Weekly Roundup: Not reading the Bible, ultimate productivity, sanctification, prayer for love
Articles on practical help for confessing sin even when it’s awkward (which is always), making Jesus the point of every OT sermon (maybe), and how pride disqualifies a pastor; a quote on speaking the truth in love.
Resources
When Christians Just Don’t Read the Bible | Tim Challies
Have you ever struggled with reading your Bible consistently? Of course you have; we all have.
Over the past few years, I’ve found the most common prayer request from the people I shepherd is that they would be faithful in personal devotions, and this has been my constant prayer on their behalf: “Lord, I pray that she would simply open her Bible and read even a small portion today. I pray that he would close his eyes and pray, even for just a few minutes.” While I receive some requests about difficult circumstances and advanced matters of obedience, the most common by far are the simplest: Pray that I would read and pray.
Why Reading Your Bible is the Best Way to Be Productive | Redeeming Productivity | Reagan Rose
Here’s an argument for why you should read the Bible, from the perspective of being productive.
Fixing our eyes on Jesus is the only way to walk by faith in this world of distraction (Hebrews 12:2). So, to avoid straying from our purpose, we must be continually looking to Him through reading our Bibles. And therein also we will find our purpose recalibrated by that great mission objective which is found everywhere in the Scriptures: Namely, to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
How to Get Our Sanctification Unstuck | The Master’s Seminary | Rich Gregory
When we survey our spiritual walk and realize that we’re not making the kind of progress we so earnestly desire, how do we get things moving again?
The answer to this question can be found in 2 Peter 1. The
author is a man who knew a thing or two about not growing as fast as he’d like.
Just ask the rooster.
I read, and save, more articles that I’m able to post in the Weekly Roundup. To see all of the articles I’ve saved over the years, see my Evernote collection.
Quote
Give us grace, we beseech thee, to love thee the Lord our God, with all our heart, and soul, and mind, and might, which is the first and great commandment; to set our love upon thee, and to delight ourselves always in thee; and therein we shall have the desire of our hearts.
Circumcise our hearts to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, that we may live.
O that the love of God may be shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost.
O that Jesus Christ may be very precious to us, as he is to all that believe, that he may be our beloved and our friend: That though we have not seen him yet we may love him; and though we now see him not, yet believing we may rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory.
Let the love of Christ to us constrain us to live, not to ourselves, but to him that died for us and rose again. And, Lord, grant that we may not love the world, nor the things that are in the world, because if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him; that we may set our affections on things above, and not on things that are on earth.
— Matthew Henry, A Method for Prayer. edited by Ligon Duncan, 2010. pg. 61-62