How the Wise Respond to God's Wrath

 A preview of February's email-only article.

Ben White

DO YOU EVER think about the wrath of God?

I know our heavenly father's final judgment is everyone's favorite pastime, but those who are wise do not shy away from the subject.

In this month's email-exclusive article, we'll examine Proverbs 16:14, its spiritual applications, and why God desires repentance, not penance.

Every month I publish an exclusive article for my email subscribers, and if you'd like instant, free access, fill out the form below. (If you are already a subscriber, check your inbox!)

Here's a snippet of this month's exclusive:

I LOVE THE multidimensionality of advice offered in the book of Proverbs. On the one hand the book provides practical guidance for life with passages like, "The slacker does not plow in season; at harvest time he looks, but nothing is there" (20:4, BSB). And on the other hand Proverbs pours out spiritual salves in verses such as "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life" (4:23). 

Often, you get both levels of insight within the same verse. 

Proverbs 16:14 is a good example: "A king’s wrath is a messenger of death, and a wise man will appease it." The verse may not seem too practical since we do not answer to kings. Nevertheless we all have authority figures in our lives--bosses and teachers to name a couple--who have the power to impact our lives. Their wrath may not bring about death in a literal sense, but a termination or failed course can ruin one's livelihood. As a result, we would do well to prevent, if possible, their ire and, if not possible, to appease it.

 Want to read the rest?

Just enter your email address to join the list, and I'll send it to you right away:

You got it!

Check your email inbox to confirm your address and receive the article.

I send two to three emails per month, but you can unsubscribe at any time.

See you next month!

How to Please God

Advice from Solomon and the book of Hebrews.

Ben White

 

HAVE YOU EVER PONDERED the daunting prospect of trying to please God?

Our God is omnipotent, so he doesn't need anything. And he's holy so we can never live up to his standard of morality.

How then can one possibly please God? Is it even possible?

Yes, it's possible, as you'll see, and the approach is actually pretty straightforward—though it might not be what you think. We'll take cues from Solomon and Job for an Old Testament, pre-messianic perspective and then the book of Hebrews to gain a more complete picture.

Before we dive in, though, here's the short answer:

The Importance of Christ's Recklessness

A preview of April's email-only article.

Daniel Thomas

What does the Bible say about cosigning loans?

Perhaps you're familiar with the proverb advising that those who cosign for strangers will suffer harm (Pro. 11:15). Sound advice, right?

Yet, I think there's another angle to this discussion worth bringing to light.

Every month I publish an exclusive article for my email subscribers. This month we're looking at the reckless decision Jesus made, and why that decision is so critical in our lives.

If you'd like instant, free access to the article, fill out the form below. If you're already a subscriber, check your inbox.

Here's a snippet from the article:

I MET KATIE IN THE HALCYON DAYS of senior year at Norman High School. Life sped by at a thoroughbred's pace, and I did my best to maintain my grip on the reins; it seemed I went from a twerp teenager to man-child in a matter of days.

Two years after graduation, we were married.

One struggle of twenty-year-old newlyweds is leasing an apartment. We had jobs, but no credit, and they were part-time jobs. So even though our rent was something like $375, they wanted a cosigner—someone to fulfill the yearlong commitment were we to flake out.

My dad signed the paperwork.

It was probably stupid for him to do it, but he loved us and trusted in our work ethic and financial savvy.

Lest you think this is one of those financial horror stories, we paid our rent. Every month on time.

But the story could have turned out differently.

 
Want to read the rest?

Just enter your email address to join the list, and I'll send it to you right away:

You got it!

Check your email inbox to confirm your address and receive the article.

I send two to three emails per month, but you can unsubscribe at any time.

See you next month!

Your Money Is No Good Here: The Only Way to Prepare for Judgment Day

 Cash can't cushion you from metaphysical disaster.

Glenn Carstens-Peters

 

NEARLY EVERY FINANCIAL ADVISOR on the planet advocates for having a cash reserve to cover unexpected expenses. Author and former television show host Suze Orman recommends you save eight months of expenses. Famed radio personality Dave Ramsey suggests three to six months is enough.

Sage advice if you ask me.

Costly mishaps have a way of barging into our lives without permission, and for those without a large, unallocated, cash fund, such events can have devastating effects.

Though they might differ on the recommended amount, these experts all use similar monikers to describe the account. They used words like emergency fund, safety net, buffer, and rainy-day fund.

Several years ago Katie and I decided to sell one of our sedans to buy a larger vehicle. With the adoption of our two foster boys, we had gone from zero to three children in the span of about a year, and elbow room was getting tight in the back of that Nissan Sentra.

We found a buyer and arranged to meet him at his bank the next morning.

Can You Ever Be Good Enough for God?

   A preview of March's email-only article.

Patrick Schneider

What do you think?

Can a mortal man be right before God? Can a person be pure before his maker?

These are the questions posed not by Job, but by his friend Eliphaz in response to Job.

Every month I publish an exclusive article for my email subscribers, and this month we're asking the question: can one ever be good enough for God?

If the question sounds loaded, it is. But I think it's a critical query each of us must resolve in our own minds if we're ever to make sense of the Scriptures and of our lives.

If you'd like instant, free access to the article, fill out the form below.

Here's a snippet:

Job's friend here intends to juxtapose our finite and humble existences to that of God almighty who is everlasting, pure, and perfect.

He first posed the rhetorical, "Who that was innocent ever perished?" as if insinuating Job deserved the suffering in his life.

Then he circled back and reported the words of a voice he heard, asking, "Can mortal man be in the right before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker?" (4:17).

Connecting the dots here, Eliphaz argues that the innocent will not perish, but that no one is innocent.

Fair enough.

We've all sinned, as the apostle Paul wrote in the book of Romans.

 
Want to read the rest?

Just enter your email address to join the list, and I'll send it to you right away:

You got it!

Check your email inbox to confirm your address and receive the article.

I send two to three emails per month, but you can unsubscribe at any time.

See you next month!