“If It’s Dangerous, God Must Not Be in It”: True or False?

David Platt answers this well in his book Radical:

We so often think “If it’s dangerous, God must not be in it. If it’s risky, if it’s unsafe, if it’s costly, it must not be God’s will.” But what if these factors are actually the criteria by which we determine if something is God’s will? What if we began to look at the design of God as the most dangerous option before us? What if the center of God’s will is in reality the most unsafe place for us to be?

I have no idea where this idea came from that God’s will is for us to always be maximally comfortable and secure in this world. If you read the New Testament, that’s the last idea you would come away with. “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it” (Luke 9:23-24). Jesus’ statement here did not just apply to his first disciples. It applies today, to all of us.

June 30, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 2 Comments

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iOS 6 Preview

This is really cool.

June 28, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

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Persevere in Prayer

Here’s another cut from my book:

1. Persevere in Prayer

Perseverance in prayer as a key means of overcoming obstacles. Don’t stop praying about something just because it hasn’t been answered within a few days or weeks. Keep pressing on. This is exactly what Jesus commands us to do: “And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1). The fact that Jesus told a parable to this effect indicates that he knew we would be tempted to lose heart. Which means he knew that many of the answers to our prayers wouldn’t come right away. And his point was: “Keep praying. The fact that it doesn’t seem like the answers are coming does not indicate that they won’t. Sometimes you have to be more persistent than you think.”

June 15, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

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Get a Bible You Like to Use

This is a cut from my book that I’m not including so I can stay within my word count. This is from the chapter “The Role of Prayer and Scripture in Your Productivity”:

Have a Bible you like to use. It’s true that what really matters is the Bible itself, not the particular format it’s in. We should love the Bible simply because it is God’s word, no matter what kind of cover it has or what paper it’s printed on. But as long as you have a choice, get a Bible that you like to use, because you will probably use it more if you do. This can be dangerous—if you are more excited about the way your Bible works than the content itself, that’s a problem. But assuming you aren’t going to have that problem, get a Bible you will enjoy using.

I’m taking it out of the chapter because my focus is on how to read and study your Bible well (and faithfully), not what kind to have. But, the point is true (as long as you heed the caution as well).

And, though this wasn’t originally part of the chapter, I’d point you to Crossway as a great place to find such a Bible. They do a great job of making their Bibles a joy to use.

In fact, I’ll go one step further. About 8 years or so, shortly after the ESV had come out, I was at a banquet Crossway was holding at the Christian Booksellers Convention and they gave away calfskin versions of the ESV (or, at least a few of them–somehow I ended up with one).

Calfskin is a type of leather that is really cool. It’s the best type, or one of the best, and is much more interesting than regular leather or bonded leather. It’s also super expensive. I think most calfskin Bibles are about $150 or $200.

My first thought was “this doesn’t seem wartime. If this hadn’t been given to me, I’m not sure it would be right to spend this much on a Bible.” My thinking was: God teaches us in the Scriptures to be focused on others, not ourselves, and so the last place he would want us to spend a lot of money is on our Bible.

And, there is something right and good about that instinct.

However, I have really enjoyed the calfskin Bible that I received. For some reason, I just like it, and it is super durable and lasts. And so, when I got my next Bible, I also got a calfskin.

And so, if you are in the market for a Bible and able to, I recommend getting a calfskin Bible. That is super risky to say, because it truly would be horrible for us to get picky about what kind of cover we have on our Bibles and lose sight of the fact that the words are what matter. If losing sight of that seems like a temptation, don’t get the calfskin. But if that doesn’t seem like a temptation, go for the calfskin, use it a lot, and keep it for a long time. Crossway’s selection calfskins is here. (I don’t get any compensation for recommending them, by the way; I’m only recommending them because I find them so useful.)

Two final things on Bibles: If you have a choice between that cordovan (reddish) type color and black, I think black is better. More importantly, whatever kind of Bible you get, always get one that has a cross-reference system in it (where related passages and passages with similar themes are listed in the margin). Looking up cross references is one of the most helpful and significant ways to grow in your understanding of the Bible.

OK, enough on the logistics of choosing Bibles. What truly matters is that you read it, know it, believe it, and obey it.