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[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

An Attribute of God That Isn’t Discussed Enough

To talk about the aseity of God, then, is to say that God is from and of himself. He is completely self-originating and dependent on nothing other than himself.

by Jon Nielson | The doctrine of aseity tells us that God’s decision to create cannot be because of any deficiency in God. He didn’t need the universe in order to be happy. He wasn’t lonely without us! So, why create? God’s creation of the universe—and human beings—must be the abundant, joyful, gracious overflow of his goodness and kindness....

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Don’t Be True to Yourself

I’d like to offer different advice than what you might hear elsewhere: “Do not follow your dreams. Do not march to the beat of your own drummer. And whatever you do, do not be true to yourself.”

by Kevin DeYoung | Twenty years ago, Anna Quindlen—a writer for the New York Times, a Pulitzer Prize winner, and a recipient of prestigious honorary degrees—gave this advice to a group of graduating seniors...

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

5 Reasons You Did Not and Cannot Reinvent Yourself

You are not just an individual. You are not your own creation. You did not invent yourself. You exist in a web of relationships. You are a social animal.

by Brian S. Rosner | When it comes to knowing yourself, social psychologists speak of the “looking-glass self,” a term coined in 1902. It refers to our tendency to understand ourselves by perceiving what others make of us. In other words, the self is the result of learning to see ourselves as others see us. The great Scottish poet Robert Burns is...

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

33 Ideas for Dating Your Wife

Only you know how to best cultivate and guard the woman God has given you. But sometimes it helps to build off other people’s ideas in order to form your own.

by Justin Buzzard | Men, you need to come up with your own ideas for how to date your wife. You know your wife better than anyone else. Only you know how to best cultivate and guard the woman God has given you. But sometimes it helps to build off other people’s ideas in order to form your own. Here are some ideas...

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

How to Preach Parables

Parables feature what the whole of the New Testament covers: gospel need, gospel proclamation, gospel response, and gospel ethics. In your preaching, follow Jesus’s pattern.

by Douglas Sean O'Donnell and Leland Ryken | Every parable has a connection to the gospel. So, when you preach, don’t moralize (e.g., the point of the parable of the talents is that God rewards hard work; so, work hard!).1 Moreover, because the parables describe various parts of the gospel of the kingdom—the rule of Christ inaugurated in the...

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

What Knowing God Involves

It is clear, to start with, that “knowing” God is of necessity a more complex business than “knowing” another person.

by J.I. Packer | Knowing God involves, first, listening to God’s word and receiving it as the Holy Spirit interprets it, in application to oneself; second, noting God’s nature and character, as his word and works reveal it; third, accepting his invitations and doing what he commands; and fourth, recognizing and rejoicing in the love that he has shown...

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Reclaiming Christmas Carols for Our Worship

In the midst of confusing, chaotic, and despairing times, carols give expression to the hope, peace, and joy we’re all longing for.

by Bob Kauflin | As my wife, Julie, and I were raising our six kids, we were a hard and fast “no Christmas music until Thanksgiving” family. For some reason, we savored the pain of waiting until that fourth Thursday in November to wake up to songs that heralded...

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Did a Faithless Gideon Use a Fleece to Test God’s Will? (Judges 6)

It is always in the context of human weakness that the Lord achieves his greatest victories, even the weakness of his own Son’s death on the cross.

by Miles V. Van Pelt | Gideon’s questions in Judges 6:13 set the stage for the Lord’s deliverance of Israel: “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’” In the tradition...