This year we have examined joyful endurance, and for obvious reasons we have spent a lot of time examining joy. But the question arises: are there times when joy is not preferable? Are there times where joy is inappropriate or not helpful? To examine this, let’s look at Ecclesiastes 7:1-6...

A while back, I watched a video about a woman explaining why she left her husband. He did not cheat on her. He was not abusive. She left him because he was “boring,” and she felt she could “do better.” Apparently, after a year of trying to catch a “higher value man” she was left lonely and depressed, aware now that the husband she threw away was actually a really good husband, even though he was not “exciting.” This is sadly common among both husbands and wives...

One of the unpleasant facts about evangelism is that sometimes people will reject the gospel. That is not the outcome we want, nor the outcome we expect, but it is a possibility. For many people, that fact will send them into a spiral of negativity. They might think “why even try if the effort will be worthless?” However, if we don’t try, then the gospel will never be spread...

Have you ever paused to consider how remarkable it is that God would place the work of sharing the Gospel into human hands? He entrusted mankind with carrying forward the mission begun by His Holy Son—the teaching of the Gospel to the world (Matt. 28:19–20). It pleased Him that our involvement would be essential to the praise of His glory (Eph. 1:12)...