Ever singing, march we onward,
victors in the midst of strife;
joyful music leads us sunward,
in the triumph song of life.
—Henry Van Dyke
victors in the midst of strife;
joyful music leads us sunward,
in the triumph song of life.
—Henry Van Dyke
To know that nothing happens in God’s world apart from God’s will may frighten the godless, but it stabilizes the saints.
—J.I. Packer
—J.I. Packer
Worship must not be designed to please the unbeliever or the believer. Worship should be designed to please God.
—R.C. Sproul
—R.C. Sproul
My religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed.
God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me.
That is the way all men should live, and then all would be equally brave.
—Stonewall Jackson
God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me.
That is the way all men should live, and then all would be equally brave.
—Stonewall Jackson
I don't always feel His presence.
But God's promises do not depend upon my feelings; they rest upon His integrity.
—R.C. Sproul
But God's promises do not depend upon my feelings; they rest upon His integrity.
—R.C. Sproul
We know that Sunday is coming, but don’t brush past this time—take the opportunity to dwell in the waiting, the sadness, the pain of Friday and Saturday.
Use this day to meditate on His death, on our sin, and on the wrath of God poured out upon Christ as the propitiation for us. He took the gruesome death that we rightly deserved for our wickedness.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me, a sinner.
Use this day to meditate on His death, on our sin, and on the wrath of God poured out upon Christ as the propitiation for us. He took the gruesome death that we rightly deserved for our wickedness.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me, a sinner.
Mark 16:2-6
And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large.
And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed.
And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.
He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.
And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large.
And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed.
And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.
He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.
James 1:2-12
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
__________________
“Count it all joy”: This is command-level Godliness. Joy is not a feeling—it’s a posture. Trials are not aberrations. They’re God’s training grounds for dominion.
“Testing of your faith produces steadfastness”:
God doesn’t want soft, weak faith; He forges steel-spined men.
Wisdom is not about intellect—it’s gameness, war-readiness. God gives it generously, but only to loyal men, not double-minded cowards.
The crown of life is His reward for loyalty under trial. The crown is not for theorizers, but victors.
What’s the takeaway?
Don’t whine about your trials. Conquer them. Weak men flee pain, Godly men embrace it as God’s discipline to His sons (Heb. 12).
Masculinity is the ability to endure hardship without compromise. Men, train your sons (and yourselves) to love difficulty and laugh at fear.
The double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. Instability in men is not a kind of mere unreliability, but it is fundamentally dangerous.
Do you use trials for their God-given ends—your steadfastness? Do they produce a steel in your spine, forged in the crucible of challenge and difficulty?
Rejoice in all things, that you may grow in wisdom, in steadfastness; that you may be made complete, and receive the crown for your works.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
__________________
“Count it all joy”: This is command-level Godliness. Joy is not a feeling—it’s a posture. Trials are not aberrations. They’re God’s training grounds for dominion.
“Testing of your faith produces steadfastness”:
God doesn’t want soft, weak faith; He forges steel-spined men.
Wisdom is not about intellect—it’s gameness, war-readiness. God gives it generously, but only to loyal men, not double-minded cowards.
The crown of life is His reward for loyalty under trial. The crown is not for theorizers, but victors.
What’s the takeaway?
Don’t whine about your trials. Conquer them. Weak men flee pain, Godly men embrace it as God’s discipline to His sons (Heb. 12).
Masculinity is the ability to endure hardship without compromise. Men, train your sons (and yourselves) to love difficulty and laugh at fear.
The double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. Instability in men is not a kind of mere unreliability, but it is fundamentally dangerous.
Do you use trials for their God-given ends—your steadfastness? Do they produce a steel in your spine, forged in the crucible of challenge and difficulty?
Rejoice in all things, that you may grow in wisdom, in steadfastness; that you may be made complete, and receive the crown for your works.
After the sinner has offended God, the enemy, by placing before his eyes the terror of divine justice, tempts him to despair; but before he sins, the devil encourages him to sin with the hope of mercy.
—Augustine
—Augustine