For the Lord's Day:

"We alone, as Christians, understand what is wrong with the world. We see powers and principalities, the rulers of the darkness of this world, behind the visible and seen phenomena, and we see perplexed politicians trying to deal with the problems, and failing. We know they must fail because they do not see what is at the back of it all. We see it as the conflict between heaven and hell." - D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones  HT: TableTalk

For the Lord's Day

“Christ enlightens and teaches men the will of God variously, gradually, plainly, powerfully, sweetly, purely, and fully. There is a natural ignorance and blindness in men about the things of God. The world is in darkness. It is true, in the state of innocence man had a clear apprehension of the will of God, but now that light is quenched in the corruption of nature (1 Cor. 2:14). The natural man not only has native blindness that he cannot discern the things of the spirit, but also a natural enmity. Until his mind is healed and enlightened by Jesus Christ the natural faculty cannot discern the things of the Spirit.”  -- John Flavel, Works, I

For the Lord's Day

“The cross is the foundation of the Bible: If you have not yet found out that Christ crucified is the foundation of the whole volume, you have hitherto read your Bible to very little profit. Your religion is a heaven without a sun, an arch without a keystone, a compass without a needle, a clock without a spring or weights, a lamp without oil. It will not comfort you; it will not deliver your soul from hell.”  —J.C. Ryle, Old Paths (London, 1977), p. 248. HT: JT

For the Lord's Day

"Secular wisdom may lead us to the truth about the revolution of the planets, but it cannot explain the nature of God, man, sin and redemption. It cannot lead us to the truth of how we are saved from God’s wrath, for it refuses to believe that divine wrath is a reality. ‘The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing’ (Romans 1:18a), said the apostle Paul, because it does not fit the questions – much less the answers – of secular wisdom… the message of the cross assumes the terror of the law, divine wrath toward sinners (and not just their sins), and the need for a substitutionary sacrifice to assuage divine justice. It assumes the greatest problem facing humanity is original and actual sin – personal rebellion against a holy God – not stress, low self-esteem, and a failure to realize one’s potential.” - Michael Horton in Sola Scriptura

Glad to be back!

For the Lord's Day

“The effort to repay God, in the ordinary way we pay creditors, would nullify grace and turn it into a business transaction. If we see acts of obedience as installment payments, we make grace into a mortgage… Let us not say that grace creates debts; let us say grace pays debts… Past grace is glorified by intense and joyful gratitude. Future grace is glorified by intense and joyful confidence. This faith (confidence) is what empowers us for venturesome obedience in the cause of Christ.”  – John Piper in Future Grace

For the Lord's Day

"It is a great advantage to be wise. Wisdom is different from mere knowledge of the facts. Some very wise people have little formal education. And some very educated people, who know many facts, are not wise. Wisdom is the insight and sense of how to live in a way that accomplishes the goals for which we were made: the glory of God and the good of man. And since glorifying God involves delighting in God, and the good of man involves sharing our joy in God, therefore wisdom is the only path to deep and lasting joy.”   -- John Piper in When I Don’t Desire God: How to Fight for Joy

Happy Mother's Day to all