Dear Evangelist,

You have shut fast the door to heaven for me. If the Holy Spirit is the only One who changes me, I have no hope unless He chooses to do so. This gives me no comfort.

Sincerely,
Anxious

Dear Anxious,

That is the charge many make against the doctrine of a sovereign God and His sovereign grace. They say our view of sovereignty bars the doors of heaven and makes them closed but I say to you, that is not true. It is sin that shuts the doors closed and fast! It is your sin, not God’s sovereignty that closes heaven to you. This God that can do whatever He pleases and rules over all things, so pleases to show mercy to sinners. Are you listening? God is so delighted to save you that it provoked Him to give His only Son over to cruel mockers and tormenters. He chose of His own free will to punish Jesus for our sins.

The only free will you need to be concerned with is God’s. Let me tell you about God’s free will, He freely gave His Son. Nobody forced Him to do it. Nobody put any kind of weapon to His head and said “Do it or else…” No, friend. He did it willingly and lovingly. The Bible states that God has opened the doors of His Kingdom and He bids all to come, every last one of you.

If you’re not a Christian today it is not God’s fault, it’s your fault.

Sincerely,
Evangelist

By Ben Morrow

I am often brought back to the concept Jesus gives us in the book of Matthew regarding God’s relationship to us as our Father. Jesus asks,

Which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! -Matthew 7:9-11

Jesus tells us that, as God’s children, we will receive what we need when we ask. But He also appeals to a larger truth—one that is simple to grasp, yet infinitely profound. That truth is this: The Father knows how to be a perfect Father to His children.

Being a dad has been one of the greatest joys of my life.

As a couple in our mid-thirties, my wife and I were settled on the idea that God had blessed us with two boys. To our surprise, the Lord wasn’t finished. Baby number three came to us a year ago, in the form of a little girl.

I wasn’t prepared for the difference baby Zoe immediately brought to our family. As much as I love my boys, having a girl awakened all sorts of fatherly instincts and feelings that I wasn’t aware of with boys alone.

I find myself watching her as she sleeps or as she plays with her brothers thinking that I would die for that girl. For each one of my kids. I would sacrifice whatever I needed to in order to give them what they need to survive, to flourish, to know God for themselves, and to live fruitful lives for his glory.

And then the principle returns to my mind: If I, being evil, feel this way about my children, how much greater does my Father in heaven love me?

Father’s Day has always been one of my favorite days on the calendar.

This year was a much different experience, however. This year my own dad passed away about a month before Father’s Day.

I am blessed to say I had a wonderful relationship with my dad. Michael Morrow was my mentor, my pastor, my hero, and my friend. In my adult years, he was my first phone call when I had a question, whether it was about theology, politics, or the vehicle I was looking to buy. Even now I have to stop myself from reaching for the phone to run new life events by him.

Dad was my model for what a godly father looked like. I often look at interactions with my own children and filter conversations through previous similar exchanges I had with my dad in my own youth.

In this phase of life, where I find myself remembering my own father while functioning in that role for three children, I continue to discover deeper meanings of fatherhood. The practical application of passages like Deuteronomy 6:4-9 constantly show themselves as new teaching moments for me.   

Moses wrote: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

The Apostle Paul’s instruction to the Ephesian church was simply a summary of the Deuteronomy passage. Paul wrote:

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord -Ephesians 6:4

I look back on the phase of life where my parents faithfully raised me “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord,” and I am grateful to see how that Deuteronomy passage played out. My father was faithful to teach God’s Word diligently to me and my siblings, to talk of the Lord and His ways, and to emphasize Christ in all things. That is the legacy and example he left for me as a father.

When I find myself in those moments feeling overwhelming love and compassion for my kids, the most loving thing I can do for them is something that also happens to be an impossibility for me on my own—to consistently model Christ and point them to the Savior in all things, day by day.

I am learning a valuable lesson as a dad.

We are not guiding our children toward a harsh taskmaster. We have the privilege of introducing our kids to a Father who has the infinite ability to love them in far greater way than we could possibly imagine.

My capacity as a father does not come from a superhuman ability I have to be holy in front of my children. Any faithfulness for me rests in looking to my own heavenly Father for daily help. Some of the good gifts He gives to His children are the strength to walk in His Spirit, to learn of Him, to enjoy His presence, and to know His love for ourselves. As we know and experience His overwhelming love, He shares His love through us to others, especially our children.

The love for my kids reaches me to that deepest part of my soul that is most real, tangible, sacrificial, and emotional. And if I, being evil, feel this way, how much more does our Father in heaven? The answer to that is something I plan to spend forever discovering with my dad and with my children.

For more articles and content like this, check out the free RTM Magazine on iPhone, iPad, Android, or on the web.

The Apostle Paul said “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.”

Each Christian is a part of a collection of connected parts that Christ has joined together to make His body. Life was designed to live with others in deeply formed relationships. But several factors resist relationship building, not only in the church, but also in marriage, parents and children, neighbors, etc.

Our very culture opposes serious commitment to relationships because it does not allow the time required to cultivate real-life associations. Therefore, you have to swim against the current of your environment to experience the power of genuine relationships. You have to put forth effort in spite of the resistance.

This is so important to the kingdom of God and its advancement. The Great Commission requires it, since we cannot make disciples without serious relationship building.

That is why we have committed the September/October edition of the RTM Magazine to the subject of relationships. We are especially delighted to bring to you an interview with Ray and Jani Ortlund discussing their marriage. The Ortlund name is well-known in the evangelical world starting with Ray Ortlund Sr. His son, Ray, is Pastor at Immanuel Church in Nashville, Tenn. He also serves as President of Renewal Ministries, Regional Director in the Acts 29 Network, and Council Member of The Gospel Coalition. You will be extremely helped by this interview.

I want to express my joy in the relationship we have with you, dear reader.

Although, we do not personally know the many who read this magazine, we nonetheless feel a connection. We want to invest in our relationship with you by giving you biblically sound and edifying material. How can you invest in us? By praying for us; by lifting this ministry to God in prayer. Your prayers for us are not superficial but instrumental for the execution of the will of God in us. Thank you for your commitment to this ministry.

Read for free on iPhone, iPad, Android, or on the web.

The September/October RTM Magazine is all about the Gospel and relationships.

Interactive content includes articles about marriage, parenting, listening, relating to God in a smart phone society, and our desire to fix people.

Find these stories and other helpful resources in the new {free} RTM Magazine.