Christians may wrongly conclude that prosperity, success, and comforts are always blessings. John Flavel rightly notes that whether prosperity, success, or comforts are blessings that benefit our souls is determined by the manner in which they come to us and their effect on our lives. He warns that prosperity, success, and comforts are not a blessing in these circumstances: If we did not pray for them. “It is a sign that comfort is not sanctified to us, which does not come ordinarily in the way of prayer.” We may receive the desires of our heart, but are our desires holy? Have we submitted our desires to God in prayer? If we obtain them by sinful means. “Better is a little…
Read More“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God.” Exodus 20:8-9 “On the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” Genesis 2:2-3 Are you weary? God has a remedy for your weariness, and a plan to ensure that you get the rest you need. It’s simple and cost-effective. He has built a weekly day of rest…
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Our Mississippi State college students and families visiting Starkville next week will want to take note of First Presbyterian Church of Starkville’s Christian Reformed Faith & Spiritual Renewal Conference. The Rev. David Meredith will be the conference speaker. Following 30 years as the church-planter and then pastor of what became the multi-staff and multi-worship-service Smithton-Culloden Free Church in Inverness, Mr. Meredith became in 2014 the Mission Director for the Free Church of Scotland and Chairman of Affinity, a network of Gospel-Minded Churches across the United Kingdom. Conference Schedule: Wednesday, September 26, 6pm “The Relevance of Mission” (Acts 1) Thursday, September 27, 6pm “The Responsibility of Mission” (Matthew 28) Sunday, September 30, 8:30 & 11am “The Reality of Mission” (Jonah 1)
Read MoreReformed Theological Seminary Jackson works to help students find a pastoral call and to leave seminary equipped for a good first year of ministry. Today Bebo Elkin and Wayne Herring of Consulting Services Foundation spoke to students about pursuing a pastoral call. CSF brings together seminary students and pastoral search committees, and offers invaluable assistance to RTS students. In the afternoon, Dave Anderegg of Retirement and Benefits, Inc., a denominational agency of the Presbyterian Church in America, helped students understand the basics of a “Pastoral Care Package” and income tax and Social Security obligations. Dave and his colleague, Mark Melendez, remained on campus to provide students and spouses individual financial planning.
Read MoreEver since my first trip to Texas in 1980, I’ve loved the state and wished for more occasions to return and explore. Crossing the border into Mexico at Del Rio, an east Texas sheep farm, the Alamo, the Texas School Book Depository, and steaks in Fort Worth are several of the many sights and experiences that made my trips memorable. Last week’s two-day trip to Texas added to my treasury of cherished memories. Our time at Texas A&M in College Station was memorable. Lynne and I had the opportunity to speak with Aggie Reformed University Fellowship students about the work of Reformed Theological Seminary. Large group was wonderful – God-honoring worship, theologically rich hymns, and excellent Bible teaching – so…
Read MoreJoin us on Wednesday at Reformed Theological Seminary at 11 a.m. Mr. Bebo Elkin, Executive Director of Consulting Services Foundation, will preach on “Encouragement” from 3 John. Since 1990, Mr. Elkin has served as a ruling elder of First Presbyterian Church, Jackson.
Read More“Repentance is a medicine that wipes out sin, a gift given from heaven, a wondrous power, a grace surpassing the might of laws.”* _________ * John Chrysostom in John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (ed. John T. McNeill; trans. Ford Lewis Battles; vol. 1; Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011), 622–623.
Read MoreBioethics and the Christian Life: A Guide to Making Difficult Decisions, by David VanDrunen. Wheaton: Crossway, 2009. Christians grappling with beginning and end of life issues will welcome this fine book by minister, attorney, and theologian David VanDrunen. He asserts that “[b]ecoming a morally responsible bioethics decision-maker is the task of a lifetime and cannot be reduced to figuring out the right answer at a particular moment of crisis. Bioethical decisions must be made within the context of lifelong growth in Christian maturity” (15). He is persuaded that “having a firm and knowledgeable theological foundation is crucial for living the Christian life well” (17). The pages that follow reveal a solid grasp of scripture and Christian doctrine, as well as…
Read MoreI’ve read Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead twice, most recently in 2014. This week a friend invited me to discuss the book, which brought to mind this booknote I published in another forum more than a decade ago. The first thing that struck me as I read Gilead is the author’s elegant prose as she finds the voice of Congregational minister John Ames. He has spent his entire life in Gilead, Iowa. His first wife and daughter died long ago, and after decades living alone, he marries a much younger woman. Now, with his own death fast approaching, he writes a letter to his son, seven years old. A significant part of the story is his long friendship with a Presbyterian…
Read More“O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart . . . who swears to his own hurt and does not change.” Psalm 15:1-2,4 David asks, “O Lord, who shall dwell on your holy hill?” (Psalm 15:1) A momentous question! Like David, you should want to know what kind of person stands under God’s favor and in his holy presence. The answer to David’s question includes this heart-piercing declaration: He “who swears to his own hurt and does not change” (Psalm 15:4). Let the words sink in. A godly man keeps his word not only when honoring a commitment when it’s advantageous, but also when it’s costly. The godly understand…
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