As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“Believers periodically tell me versions of the following: ‘We shouldn’t be thinking about reunion with loved ones, or the joys of Heaven. We should only be thinking about being united with Christ, who is our only treasure.’ This sounds spiritual, but is it?” - Randy Alcorn
Editor’s note: This article is part of Dean’s Pathway to Pastoral Ministry series, aimed at young men considering pastoral ministry. I believe there’s plenty here also for “not-young” men, already in ministry, perhaps as a reminder (2 Pet. 3:1).
In preaching, teaching and writing, our good intentions are often defeated by an avoidable poor choice of words. Sometimes these inapt wordings gain popularity among Christians and become proverbial. Without thinking, we repeat them for the amens.
One example is the popular habit of speaking of duty and love as though they’re two competing and incompatible dynamics in the Christian life.
I can’t be the only one who has heard this, over and over, and wondered, over and over, what Bible people are reading. Consider Jesus’ state of mind and heart as He approached the cross.
“Imagine a friend told you that her baby is sick and may die. You’d feel shock and grief…Would anything change if the friend then replied, ‘Thank you, we’re hoping Fluffy pulls through’?” - Breakpoint
“the focus on finding a partner’s primary love language can be too restrictive …. ‘all of the behaviors Chapman identified are important.’” - RNS
The Five Love Languages “will mark its 30th anniversary next year, and it’s still crushing records. It was the top-selling Christian book for much of 2021. It has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide.” - C.Today
“Due process is just, and it’s indispensable to the pursuit of justice. It is the answer to the question at the start of this newsletter—in the most fraught of claims and the most vicious of crimes—What if we loved them both? What if both accused and accuser were of equal worth?” - David French
“If a person despises me for defending life, filing lawsuits to protect the First Amendment, or deploying abroad to play my own very small part in battling vicious terrorists, then so be it. That’s what some on the Left have done.
“The Bible calls us to both truth and love—not some squishy love that refuses to name error, but also not some truth that is harsh and brutal….This love is gentle and forbearing (because God is gentle and forbearing). This love is willing to move slowly and to rejoice at small gains (because God is willing to move slowly and to rejoice at small gains).
“We are called to find common ground where it genuinely exists, improve our own arguments, and win over persuadable Americans by answering hostility with magnanimity, understanding, good humor, and love. We cannot do that while hiding in our narrow ideological foxholes.” - National Review
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