“God does not intend Bible reading to function simply as a drug for fretful minds. The reading of Scripture is intended to awaken our minds, not send them to sleep. God asks us to approach Scripture as his Word—a message addressed to rational creatures, people with minds, a message we cannot expect to understand without thinking about it. ‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ said God to Judah through Isaiah (Isa. 1:18), and he says the same to us…
“Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.” 1 Peter 3:7 This verse and these commands, when applied daily, are meant to have a transforming effect on a marriage. John Piper said it well, “We don’t marvel enough at the wonder of our wives.” Peter wrote this to provoke fresh…
“What I mean is that the act of reading, in order to be done as God intended, must be done in dependence on God’s supernatural help. The Bible gives two decisive reasons: Satan and sin. That is, we have a blinding enemy outside and a blinding disease inside. Together these two forces make it impossible for human beings to read the Bible, as God intended, without supernatural help. “It is crucial we realize this. It seems to me that thousands…
“Too many of us are passive when it comes to our spiritual affections. We are practical fatalists. We think there is nothing we can do. ‘Oh well, today I have no desire to read. Maybe it will be there tomorrow. We’ll see.’ And off to work we go. This is not the way the psalmists thought or acted. It is not the way the great saints of church history have acted either. Life is war. And the main battles are…
“Closely related to God’s holiness is his wrath, i.e., his holy reaction to sin. Scripture speaks of the wrath of God in high-intensity language, and it is important to note that a substantial part of the Bible’s storyline turns on God’s wrath. No doubt, God is forbearing and gracious, yet he is also holy and just. Where there is sin, the holy God must confront it and bring it to judgment, especially given the fact that sin is not first…