Sweet and Sour

When a housewife theologian goes to a conference, she has a lot of catch-up to do when she gets home. Thankfully, I have a wonderful husband who makes these opportunities possible for me in the first place. I think I came home to a cleaner house than I left. But aside from the ever-changing drama in my kid's lives that I needed to catch up on, the restocking of groceries, and the various other ends that needed tied, I also hoped to have time to reflect on all that was said at this year's Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology. The speakers were outstanding, and so I thought I would share some of the encouragement and instruction that I gleaned. Derek Thomas kicked off the preconference with an opening Bible study on Rev. 10. Thomas points out that we are given some clues, particularly in his body language, that the mighty angel introduced in this section is the Lord.He set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land (v. 2). Here we have a picture of a sovereign God who is in control. He holds a scroll, indicating that his providence for "today and tomorrow are in his hands." This sovereign power and the details of the Lord's plans are a mystery to us. And yet, Thomas encourages that one day God's plan for this age will be finished, it will unfold. But John cannot write down what he has heard. Thomas reminded us that "we are pilgrims meant to live in faith and dependence on the Lord," saying, "God is our interpreter and he will make it plain." Isn't this one of the hardest truths for a Christian? We want to know and understand before we obey. Read more about the sweet and sour of the Christian life, and Derek Thomas's bold countdown of Christ's return here.