Just wanted to share this amazing resource with you guys. Tim Challies recently offered a free e-book titled, Sexual Detox, based off of his blog posts on the subject. Here’s a quick excerpt about the book from Challies:
Last week’s series on Sexual Detox was quite an experience for me. I figured it would garner a little bit of interest simply because it dealt with an universal issue (sex) and because it included several important peripheral issues (pornography, addiction, and so on). But even then the response surprised me, both in terms of the number of visitors who showed up to read the articles and the outpouring of comments and emails in response to it. All of this showed me that I had tapped into an important issue.
Here’s the link to the post (http://www.challies.com/archives/christian-living/sexual-detox-the-e-book.php). He even made two versions of the book: one for single dudes and the other for married dudes. I pray that this aids your quest to bring all areas of life under rule of Christ in light of what He has done on the cross.
Just found this post on the Desiring God blog. I have to admit, the title, “You Don’t Have to Be Productive” is provocative and it caught my attention, especially because I am aware of how productive Matt Perman has to be seeing that his title is Senior Director of Strategy at Desiring God ministries.
Anyway, Perman was asked three questions in regards to biblical productivity to which he gave very solid, helpful answers. The following is a response he gave to one of the questions:
3. In a nutshell, what is the most important and fundamental principle for being productive?
I would actually say: realize that you don’t have to be productive. By this I mean: your significance does not come from your productivity. It comes from Christ, who obeyed God perfectly on our behalf such that our significance and standing before God comes from him, not anything we do. Then, on that basis, we pursue good works (which is what productivity is) and do so eagerly, as it says in Titus 2:14.
When it comes to day-to-day application, the main principle is this: The key denominator of effectiveness is not intelligence or even hard work, as important as those are. It is the discipline to put first things first. You need to operate from a center of sound principles and organize and execute around priorities. This means that instead of prioritizing your schedule, you schedule your priorities.
You can find Matt Perman’s responses to the other two questions here.
Today, Kevin DeYoung posted an excerpt from a letter that Guideo de Bres (author of the Belgic Confession of 1561) wrote to his wife while he was awaiting his execution in prison for his Protestant faith. As the title of DeYoung’s entry indicates, it’s a moving letter highlighting the Doctrine of Providence and how it helps us to “die well, serve courageously, and care for [our wives].” Below is the excerpt from the letter:
My dear and well-beloved wife in our Lord Jesus, Your grief and anguish are the cause of my writing you this letter. I most earnestly pray you not to be grieved beyond measure…We knew when we married that we might not have many years together, and the Lord has graciously given us seven. If the Lord had wished us to live together longer, he could easily have cause it to be so. But such was not his pleasure. Let his good will be done….Moreover, consider that I have not fallen into the hands of my enemies by chance, but by the providence of God….All these considerations have made my heart glad and peaceful, and I pray you, my dear and faithful companion, to be glad with me, and to thank the good God for what he is doing, for he does nothing but what is altogether good and right…I pray you then to be comforted in the Lord, to commit yourself and your affairs to him, he is the husband of the widow and the father of the fatherless, and he will never leave you nor forsake you.
I would also like to highlight a comment that someone left on his post that was a perfect compliment to this post. Zac Hicks wrote, “It’s ironic that the doctrine of providence is so discomforting to so many, when, in instances like this, it really does show itself to be “our only comfort in life and death.”
Another timely message from Driscoll to guys who think that they’re men, but in actuality, are boys who can shave. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I wish I heard this sermon ten years ago. But better late than never. Spread the word.
Last week, I posted a blog post by Tim Challies on what he calls “Sexual Detox.” The premise of the series is simple: an old[er], godly man wanting to have a “forthright… yet discreet” conversation with young[er] men on the topic of sex. Personally, for myself, having grown up in a context where such conversations were less than encouraged, this series was especially helpful to me. I would highly recommend this to all my brothers who grew up in similar situations.
And for your convenience, I’ve taken the liberty of compiling all of the posts here in one place. Just click on the links below to read the full articles.
