Just as the first half of chapter 3 dismantled the relationship between the man and woman established at the end of chapter 2, this latter portion of chapter 3 will undo the restful paradise given in the first half of the second chapter. If we were ever confused as to why the first sin is …
The event transcribed within these verses of Genesis is one of the most significant to occur within the entire Bible. In fact, the problem that arises from these words is the great conflict of all Scripture. The humans that the LORD God created to be His image-bearers choose to revolt against their Creator. This unauthorized …
If it had not been the Lord who was on our side— let Israel now say— if it had not been the Lord who was on our side when people rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us; then the flood would have swept …
Continue reading Our Help Is in the Name of the LORD | Psalm 124
In Book Four section 26 of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations, he states: You've seen that. Now look at this. Don't be disturbed. Uncomplicate yourself. Someone has done wrong... to himself. Something happens to you. Good. It was meant for you by nature, woven into the pattern from the beginning. Life is short. That's all there is …
I read from Stephen Nichols (in Heaven on Earth: Capturing Jonathan Edwards's Vision of Living in Between) that Jonathan Edwards was voted out of his church after moving the church to closed communion. The change backfired in part because Edwards failed to cultivate deep friendships within his congregation that would support him through such a …
Finally, the notion of sloth does not merely apply to idleness but also to busyness. Before discussing busyness, we should note that idleness is a sinful counterfeit of God-glorifying rest. Rest is worship; idleness is not. Rest is found in coming to Christ; idleness is found in self-gratifying pursuits. The same is also true of …
Slothfulness, though, is not merely physical or intellectual. We can also be lazy and idle spiritually. Spiritual sloth means being slothful to the things of God. Primarily, we see this in our reading of Scripture and prayer, which we tend to devote little (if any) time toward. While we may say that nothing is more …
Our society may still (generally) value physical labor, but it is increasingly leaving behind intellectual labor. Leigh Bortins, in her book The Core, compares us to the early Americans by stating that “overall, the same percentage of Americans read Common Sense in the late 1770s that watch the Super Bowl today” (p. 29)! I am convinced that …
Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding …
My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge. For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her …
B. C. Newton 