experience the same event and come to very different conclusions about what happened?

Did We Kiss Purity Goodbye?

Marshall Segal | The pursuit of sexual purity always goes awry when we try to enforce the laws of God without extending the heart of God.

The Power of a Praying Mother

Scott Hubbard | Many of the greatest victories and advances God has worked in history have been answers to a mother’s persistent prayers.

As for Me and My House: The Delightful Duty of Family Religion

Greg Morse | God doesn’t want worship to be a tiny corner of family life. He wants worship to touch every room, closet, and hallway.

Talking Back to God: How His Promises Provoke Our Prayers

David Mathis | God means for prayer to be more dynamic and relational than an employee petitioning his boss for a raise, or a slave requesting some provision from his master.

The Safest Man for Women: A Guide Toward Sexual Purity

Marshall Segal | How Christian men treat sex, whether married or not, sheds light on Christ for all to see, or obscures and slanders him.

Will I Trust God? Simple Prayer in a Desperate Moment

Jon Bloom | The power of a man who believed, in the face of the humanly impossible, has had a ripple effect that will touch every soul in heaven. Will you, like him, trust God?

Pastors Are Only Matchmakers: The Humble Heart of Faithful Ministry

Scott Hubbard | In their heart of hearts, all Christians ask their pastors, “Would you show me Jesus?” And in their heart of hearts, all faithful pastors say, “Gladly.”

The Blissful and Trivial Life: How Entertainment Deprives a Soul

Marshall Segal | What, if any, of your entertainment might need to be curbed or redirected for the sake of your soul?

What Does a Faith Crisis Feel Like?

Jon Bloom | For some Christians, common doubts build up over time to produce a serious faith crisis. How can we care for those who feel lost in the storm?

The Contagion of Cowardice

Greg Morse | God requires a lot of men in the church. The enemies are real, and the risks are great. Will we trust God enough to lay aside our fears?

Am I Real? A Basic Guide to Christian Assurance

Scott Hubbard | How can you know your faith is real? The enemies of Christian assurance are great. But for all who are in Christ, the God of assurance is greater.

The Sin-Defying Power of Words

David Mathis | Temptation thrives, and grows, when unacknowledged and unaddressed. But with the help of the Spirit, and through the power of words, we can say “No!” and drive it away with God’s better promises.

Walk the War Before You: What It Means to Live by the Spirit

Joe Rigney | If the Spirit lives in you, you do not need to give in to sinful desires anymore. You will not be perfect, but you can be increasingly free.

What Does ‘Deconstruction’ Even Mean?

Jon Bloom | What some voices today mean by “deconstruction” is not what the word has meant — and it’s not what it means for all. So what does it mean?

Sons of Lionhearted Saints: Recovering Our Lost Lineage

Greg Morse | The pages of Scripture are filled with the stories of brothers and sisters meant to stir up your heart and keep you following Jesus.

Leave Your Imperfections with God: How Remaining Sin Inspires Holiness

Marshall Segal | The strength to endure imperfection comes from treasuring the one who died for our imperfection.

We Wish to See Jesus

David Mathis | “Sir, we wish to see Jesus” would be a happy refrain to echo at all key junctures of the everyday Christian life.

Lord, Deliver Me from Me: A Daily Prayer Against Unbelief

Joe Rigney | When doubts assail and fears prevail, run to your Father in prayer: “Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in you.”

The Light We Need to See: How Christ Dispels Spiritual Darkness

Jon Bloom | The Light of the World shows us the way we should go, reveals what’s true about our spiritual surroundings, and gives us spiritual life.

Let Tragedy Find Us Living

Greg Morse | The story of Job reminds us that our world can be undone in an afternoon. Have you prepared your soul for the worst that may come?

Patience Will Be Painful: How to Love the Hard-to-Love

Marshall Segal | Patience won’t look the same in every relationship, and it will be especially painful at times, but God still means for patience to color and enrich how we love.

Can I Be Holy Without Happiness?

David Mathis | True holiness in the world begins with true happiness in God. And anyone truly happy in him will, inevitably and increasingly, become like him.

In Love with the Life You Don’t Have

Greg Morse | Discontentment comes subtly, easily, naturally. Contentment comes slowly, deeply, supernaturally.

Holy Distractions: When God Interrupts Our Productivity

Jon Bloom | Distractions take us away from more important work. Interruptions can be fresh callings from God. How do we tell the difference?

‘Your Will Be Done’: The Glory of Christ’s Human Choices

David Mathis | As man, Jesus had a mind like us, emotions like us, and made decisions like us. Which makes his choice to embrace the divine will, and the cross, all the more glorious.

Life at the End of Roe: Recovering the Sanity and Wonder of Wanted Pregnancy

Marshall Segal | Wherever the Dobbs case leads, and however long Roe stands, our country desperately needs to recover the sanity and wonder of wanted pregnancy.

The Deepest Part of You: How Feelings Relate to Choices

Joe Rigney | How much do our feelings reveal who we are? What might we learn from a seeming disagreement between John Piper and C.S. Lewis.

The Other Side of the Race Debate: Four Ways to Disagree Christianly

Scott Hubbard | Improving our conversations will not heal all our divisions, but it may soften prejudices, nurture understanding, and lead us toward a less fragile unity.

Parable of an Unhealthy Soul: Why ‘Faith’ Dies Without Action

Jon Bloom | If the continual and costly effort of holiness feels like the enemy of our faith in Jesus, then it may not be Jesus we’re following.

Why I Read Aloud to My Children

David Mathis | If you’re looking for a way to gather the kids, turn off the screens, and enjoy God’s gifts together, consider developing the age-old practice of reading aloud.

The Difficult Habit of Quiet

Marshall Segal | As hard as quiet might be to come by in this age, it’s still a life-saving, soul-strengthening habit for the human soul.

Desperate for Distraction: Why We’re Bad at Being Alone

Greg Morse | For many, “quiet time” is anything but quiet. Distractions, diversions, and notifications fill the room. How can we learn to get alone with God in our brave, new world of distractions?

Trials Prove True Joy: What Jesus Says About Happiness

Joe Rigney | Joy is not always a sign of spiritual vitality and strength. Some joy wears away quickly and easily, while other joy endures, even through difficult days.

Who Really Has Your Ear? The Re-Forming Power of Words

David Mathis | Anytime we listen to others — on TV, on YouTube, on a podcast — we let their voices shape and direct us. Whose voices will shape and direct you this year?

A Father’s Good Pleasure

Jon Bloom | A father has the distinct and rare gift of giving good gifts to his children because God loves to give good gifts to his.

Endangered Attention: How to Guard a Precious Gift

Scott Hubbard | If you’ve not thought much about how you spend your attention, you’re likely spending it poorly. Here are four lessons for stewarding your attention in a new year.

Repentance for a New Year

Greg Morse | When you hear God’s summons to repent, do you hear an invitation to misery, or a doorway to joy?

A New Year Worthy of God

Marshall Segal | Before you start a reading plan, or choose a diet, or buy a journal, or step on a treadmill, find a why worth changing for.

The Most Wonderful Books on Earth: Gospel Reading for a New Year

Scott Hubbard | Whatever your goals are for Bible reading next year, resolve, God helping you, to catch as much of Jesus as you can.

More of Jesus: ‘Maximalist Christianity’ for a New Year

David Mathis | Christ can handle our down seasons, but he doesn’t call us to settle for scraping by year after year. He invites us to more.

Confessions of a Former People-Pleaser

Marshall Segal | Whoever we are, we live to please either people or God. And if we think it’s possible to serve both, we likely live to please the former, not the latter.

The Good War Against Moods: How Stubborn Faith Overcomes Feelings

Joe Rigney | Saving faith is a stubborn thing. It holds onto Christ even when our emotions and moods bid us to let go.