Written by: April J. Buchanan “Faithful men finishing well is a demonstration of God’s sustaining grace, not the merit of the man.” ~ R. C. Sproul Earlier this week, I heard Tom Pennington’s tribute to John MacArthur. While truly beautiful, I was profoundly encouraged when he said, “We needed to see one who finished well.”…

Written by: April J. Buchanan “We do not pray to change God’s mind, but to be conformed to His eternal, perfect purpose.” ~ John Owen Some would foolishly say that they cannot pray that God’s will be done, because to do so, they believe, is a lack of faith. Is it ignorance of who God…

Written by: April J. Buchanan “True religion is not a fanciful zeal, but a heart turned to God in truth and obedience.” ~ Richard Sibbes Do I hate what sins my own betray my Lord, or do I merely hate their hindrances to my desires I think myself now to deserve, and to give me…

Written by: April J. Buchanan “The Word is the field in which Christ, the pearl of price, is hidden. Oh, then, search this field! Study the Scriptures. There is no danger of digging too deep here.” ~ Thomas Watson Do yourself a favor. Pull up one of your pastors sermons. This may prove especially challenging…

Written by: April J. Buchanan “The main trouble in the church today is that people are not interested in the truth. They are only interested in experiences.” ~ Martyn Lloyd-Jones You can’t deny that she has a way with words. She grabbed you and drew you in less than a full sentence. As you read…

Written by: April J. Buchanan “Our hope is not in our ability to persuade, but in the power of God to regenerate.” ~ Martyn Lloyd-Jones If I look to my family for the hope of their salvation, I will grieve and torment my own soul day and night. If I look to myself—my intellect, my…

Written by: April J. Buchanan “God spoke into nothing and there was something. We cannot, by our speaking, bring anything into existence. We are creatures, not the Creator.” ~ R. C. Sproul Why is it almost daily in my newsfeed the subtle, deceptive teaching of the power of your words and speaking life or death?…

Written by: April J. Buchanan “You have not been called to succeed, you have been called to obey.” ~ J. I. Packer I once shared the Gospel—or more often than not a seeker-sensitive version of it, and on the rare occasion a faithful proclamation of it—with great hope that the hearer would be convinced and…

Written by: April J. Buchanan “Without meditation, the truth of God will not stay with us; the heart is hard, and the memory slippery, and without meditation all is lost. Meditation imprints and fastens a truth in the mind.” ~ Thomas Watson Without meditation upon the truth, it is no better than seeking an exciting…

Written by: April J. Buchanan “True wisdom is not merely speculative, but practical. The end of it is to guide us in the way of holiness.” ~ Jonathan Edwards Prayer is not a means of avoiding responsibility and coasting to the end. Sometimes our prayers sound more like we want everything to happen with such…