Chalmers' Blog

Saturday Snippets (February 15)

As well as reading a lot of books, I also read a ton of articles every week. Here are some of the articles that I’ve read recently and have found interesting, helpful, challenging and encouraging. I hope that they will be the same for you, my dear readers…

Does God really love everyone?

I was driving today and in front of me was a car with a bumper sticker that read “Smile – God loves you”. It’s a sentiment that everyone likes the idea of – a loving God in the sky who bestows love on people. If you’ve been around church for any length of time you’ll sometimes hear people speak of God loving everyone. In one sense it is true – God does love everyone. You can’t walk away from the Bible without understanding that. Take for example one of the most famous Bible verses in the world John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

However, you can’t just stop there, there needs to be a follow up question – does God love everybody in the same way? I think the answer to that question must be no. You can’t walk away from passages like Psalm 5:4-5, Psalm 11:5, Malachi 1:1-3a and Romans 1:18-32 (just to mention a few references) and still think that God loves everyone the same. God’s love for everyone cannot be unconditional based on these verses and others like them in Scripture.

Productivity, Doubts, Dead Kings and a Deeper Faith

I love to read, as you have probably already guessed by now. I read almost exclusively Christian material – not because I think it’s wrong to read other material, but simply because I have a lot of books to review and a small number of hours in the day. I read everything from modern day Christian living books, to door-stopping theological books and everything in between. I enjoy reading a wide variety of materials especially to help you, my readers, know what is on the market and what is helpful. Here are some of the books I’ve read recently. Devotional, doctrinal, practical, biblical and commentary – I’m sure there will be something here for you. The main thing with these books, and that I look of in every book, is that the authors intend to inform and encourage Christians in their understanding of the Christian faith, the Bible and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Enjoy!

Saturday Snippets (February 8)

Saturday Snippets (February 1)

Engaging Children’s Books That Point to Jesus

Every now and then I receive a children’s book to review. Obviously, I am not the intended audience and my daughter isn’t even 2 years old. However, I look at these books and still review them. This way, parents, grandparents, friends, and family can know what good books are available. These books will help children be pointed to God. They will learn about Jesus and think about Bible stories. So let me introduce you to five children’s books that have come across my desk recently.

Saturday Snippets (January 25)

Saturday Snippets (January 18)

Rethinking the Rapture: A Biblical Perspective

Some of the most heated theological debates I’ve observed over the years have been about eschatology – the theology of the end times. Some people take their eschatology so seriously. They doubt the salvation of others who disagree with them. Shocking, I know, but I’ve seen it. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been pondering the end times. I’ve focused particularly on the idea of ‘the rapture’. It’s the belief that Christians will suddenly be taken away to be with Christ, leaving everyone else behind. Bold statement from the outset – I do not believe in the rapture.

Enjoying Jesus

The Christian life isn’t always a walk in the park. Sin can cloud our thinking about the things of God. Distractions can rob us of the ability to be in awe of Jesus. Our lack of discipline and devotion can make it seem that the Spirit is not at work in us. I would say most Christians I know would be able to resonate with those sentiments at one point or another in their Christian life. So, how do we combat such a widespread issue in the lives of many Christians? We need to learn to enjoy God more! A few years ago I read Chester’s book ‘Enjoying God’ (check out my review) and I really enjoyed it, I have since given a few copies away and have recommended it too many times to count. Therefore, when I saw ‘Enjoying Jesus’ I knew I had to read it.