Blog: April 2023

Our trek in Matthew’s Gospel recently brought us to a paradoxical saying:  “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (10:39).  What does Jesus mean? The immediate context (v 38) is about following Jesus by bearing a cross: dying to sin and walking in his self-giving steps.  So, working to “find” your life (i.e., define, control and rule over it) is contrary to faith and leads to “loss”—the ultimate loss.  But trust releases the reins of your heart to Jesus:  he’s in charge. God delivers ...

A clear reality that echoes throughout the New Testament is that God sends those He saves. Jesus commanded His disciples to go and tell others about Him. (Matt. 28:18-20) The story of Jesus and a Samaritan woman in John 4 also provides reminders of this idea. Upon the Samaritan woman’s hearing that God Himself was standing before her, she left her water—the very thing she had come to the well for—and returned quickly to her town to tell of this man. Her response was not to run from Jesus but to expend her energy bringing others to Him: ...

In his book, Humility:  The Joy of Self-Forgetfulness, Gavin Ortlund offers “Ten Practices to Kill Pride” (pp. 27-41).  Take note: Work at listening.  Humility actually values the input of the speaker.  You don’t need to control the conversation. Practice gratitude.  This draws attention to the blessings in your life.  Just think:  what a gift to be alive! Learn from criticism.  Assume that there’s something to gain from it.  A good test of humility is whether or not a person is teachable. Cultivate the enjoyment of life.  A humble ...

Goshen Baptist Church invites you to a special Worship Night Sunday, May 21, 7:00-8:15 p.m. What is keeping you from total surrender to God, in this current season of life? Let's acknowledge that, lay it at the cross, and turn our hearts back to Him in worship. This night will allow us all to worship through song, testimony, and spoken word, followed by a time of refreshments and fellowship. We hope to create a space where each person can engage with God in a personal way, coming just as they are and finding true communion with Him....

Light and darkness are contrasted throughout the Scriptures. In John 3, Jesus explained to Nicodemus the hope and grace of God and the means by which He saves. Consider what Jesus was saying as He emphasized this contrast in this conversation. In John 3:19-21, Jesus said, “This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed. But anyone who lives by the truth comes ...

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “All good things must come to an end.”  And, in fact, it’s almost true. So many good things have a time limit.  The Phillies’ play­off run last fall came to an end.  The Eagles’ postseason ran its course.  From ball games to the college experience, from birthday parties to summer vacation, from family road trips to the years of youthful vigor:  before you know it, time’s up. Can you think of a single good thing that’s not on the clock?  We’ve had some stellar spring days lately—yet “this too shall pass.”  ...

Here in this messy world we’re so very accustomed to seeing life as limited, life within the parameters of growth and aging and the end of our days.  Sickness and injury and violence and decline threaten, and we get used to viewing our existence as fleeting and fragile.  Ever since our first parents plunged humanity into sin and death (Genesis 3), we’ve been scrambling to cope with and fend off all the threats that come against our earthly lives. But Easter Sunday is heaven’s announcement that life constrained by limits is itself limited:  ...