The Pursuit of Godliness: Two Articles

Thieves on All Sides

For many years it has been part of the regular liturgy of the church where I serve to pray through the Ten Commandments. The pastor reads a command and the congregation replies, “Lord, have mercy and incline our hearts to keep this Your law.” Time then is set aside for members of the congregation to pray more specifically about these sins before moving on to the next. You could expect prayers against our propensity to turn wealth into an idol, prayers asking for protection for the integrity of our marriages, prayers confessing our unjust wrath against our brother, or our failure to labor more diligently to rescue the unborn.

Truth be told, I usually worried about the eighth commandment. Would anyone pray about this one, or do we really believe we have this one licked? Keep reading

How to Repent Without Really Repenting

The believer in Christ is a lifelong repenter. He begins with repentance and continues in repentance. (Rom. 8:12-13) David sinned giant sins but fell without a stone at the mere finger of the prophet because he was a repenter at heart (2 Sam. 12:7-13). Peter denied Christ three times but suffered three times the remorse until he repented with bitter tears (Mt. 26:75). Every Christian is called a repenter, but he must be a repenting repenter. The Bible assumes the repentant nature of all true believers in its instruction on church discipline. A man unwilling to repent at the loving rebuke of the church can be considered nothing more than "a heathen and a tax collector." (Mt. 18:15-17) Keep reading