Ask Pastor John
John Piper answering tough theological and pastoral questions.
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- 385You Don’t Need More Self-LoveJesus’s command to love our neighbors as we love ourselves isn’t a call to raise our self-esteem. It’s a charge to seek others’ good in the same way we seek our own.
- 386How Do We Prepare for the Second Coming?We know from the New Testament that Jesus will return in power and glory. What can we do to prepare ourselves for that long-expected day?
- 387Ingredients for a Theology of FeastingThe Bible talks a lot about feasting — far more than about fasting, in fact. So what is feasting, and how might we enjoy it in our Christian lives?
- 388Parenting Through a Family CrisisIf we’re going to parent well through family troubles, we need to know, first, that our own sin is our worst problem, and second, that Jesus’s blood covers it all.
- 389Has God Abandoned Me?God has promised never to leave us or forsake his people. So how do we respond when it feels like he has?
- 390Are Non-Christian Marriages Valid in God’s Eyes?God made marriage to picture the relationship of Christ and his church. Does it follow that a marriage between an unbelieving man and woman is illegitimate?
- 391Five Ways Pastors FailCountless pastors carry out their ministries faithfully — and some abuse their position and cause many to stumble. What does God have to say to hypocritical pastors?
- 392How Do We ‘Dwell in the Shelter of the Most High’?Psalm 91 offers spectacular promises for the one who “dwells in the shelter of the Most High.” What does dwelling in the shelter of God mean for us today?
- 393Reckoning with the Message of JobUntil we begin to grasp the infinite worth of God, and the horrific evil of sin, much of the Bible will make no sense — including a book like Job.
- 394Would I Trust Jesus More If I Had Seen Him?Many wish they could have seen Jesus in person as he walked on the earth. But to have the four Gospels is even better than being there.
- 395Is Stress Making Me More Holy or More Sinful?Life’s pressures have a way of exposing hidden sins and introducing new temptations. So how do we know if pressure is making us more holy or more sinful?
- 396How Do You Find Meaning in the Bible’s Narratives?Whether Old Testament or New Testament, stories fill the pages of Scripture. How can we begin to discover God’s meaning in the Bible’s narratives?
- 397Finding a Life of Gospel BoldnessThe boldest people in the world are those who can look into the face of God, in all of his holiness and power, and know that he is for them in Christ.
- 398The Church’s Calling in an Age of Recreational PotFifteen states have now legalized the recreational use of marijuana. What message might God be sending to the church in an age of legal pot?
- 399Why Did God Make Me Unattractive?Few of us feel as attractive as we would like, and some of us feel downright ugly. Why does God allow such unattractiveness in a world that prizes physical beauty?
- 400How to Find More Joy in GodJoy in God was never meant to be a solitary pursuit. Joy sends us out to serve — and serving fills us up with joy.
- 401Does God Command Our Praise for His Sake or Ours?Pleasure in God is not complete unless it overflows in praise to God. And praise to God is not sincere unless it overflows from pleasure in God.
- 402On Cigarettes, Vaping, and NicotineDespite the warnings, cigarette smoking and other forms of nicotine use persist. How concerned should parents be about whether their teens smoke, chew, or vape?
- 403One Day Tolerance Will EndWe live in the day of salvation, the day of patience, the day of tolerance. But when Jesus returns, that day will end forever.
- 404Is Complementarity Merely Functional?Are God’s callings for men and women merely functional and practical, or do they flow from something deeper in his design?
- 405Parenting Young Children Through Life’s PainsWhen suffering overshadows the life of a family, how can parents help their children embrace God’s all-good, all-wise, all-governing providence?
- 406Only Jesus Knows the Full Force of TemptationJesus never lied, stole, coveted, grumbled, lusted, or sinned in any other way. And that means Jesus alone knows the full force of temptation.
- 407Is Violent Crime Under God’s Providence?When we don’t understand God and his ways, we can still rest here: God is always totally sovereign, and God is always infinitely good.
- 408How Can I Serve My Disabled Friends?Jesus healed people with deep, lifelong disabilities. So should we pray that he would heal loved ones with disabilities like Down syndrome or cerebral palsy?
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