[T]hey have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.

Mark 4

[T]hey have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. Mark 4:17

As I continue to be in between studies, having wrapped up my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul, I lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at suffering that crushes faith.  Building on yesterday's post, and similar to my church's sermon from last week, Piper seeks for us to ultimately endure suffering "with firm faith in future grace."  Piper highlights the parable of the four soils where Piper refers to the text where "[s]ome people who hear the word receive it at first with gladness, but then suffering makes them fall away."  He then share how suffering "does not always make faith stronger. Sometimes it crushes faith."  Piper share from Mark 4:25 where Jesus effectively warns us against a weak faith that is crushed by suffering.  We are called to endure such that as Piper writes "our faith might grow stronger and not be proved vain" as written in 1 Corinthians 15:2. Piper then shares as he wraps the devotion that "[k]nowing God’s design in suffering is one of the main means of growing through suffering.  If you think your suffering is pointless, or that God is not in control, or that he is whimsical or cruel, then your suffering will drive you from God, instead of driving you from everything but God — as it should. So, it is crucial that faith in God’s grace includes the faith that he gives grace through suffering."

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves us and who is in control of all details of our lives...even when things go bad we know You still love us, will never leave or forsake us, and are saving a place in Heaven for us!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouse to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

James 1

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. James 1:2-3

As I continue to be in between studies, having wrapped up my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul, I lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at how suffering results in the sharpening of our faith.  Piper uses the analogy of working out to illustrate the role suffering plays in our lives.  "Faith is like muscle tissue: if you stress it to the limit, it gets stronger, not weaker. That’s what James means here. When your faith is threatened and tested and stretched to the breaking point, the result is greater capacity to endure."  Piper continues by pointing us to 2 Corinthians 1:8-9, where Paul and his companions were so overwhelmed with suffering where they completely surrendered to God, recognizing that even in death God would prevail and demonstrate how we should be utterly dependent on Him.  Piper writes that "[God's] aim is that we grow deeper and stronger in our confidence that he himself will be all we need."  Piper wraps today's devotion by pointing us to Psalm 73:25-26, where the Psalmist writes how he gains his strength from God, even when everything else in his life, including his health, fails.  Piper wants us to see how God works in our suffering.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are SO good - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of the blessings You pour out for me.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me.  Help me turn from and overcome such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.   

Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

Revelation 6

Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been. Revelation 6:11

As I continue to be in between studies, having wrapped up my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul, I lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at martyrdom not just as it existed during the first three centuries of the church's existence, but now as well as many continue to suffer this fate today (for more see Voices of the Martyrs ministry).  Piper describes God's role in martyrdom as "a sovereign God who said there is an appointed number of martyrs. They have a special role to play in planting and empowering the church. They have a special role to play in shutting the mouth of Satan, who constantly says that the people of God serve him only because life goes better." Piper refers us to Job 1:9-11 as an example of a man that was entirely in God's hands and protected as Satan incorrectly believed that Job would curse God as he lost his family and wealth.  Job stood firm in the faith - for more of John Piper on job - go here.  Piper wraps his devotion by sharing: "[m]artyrdom is not something accidental. It is not taking God off guard. It is not unexpected. And it is emphatically not a strategic defeat for the cause of Christ. It may look like defeat. But it is part of a plan in heaven that no human strategist would ever conceive or could ever design. And this plan will triumph for all those who endure to the end by faith in God’s all-sufficient grace."  While most of us will not experience martyrdom as some do, we can do as John Piper seeks for us to respond by (1) affirm with all our hearts the absolute sovereignty of God, (2) let your tears flow freely when your calamity comes, and (3) trust in the goodness of God, and let him be your treasure and your joy.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who is sovereign and regardless of the trials and suffering I experience I know You exist, never leave or forsake me, and that I am sealed for eternity giving me the confidence to stand firm in my faith.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

2 Corinthians 4

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

As I am in between studies, having just wrapped up my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul, I lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at where Paul focuses to remain hopeful as he grows old and more feeble.  Piper describes how Paul gains hope by focusing on how his inner self is renewed daily - this is also unseen. Piper then points out how this somewhat contradictory focus is further clarified by Paul in the next chapter of 2 Corinthians 5:7: "for we walk by faith, not by sight." Piper shares that this clarification "doesn’t mean that [Paul] leaps into the dark without evidence of what’s there. It means that for now the most precious and important realities in the world are beyond our physical senses.  We “look” at these unseen things through the gospel. We strengthen our hearts — we renew our courage — by fixing our gaze on the invisible, objective truth that we see in the testimony of those who saw Christ face to face." Piper wraps the devotion by pointing back to chapter 4:6 where Paul writes: " [f]or God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." This previously unseen knowledge of the glory of God is now seen by us because God revealed it to us - praise God!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God who loves me and who revealed Yourself to me and gave me the power to see things unseen that provide eternal hope!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings...my sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Romans 8

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Romans 8:32

I resume my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul.  Today, I move to chapter thirty - The Pursuit of Pure Doctrine and Passion for the Poor - wrapping use this book.  Here, John Piper points to Romans 8:32 as "the most important promise of his life.*"  Piper first starts by describing how Romans 8:32a and 8:32b construct an a fortiori argument. Thus, God gives us all things (the easier part) because He already gave up His One and Only Son Jesus (the harder part).  Piper then describes how God gave up His Son, sharing that this was the greatest obstacle between us and eternal happiness.  This was clearly the hardest for God to do vs "giving us all things" as Piper describes God's precious love for His Son.  Piper writes: "[n]othing greater or harder has ever happened. Or ever will.*" Piper then emphasizes how giving us all things does not guarantee a trouble free life - au contraire!  We are referred to Romans 8:36 and we can also refer to John 16:33. Piper shares how when God gives us all things He is giving us "all things we need to do his will. All things we need to glorify him. All things we need to move from predestined to called to justified to glorified— that is, to everlasting happiness (Romans 8: 30).*"  Piper then provides us examples from Romans 8 of what God gives us:

•  all things will work together for our good (v28)
• we will be conformed to the image of his Son (v29)
  
• we will be glorified (v30)
  
• no one can successfully be against us (v31)
  
• no charge shall stick against us (v33)
  
• nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (v35)
• in tribulation and distress and persecution and famine and nakedness and danger and sword, we are more than conquerors (vv35–37)
  
• neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (vv38– 39)

 Piper wraps the chapter by pointing us to 2 Corinthians 1:20a where Paul share that "all the promises of God find their Yes in him." Amen!  Praise God! 

*John Piper. 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are SO good - providing the hardest thing so You can give us everything!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of these blessings.  My sin is great and it continue...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouse to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.

1 Timothy 6

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. 1 Timothy 6:10a

I continue a short pause my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul to listen to DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion - where John Piper examines what is meant by Paul's text in from 1 Timothy 6:10a. Piper starts by sharing that "[Paul] meant that all the evils in the world come from a certain kind of heart, namely, the kind of heart that loves money."  Piper then continues by defining a heart that loves money as a heart that places its faith in "what you can get from man — other human beings — instead of God."  Piper then pivots God's answer to this heart condition - Piper states that "God deals in the currency of grace, not money[.]"  Piper refers us to Isaiah 55:1 where the text says "[c]ome, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price."  Piper continue by sharing that "[m]oney is the currency of human resources. So, the heart that loves money is a heart that pins its hopes, and pursues its pleasures, and puts its trust in what human resources can offer.  So, the love of money is virtually the same as faith in money — belief (trust, confidence, assurance) that money will meet your needs and make you happy. Love of money is the alternative to faith in God’s future grace." He wraps by referring us to Matthew 6:24 where Jesus said that "[n]o one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."  We are encouraged to trust, belief, and have faith in God vs what man can provide (see also Matthew 6:19-21).

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God and only You can provide forgiveness of sin, eternal salvation, Your Word, the church, the Holy Spirit, etc....all blessings that surpass anything that man can ever provide - not even close!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

1 Peter 5

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 1 Peter 5:8-9

I pause my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul to listen to DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion - which looks at sin and Satan.  Piper starts by bluntly stating that "[t]he two great enemies of our souls are sin and Satan. And sin is the worst enemy, because the only way that Satan can destroy us is by getting us to sin, and keeping us from repenting."  Satan and Sin entered the world at the Fall (Genesis 3) and will remain with us until they are both ultimately defeated at the end of age (Revelation).  Until the end of the age, God keeps Satan on a leash (see also God's providence over Satan and sin) and Piper shares that the "only way he can do us ultimate harm is by influencing us to sin, and keep us from repentance."  Piper quotes scripture that describes how Satan tries to do just this, including Ephesians 2:1-2, 4:27.  Peter does warn us of how sin and Satan are on the prowl, and at the same time Peter tells us to resist Satan by being firm in the faith. Piper wraps the devotion by pointing us to Ephesians 6:10-18.

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My Prayer: Jesus, thank You for washing away my sin and for giving me the whole armor of God to protect me against the battle against Satan and sin.  I am blessed for how You do this and how You save.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

[T]hey asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

Galatians 2

[T]hey asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do. Galatians 2:10

I continue my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul.  Today, I move to chapter twenty-nine - The Pursuit of Pure Doctrine and Passion for the Poor.  Here, John Piper loves and admires Paul for how he combined his ability to help others mature in their faith through sound understanding of doctrine with "care [of] the poor of his churches [and material help for those in need]. Both were prominent.*" Piper starts by referring us to scripture and how it commands us to help those in need - and do not oppress the poor: Amos 4:1-2, James 5:4-6, Deuteronomy 24:14, Proverbs 14:31, Matthew 25:34-36, 40, 2 Corinthians 8-9, Galatians 2:9-10, and Romans 15:26.  Through these scripture examples Piper shares how Paul made "caring for the poor a significant priority*" and that he also knew "that people die a worse death from winds of false doctrine than from the pain of poverty. Physical starvation never damned anybody. But spiritual starvation has brought millions to the grave without hope. Paul would say as strongly as anyone that Christians seek to rescue people from all suffering, especially eternal suffering.* ([references to Ephesians 4:28 and 2 Thessalonians 1:9]).

*John Piper. 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me in my time of need - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of who You care for me.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed[.]

Romans 15

In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed[.] Romans 15:17-18

I continue my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul.  Today, I move to chapter twenty-eight - Unrivaled Success as a Missionary, with No Conceit.  Here, John Piper loves and admires Paul for how he demonstrated "one of the most courageous, sacrificial, effective missionary careers in the history of the Christian church,*" yet remained humble and gave all the glory to God vs taking credit for the fruit of his efforts. Piper first describes Paul's as a missionary to reach "not where Christ has already been named" (Romans 15:20).  He then shares how Paul was historically successful in establishing "churches from Jerusalem to northern Italy that would endure for centuries of empire-wide significance*."  Piper then shares how - despite this historic success - Paul remained humble and gave all the glory to God, pointing to numerous examples of scripture, including Romans 15:17-18, 1 Corinthians 1:31, 3:5-7, Galatians 6:14, Philippians 3:3, and Colossians 1:28-29. Piper closes the chapter by summarizing: "[t]herefore, a life of dependence on the power of Christ was the key to Paul’s beautiful combination of stunning missionary successes along with no boasting in himself.*" 

*John Piper. 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God and Your works are amazing and I have seen Your hand in my life - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of what You have done in my life.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

...I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief[.] The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.

1 Timothy 1

...I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief[.]  The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 1 Timothy 13, 15-16

I continue my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul.  Today, I move to chapter twenty-seven - Admitting Imperfections and Turning Them for Love.  Here, John Piper loves and admires Paul for how he is "open about his imperfections, [and how] he actually turns them for the comfort and encouragement of others....Paul’s vulnerability here is for our hope, as we imperfectly pursue holiness*."  Piper starts by pointing out Paul is in elite company as an apostle, yet he freely admits that he is far from perfect and shares his weaknesses and battle against sin as a message of hope for others doing the same (all of us!).  Piper provides a number of scripture examples of how Paul does this:

• God brings people out of spiritual darkness (2 Corinthians 4:4-6)
• grants them to repent and believe (2 Timothy 2:25, Philippians 1:29)
• unites them to Jesus Christ (Romans 6:5)
• counts them as having the very righteousness and perfect obedience of Christ (Romans 5:19)
• gives them the gift of the Holy Spirit and the gift of eternal life (Romans 8:9, 6:23)
• begins the process of making them like Jesus, from one degree of glory to the next (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Piper notes how Paul shares the details of his battle with sin by referring us to 1 Timothy 6:12 and 1 Corinthians 13:9-10, 12, and also in Romans 7:15,18,22-25.  Piper closes the chapter by pointing to Paul's own admission of his heinous sins of persecuting Christians in 1 Timothy 1:13, 15-16 where we see how Paul "believed that God saved him the way he did and when he did so that people who despaired that they were too sinful to be saved might have hope.*"

*John Piper. 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are so good and so full of mercy, providing Paul rich mercy and using him as a beacon of hope for believers everywhere - thank You Jesus for Your mercy for me...and for helping me in my daily battle with sin.  I am not deserving of how You bless.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Romans 5

More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5:11

I continue my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul.  Today, I move to chapter twenty-six - Apostle of the Happy God and the Hard Life of Spreading   Joy.  Here, John Piper loves and admires Paul for his joy in Christ and consequently his love of others such that "his aim was their joy*" in Christ. First, Piper shares how it is an uncommon combination of traits for Paul to posses a great intellect, be logically rigorous, careful and cerebral in thought - yet deeply happy and joy...in all circumstances.  Of course God is the source of this happiness and joy.  Piper describes how God is happy, pointing to Jesus's parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:22-24) and how the Master "welcomes his servants home*" into the joy of your master (Matthew 25:21).  He further describes that "Paul knew that a gloomy God could not be the source, let alone the center, of all-satisfying good news. No. If Jesus came into the world with “good news of great joy,” as the angels said (Luke 2:10), then God is not a gloomy God, but a God of overflowing joy.*"  This joy is the result of how joy originates in God through His Son Jesus.  Piper then moves to share how the focus of Paul's ministry was to bring others into this same joy, referring us to Philippians 1:23-26.  Piper makes a point of saying that "Paul is not ashamed to sum up his ministry goal as 'for your joy.'*"  He makes this point because he sees that joy is the "essence*" of what Christians are to pursue, explaining that "Christianity is a divine project of replacing inferior joys in inferior objects with superior joys in God himself. That is why Christ came to die. He died to remove every barrier (like God’s wrath and our sin) between us and God so that we could say with Paul, “We . .  . rejoice in God” (Romans 5:11).*"  Piper closes the chapter by answering why 1 Corinthians 13:13 does not explicitly mention joy as key - Piper shares that it does not have to because "[l]ove is the overflow of joy in God that seeks to meet the needs of others, especially the need of eternal joy.*"

*John Piper. 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me, and a God who gives me great joy in You - the One True God.  Thank You Jesus for these blessings and joy.  I am not deserving of such love.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men.

Lamentations 3

For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men. Lamentations 3:31-33.

I continue my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul.  Today, I move to chapter twenty-five - Lover of God’s Sovereignty with Tears for the Lost.  Here, John Piper loves and admires Paul for how he understood the complexity of how God is both fully in control over all the details of creation, including the details of our lives, and deeply compassionate for the lost.  First John Piper provides scriptural examples of where Paul describes God's sovereignty, including Romans 9:15-18, 11:36, Ephesians 1:11, and 1 Corinthians 3:6. Piper then moves to show Paul's anguish over the lost, referring us to Romans 9:1-3 and 10:1.  In his anguish, Paul is hopeful because he understands God's sovereignty and power to overcome obstacles to save the lost - Piper emphasizes this hope.  Piper wraps the chapter by pointing us to Lamentations 3:31-33 where he sees "the sovereignty and the compassion of God interwoven in one glorious fabric of justice and mercy*." 

*John Piper. 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are good - full of love and mercy for all, including myself - despite my sin that You have washed away and the patience for my ongoing disobedience as my sin continues.  Thank You Jesus.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus[.]

2 Corinthians 7

For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus[.] 2 Corinthians 7:5-6

I continue my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul.  Today, I move to chapter twenty-four - Not a Conforming Chameleon, and Not a Ministering Maverick.  Here, John Piper loves and admires Paul for how he modeled Jesus' commands to pursue mission causes not alone as some sort of rugged individualist, but as a team with the parts interdependent on each other.  Piper starts by describing this: "[Paul] was not a lone-wolf kind of leader. He believed in teams and never intended to travel alone or do his mission work without living in some kind of supportive Christian community.*"  Piper provides Mark 6:7 and Luke 10:1 as the scriptural basis for Jesus's commands that sent out the apostles "two by two."  Piper then describes how throughout Paul's life in ministry he rarely traveled and ministered alone by choice.  In Acts 17:13-15, Paul, Silas, and Timothy were ministering together in Thessalonica but due to the danger of rioting separated due to necessity and for Paul's protection - Piper encourages us to see Paul's reaction where he sought to reunite as quickly as possible.   Yet another example is provided by Piper in Acts 15:39-40, where Paul and Barnabas had a sharp disagreement about where to travel to - but in the end they still did not travel alone but instead Paul with Silas and Barnabas with John Mark.  Piper wraps the devotion by sharing one final scripture example from 2 Corinthians 7:5-6 where Paul is greatly comforted by having Titus join him.

*John Piper. 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are SO good as You have provided many, many brothers and sisters in Christ who have modeled teamwork and partnership with me in so many areas.  Thank You Jesus.  I am not deserving of such blessings!  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from such sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

Galatians 1

As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. Galatians 1:9

I continue my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul.  Today, I move to chapter twenty-three - Zeal for Gospel Accuracy, Slow to Take Personal Offense.  Here, John Piper loves and admires Paul for how he takes offense for both preaching inaccurate gospel and impure motives for preaching the gospel.  For the former, Piper describes how Paul is quick to be - rightfully so - angry at those who warp and twist the gospel and preach inaccurately from the Good News of Jesus Christ.  For the latter, Piper describes how Paul tactfully admonishes those who preach with impure motives.  He is less concerned with personal offense - therefore as Piper says Paul is "slow to take personal offense." 

Piper starts by pointing to Galatians as "Paul's most severe letter*" as Paul is angry at those teaching a "different gospel that sounds Christ-honoring, but which Paul knows cannot save the sinful soul*."  We are referred to Galatians 1:6-9 where Paul accursed those teaching this false gospel.  Piper then turns to those who preach more accurately yet with impure motives, pointing us to Philippians 1:15-18.  Here Piper shares how Paul is more concerned with the sheep versus the wolves: "the Philippian situation really does present an opportunity for personal resentment, but Paul doesn’t take it. He rejoices*."  Piper chalks this up to how Paul is "wonderfully principled rather than easily irritated at personal offenses. The Galatian false teachers were ruining people by perverting the gospel itself.  The Philippian rascals were preaching the very gospel Paul preached (at least, he raised no objections), but they were doing it precisely because he couldn’t, and they wanted him to be irritated. This Paul could handle. It was the purity of the gospel that mattered, not whether his feelings got hurt.*" Piper wraps the chapter by explaining how Paul more tactfully "circled back" with those who preached the gospel with impure motives - pointing us to Philippians 2:3-4.

*John Piper. 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who provides the Word for me to grow closer to You, become more obedient, be transformed into Your likeness and You provide teachers such as Paul who are incredible Godly models for believers - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You do all of this for me.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him.

2 Corinthians 2

For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. 2 Corinthians 2:6-8

I continue my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul.  Today, I move to chapter twenty-two - Backbone, Blunt, and Beautifully Affirming.  Here, John Piper admires and loves Paul for demonstrating a unique ability to encourage and affirm while also being "blunt and forceful when necessary*."  Piper first describes Paul's ability to encourage and affirm by pointing to 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 (despite the challenges described by Piper in the church in Corinth: "conflicts over leaders, church discipline, food offered to pagan idols, the Lord’s Supper, the role of women in worship, the use of spiritual gifts, and more*") and 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8.  Piper then moves to describe Paul's ability to be blunt and forceful in the face of sin, etc by pointing to 1 Corinthians 11:17.  Piper also shares how being blunt and forceful has its limitations, saying how when we rebuke and correct it should be limited - "brief and redemptive*."  For this, Piper reminds us that we should be full of grace and forgiveness.  On this latter count, Piper refers us to 2 Corinthians 2:6-8.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are SO good - that You are SO full of grace and forgiveness for me - I am not deserving of such grace.  My sin is great indeed...and daily.  Please forgive me for my lack of grace and encouragement of others.  Help me turn from and overcome such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

[W]e will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows, and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Ephesians 4

[W]e will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is Christ.  From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows, and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.  Ephesians 4:15-16

I continue my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul.  Today, I move to chapter twenty-one - Christ Was All-Sufficient, and Community Was Crucial.  Here, John Piper describes and admires Paul for how he – despite his position in the church – simultaneously poured himself out for others and sought and depended on the community of other believers for refreshment, encouragement, and strength.  The chapter starts with Piper explaining once again how Paul did not lord his authority over others, but instead served them and built them up – as scripture commands. Piper notes the extent to which Paul did this and felt often drained by such service, pointing to: Philippians 2:17, 2 Corinthians 12:15, 10:8, 13:10, Colossians 1:24, 1Thessalonians 2:8, and 2 Timothy 2:10.  Piper also shares how Philippians 4:13 points to Paul’s dependence on Christ for his needs and strength.  Yet this dependence on Christ is not described as rugged independence from others – Piper points to 1 Corinthians 12:18-22 and Ephesians 4:15-16 for descriptions of members of the church as mutually interdependent.   Piper then moves to provide scriptural examples of Paul’s dependence on others – pointing to Romans 1:11-12, 15:24, 1Thessalonians 2:17-20, 2 Corinthians 2:2, and 2 Timothy 1:4.  Piper wraps the chapter by describing Paul and his service to and dependence on others:  he didn’t “consider himself above the ordinary means of grace that all Christians need, including the fellowship of other believers.  Paul bears his authority and power and reputation without pretense, and freely admits his need for the refreshment of Christ that comes through other believers.*”

*John Piper. 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are SO good in how You came to serve and supply us with our needs to that we can serve others.  You also provide others so that we can serve each other.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You bless. My sin is great and it continues…daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.