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Did I Choose Christ, or Did God Choose Me? Yes.

Give God praise

My friend, Derwin Gray, has just released a post about the doctrine of election. It's a tough subject, but I recently had the chance to chat with Derwin over dinner in a small South Carolina town and election was one of the topics we discussed. I love his high view of God, his humble view of humanity, and his …

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4 Keys to Preparing to Do God’s Will for Your Life

Maps, Maps, Maps

In John 17:4, Jesus makes an astounding statement in His conversation with His Father, "I brought glory to you here on earth by doing everything you told me to do." (NLT) That's a claim that none of us can ever make. Jesus did everything the Father had given Him to do. What is success? The world defines it …

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God Gives Handfuls On Purpose

Ruth chapter 2 has to be one of my favorite chapters in the Old Testament because of its portrayal of our relationship with Christ. I don't want to over-spiritualize the text. It's a real story that happened in a real time and place. But it's also a picture. In fact, the whole book of Ruth is a picture of our …

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Why?… Sounds A Lot Like Waaa!

crying-baby

My wife, Angie, and I have been riding an emotional roller coaster lately when it comes to the particular issue of having more children. Her and I have both spoken and written about this before. Infertility (for us, it's secondary infertility - we have one) produces this up and down. Every month is another …

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I Believe In Divine Healing

When W. A. Criswell was asked, "Do you believe in divine healing?" his response was simply, "Is there any other kind?" I love that! James 5 contains a passage of Scripture that addresses prayer. It's often misunderstood, but if we grasp its meaning, we'll unlock some amazing truths that will mature us in our …

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Have Time for Some Calvinism? It’s Changing the World!

For the record, I'm not a Calvinist. For the record, I'm not threatened by Calvinism and some of my greatest heroes are/were Calvinists (W. A. Criswell, Charles Spurgeon, George Whitefield). And for the record, I'm definitely not an Arminianist either. If you haven't heard, Time Magazine has declared "New …

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Free Will or Free Grace?

Calvinism. Predestination. Foreordination. Foreknowledge. Election. These are good, Bible words that have become the focus of a whole lot of debate. I used to be a Calvinist, but have come to define my own beliefs about God's sovereignty without referencing the famous theologian. I still struggle with the issue …

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Two Sides of God’s Sovereignty

One of the most familiar verses in the New Testament is actually a quotation from Joel. In chapter two, verse thirty-two of his prophecy, Joel declares, "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered." (in Acts 2:21 the word "delivered" is rendered "saved") But …

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Israel – Chosen by God Forever

"Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days." - Hosea 3:5 Afterward... in the latter days. God's promise concerning Isreal is yet to be completely fulfilled, but certainly will be someday. When? …

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Free to Decide: Confessions of a Former Calvinist

The story is told of a group of people who disagreed over the issue of predestination so they divided themselves into two separate camps. One camp existed for the predestinarians and another for those who emphasized the free will of man. A single undecided man was stranded in between. Since he wasn’t sure …

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