Enrolling the School of Contentment

Trevin Wax points to the truth that contentment is not a passive act. We writes, “Paul doesn’t speak of contentment as a gift he received from God without effort. Neither does he describe himself as “content,” as if this virtue just appeared unexpectedly. Twice he says it is something he learned. He re-educated himself in some way. He developed a sense of contentment over time.”

Delivered from the Tyranny of Emotions

“My emotions have a place, and rightly so, as God made us to be feeling creatures, but my emotions shouldn’thave the final say about what is true in a situation. God, in his severe mercy, has given me a number of opportunities to practice this lately. As the waves keep crashing, I keep grabbing the opportunities, though sometimes not very well, to sink into the truth.”

Where’s the Lie?

“Con artists don’t look shady. If a lie were obviously false, it wouldn’t be dangerous. Christians know that “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick” (Jeremiah 17:9), and yet we regularly overestimate our ability to spot error. We need a consistent standard by which to compare every suggestion we hear. Because of God’s gracious provision, we have such a standard. The words God has already spoken are completely and always reliable.”