The Suburbs of Heaven

In my previous post, I argued that James’s admonition “be quick to hear” applies first and foremost to the response we are to have to trials in our lives: we are to be quick to hear God speaking in His Word. And if that is the case, then it stands…

The ESV begins a new section in James 1:19 and marks it off with a new heading entitled, “Hearing and Doing the Word.” The NIV and NKJV and other versions follow suit. By adding the heading, these translations give the impression that James is no longer talking about trials in…

Counting it all joy In exhorting us to “Count it all joy…when you meet trials of various kinds,” James is laying before us one of the most difficult challenges in the Christian life (James 1:2). It is an other-worldly challenge. How can we “count it all joy” when we are…

In my last post, I started exploring 5 things that the Bible teaches about sorrow and pain. I argued that they are temporary, reflective, and restorative. And that means that as difficult as it is for us to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we are never…

Have you ever been to the beach on a day when the red flags were flying and tried to swim in the surf only to be knocked down by the first wave that came along and, before you could get up, adjust your swimsuit, and wipe the salt water from…

I find it fascinating that all of the blessings Jesus secured for the believer in and through His mediatorial work—including, most especially, heaven itself—are frequently depicted in the Bible in terms of rest. This is overwhelmingly the case in Hebrews 4, for instance, when the apostle speaks of heaven in…