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Sitting at the Wrong Table Conscience is important, and it is a way that God uses to keep us attuned to the path of obedience. But it is merely an alarm bell. It can alert us to danger but cannot compel us to avoid it. Repeated exposure to temptation may erode our conscience to such a degree that we find it easy to ignore its warning. In...

The Meaning of the Lord’s Supper Many homes have two sets of dishes. The everyday plates are used for daily meals. The “good china,” however, is often stored in a cupboard or put on display. Sometimes it is more expensive than the ordinary plates but it does not have to be. What sets it apart is its special use. The Lord’s Supper is a sacred...

Greetings The Epistle of James was written by a brother of Jesus. James did not believe in Jesus during His earthly ministry (see John 7:5) but responded in faith when Jesus appeared to him after His resurrection (see 1 Cor. 15:7). He was a leader in the Jerusalem church and made a key speech during the Jerusalem Council of a.d. 49 (Acts...

Testing Leads to Mature Faith Pastor David Gibson wrote in his book Destiny: “There is one, undivided God—‘the Lord our God is one’—and because God is like that, then he must be approached and worshiped by one undivided person: all your heart, all your soul, all your strength. In other words, all of you. Every single bit. God is not pulled...

Mature Faith Understands What Is Eternal “What a tragic waste,” wrote John Piper in Don’t Waste Your Life, “when people turn away from the Calvary road of love and suffering. All the riches of the glory of God in Christ are on that road. All the sweetest fellowship with Jesus is there. . . . All the deepest discoveries of God’s Word. All...

Testing Is Not the Same as Temptation When C. S. Lewis wrote The Screwtape Letters, many were impressed by his insights into the dynamics of temptation. They assumed he had done many years of theological study. He responded by referring to Psalm 36:1: “They forget that there is an equally reliable, though less credible, way of learning how...

Mature Faith Accepts God’s Word In Redeeming How We Talk, Ken Wytsma and A. J. Swoboda write: “Next to prayer, listening is perhaps the best way to create a positive context for conversation. Listening forces us to exchange hats with others, to walk in their shoes. When we exchange hats, we develop empathy and understanding. Then we can more...

Mature Faith Knows Love and Favoritism Can’t Mix In Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice, one character pleads in court for another to be forgiven of his debt: “The quality of mercy is not strained; It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath. It is twice blest; It blesseth him that gives and him that takes. . .

No Human Being Can Tame the Tongue Luci Shaw’s poem, “What James Didn’t Say About the Tongue,” ends with this amusing and alarming description: “Restless, a blind, amphibious animal, ceaselessly testing the limits of its porcelain cage, cunning in shaping breath into word: half-truth or proverb, benediction or blight. As original as Eden.

Mature Faith Does Not Pursue Selfish Pleasures The first sermon in American history was preached at Plymouth, Mass., on December 9, 1621 by Robert Cushman, a deacon and Puritan leader. His text was 1 Corinthians 10:24, “No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.” In his sermon he warned against “swelling pride, self-love and...