COV LIFE BLOG
Romans 12:9-10: CLC Mission – Living in Gospel-Centered Community
God has invited us personally into the community of the Trinity. But here’s the really mind-blowing thing: God intends us to experience this divine community in the fellowship of a local church (Eph. 3:18-19). He saves us as individuals, yes, but he also saves us into communities. We need other believers to draw us back […]
Psalm 100 – CLC Mission: Delighting in God
Joy in God matters profoundly because more than any other human response or experience, joy clearly and thoroughly reveals the worth, value, and splendor of whatever it is that evokes it. In other words, enjoyment or delight is the single most effective means for glorifying and magnifying God. Deep, durable delight in God is how […]
Habakkuk 3:16-19 – Rejoicing in the Lord Through Trial
As we conclude our most recent series in Habakkuk 3:16-19, we have discovered Habakkuk committing himself to obey God by waiting quietly for the Lord’s justice and to walk by faith by trusting entirely in God. There is no question about what was to come: impending violence and destruction were on the way, and it was […]
Habbakuk 3:1-15 – Remembering God’s Good Works
As we continue our study in Habakkuk, we come to Habakkuk’s prayer of response to God. The prophet’s prayer in Habakkuk 3:1-15 is staggering. In it, Habakkuk pleads with God to again show his power, wrath, and mercy in new ways. By reflecting on God’s unparalleled works for His own people in the past, Habakkuk willfully submits […]
Habakkuk 2:2-20 – A Prayer of Confession for Idolatry
Psalm 33:18-22 says, “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our […]
Habakkuk 1:12-2:1 – The Gift of Prayerful Lament
Habakkuk’s second complaint in Habakkuk 1:12-2:1 is founded upon God’s sovereignty, perfection, and compassion. Not only is evil occurring in the streets among the people of Judah, but God has promised to bring “traitors” and “the wicked,” the Chaldeans of 1:6, to overtake those who are “more righteous” than the foreign nation. Is God to continue allowing […]
Habakkuk 1:1-11 – How Long Will You Tarry Lord?
The problem that he surfaces is there for us in verse 2 and following: “How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?” What he is really describing here, and surfacing, is essentially the discrepancy between revelation and experience. How can he reconcile what he knows of the character and […]
James 5:19-20 – The Joy of Turning a Sinner Back
Do not merely hear it this morning, beloved fellow laborer, but let it sink deep into your heart. When an apostle inspired of the Holy Spirit, says, “Let him know,” I evoke you, do not let any indolence of spirit forbid your ascertaining the full weight of the truth. What is it that you are […]
James 5:13-18 – The Prayer of Faith
If you’re going through trials of any sort, James’ answer (a single word in the Greek text) is like a rifle shot to the bull’s eye: “Pray.” It’s easy to sit here and nod in agreement, but the question is, “When you encounter difficulties, is prayer your first response?” It’s certainly not the automatic response. […]
James 5:7-12 – Patience in the Midst of Suffering
These words strike one of the leading chords of the Epistle. There is no grace which its readers are more earnestly exhorted to cultivate than that of patience. In the preceding verses James has been denouncing the rich ungodly Jews. The Epistle was not addressed to them, however, but to the Christian Jews who were […]