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“Grace is the pleasure of God to magnify the worth of God by giving sinners the right and power to delight in God without obscuring the glory of God.” John Piper
By Margaret Ashmore, MBC Women’s Conference Speaker
In counseling, I am often asked “How To…” questions. How do I quit overeating, how do I forgive the wrongs in my past, how can I stop being so afraid, how do I stop obsessing over people and circumstances—and of course the list is as long as the maladies we experience in a world stricken with sin. When Elisabeth Elliot, author, speaker and missionary, was asked such questions she responded, “Do you want answers or orders?” There aren’t…
By Will Pavone, Former Young Adults and Edge Community Pastor @MBCTysons
In our summer preaching series, we’re talking about recapturing a zealous love for the Lord Jesus and how we need to live a life of ongoing repentance from everything that tempts us to stray in our fidelity to Him. One of the steps in the process of repentance is having a “holy resolve” to walk in obedience to Christ. I have found that in my Christian life I need the sanctifying grace that God dispenses in the context of biblical community to overcome the many ways my heart is tempted to sin.
Below is one of the best and most practical tools I’ve ever used in order to…
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15 NASB)
I’ve noticed over the years that the amount I floss directly increases when I know I am going to see my dentist. Don’t get me wrong. I know I should floss, and I know how to…but I still find it hard to keep motivated until my appointment is near. My dentist tells me, “Keith, you should floss more.” I know this, but after a few weeks, I fall off the wagon. I’ve concluded that my obedience to what my dentist tells me is hard when I only see him twice a year.
You know, I’ve noticed the same principle with my obedience to the Lord. I obey Him…
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV84)
In chapter one of Multiply Francis Chan says, “Love for God and obedience to Christ cannot be separated.” That is a bold statement by Chan, but one that is backed up by Jesus’s own words in John 14:15. There, He says to His disciples, “If you love me you will keep my commandments.” Our love for Christ is demonstrated by a lifestyle of obedience to everything Jesus has commanded. Neither Chan nor Jesus is talking about a life of sinless perfection. We know that only Jesus could perfectly fulfill every part of God’s holy law. However, we see that genuine love for the Lord Jesus will necessarily result in a sincere (albeit imperfect) walk of faith-filled obedience to Him.
Does…