Each week I intentionally read various articles and some Twitter feeds to put together a list of posts for our readers. Enjoy! And let learning be an adventure for the glory of God!

Let’s begin with an excellent exchange. Target put’s “You’re enough”, read the responses.

Why Does Postmil Ruffle Feathers?

What Is Providence?

This article is soooo informative and helpful. Excerpt: “One of the oldest sayings of the ancient church summarizes the essence of the relationship between God and His people: Deus pro nobis. It means “God for us.” That is what the doctrine of providence is all about. It is God’s being for His people. “What then shall we say to these things?” Paul asks. If God is for us, who can be against us, and who can separate us from the love of Christ? Is it going to be distress, peril, the sword, persecution, suffering, sickness, or human hostility? Paul is saying that no matter what we have to endure in this world as Christians, nothing has the power to sever the relationship we have to a loving and sovereign providence.

The word providence is made up of a prefix and a root. The root comes from the Latin videre, from which we get the English word video. Julius Caesar famously said, “Veni, vidi, vici“—”I came, I saw, I conquered.” The vidi in that statement, “I saw,” comes from videre, which means “to see.” That is why we call television “video.” The Latin word provideo, from which we get our word providence, means “to see beforehand, a prior seeing, a foresight.” However, theologians make a distinction between the foreknowledge of God and the providence of God. Even though the word providence means the same thing etymologically as the word foreknowledge, the concept covers significantly more ground than the idea of foreknowledge. In fact, the closest thing to this Latin word in our language is the word provision.

Consider what the Bible says about the responsibility of the head of a family:

“If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Tim. 5:8). The responsibility is given to the head of the household to be the one who provides and makes provision; that is, that person has to know in advance what the family is going to need in terms of the essentials of life, then meet those needs. When Jesus said, “Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on” (Matt. 6:25), He was not advocating a careless approach to life. He was talking about anxiety. We are not to be frightened; we are to put our trust in the God who will meet our needs. At the same time, God entrusts a responsibility to heads of households to be provident, that is, to consider tomorrow and to make sure there is food and clothing for the family.

The first time we find the word providence in the Old Testament is in the narrative of Abraham’s offering of Isaac upon the altar. God called Abraham to take his son Isaac, whom he loved, to a mountain and offer him as a sacrifice. Quite naturally, Abraham anguished under a great internal struggle with God’s command, and as Abraham prepared to obey, Isaac asked him, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” (Gen. 22:7). Abraham replied, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son” (v. 8). Abraham spoke here of Jehovah jireh, “God will provide.” That is the first time the Bible speaks of God’s providence, which has to do with God’s making a provision for our needs. And of course, this passage looks forward to the ultimate provision He has made by virtue of His divine sovereignty, the supreme Lamb who was sacrificed on our behalf.

Because it isn’t making it on the news:

Samuel Sey @SlowToWrite

For so many reasons, this is an emotional and encouraging day. I’m happy to join the rest of my countrymen to support. #FreedomConvoyCanada.

January 27th 2022

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Doug Wilson makes an apt observation:

How the “Woke” Military Ignores Trauma

This video was sent to me by a military veteran and pastor. I think it maybe helpful to some. Highlight statements: Over 70 percent experience an acute trauma in life. You're not broken. You’re experience may be. Trauma in your life doesn't give you an excuse to act badly. Drama mocks real trauma. Policy decisions have real implications.

An Unlikely Masterpiece

We enjoyed this article on disability via Answers in Genesis. Stacia McKeever’s testimony: “We serve a God who gives grace for every day and every situation. Disability and suffering show us very quickly that we cannot rely on ourselves and that we desperately need the Holy Spirit to work in our lives to bring comfort, strength, wisdom, and all his fruit. These difficulties can lead us to a deeper relationship with our Savior and his Word as we depend on him. Even in disability, God is working to conform us to the image of his Son. When we gloss over the hard parts of disability, we aren’t being honest about real life in a cursed, fallen world, and we can’t accurately minister to others who find themselves in these difficult situations. Paul was honest about what he was going through; he pointed to God, and he invited fellow believers to share in what he was going through so that others will see “the works of God” and praise the Lord.” (emphasis in bold mine) An additional note: We came across this aforementioned article reading another where it stated that many people who get tests on disability along the way of pregnancy and are said they are going to be disabled, but 85% are not born disabled. I.e. 85% of genetic testing in pregnancy is wrong! This article above is helpful in realizing it doesn’t matter, God creates with a purpose. Does it really need to be known ahead of time? Why the testing if they are not pushing for abortion? Many are. Something to ponder indeed.

The best thing to ponder…

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8 ESV)