Sometimes the commentaries I read aren't overly helpful. It's not that I'm brilliant, it's just that some commentaries state obvious things. Other commentaries discuss matters not overly pertinent to the interpretation or application of the text. But typically I appreciate John Stott's commentaries. They are clear and concise. They are thought-provoking. And they explain the …
Contentment, Prosperity, and God’s Glory
I’m grateful to the folks at Cross Focused Reviews and Reformation Heritage Books for the opportunity to review Jeremiah Burroughs’ Contentment, Prosperity, and God’s Glory for this week’s blog tour. In case you haven’t heard of him, Burroughs (d. 1646) was a great Puritan preacher-theologian and a member of the Westminster Assembly. He is probably …
Consuming, Coveting…Contentment?
I love this book: Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire by William Cavanaugh (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010). I don't have the time to go into it, but I will throw out a quote for today. The context is how consumerism essentially detaches people from each other. "The detachment of consumerism is also a detachment from the things we …
Do Not Love the World… (Bernard)
Around the year 1129 AD St. Bernard of Clairvaux wrote a letter to Alexander, a bishop who was known for his greed and injustice. Among other things, Bernard addressed Alexander's greed. This is worth thinking about today. He said, "[I exhort you] lovingly not to take the glory of the world seriously as something …
The Art and Jewel of Contentment
Working through Burrough's Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment has been a great exercise. I'm not quite finished with it, but so far I've been making many little notes based on Burrough's wisdom. There are some aspects of it I probably wouldn't capitalize on, but others I am trying to etch in my memory and on my …
The Reformed Reader Blog 