Many men today aren’t quite sure how to feel about relationships with other men.

'As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.'

No matter how much we seem to be surrounded by foes now, we will see the enemy run. No matter how inevitable defeat may appear, we will see the victory come. This we know: God’s ways are higher than ours, and in our hardest moments here and now, Jesus is unfailing.

'We’ll be here and eventually the earth will be transformed into a new heaven and a new earth and we, with risen bodies, will live forever in his presence.'

This is an important enemy to study, understand, and battle with all our might. Wielding these weapons won’t guarantee quick victory but will at least keep us in the thick of the fight.

On the other hand, we can count it all joy. We can catch our first impulse toward annoyance, remember that God is at work in our small trials, and turn our frustrations to prayer.

When he says, “The flesh is weak and the spirit is willing,” he’s not mainly talking about sex. He’s talking about weariness.

'If God commands us to do something, there are good reasons to do it. And power comes from understanding and believing those reasons.'

'If God had not intervened, I would have awoken from my delusion to a lake of fire. I imagined I feasted at the table of grace, drank from the chalice of eternal life, but I was eating garbage and drinking sewer water. I was dreaming, like those described in Isaiah.'

Perseverance through suffering, for Christ’s glory, is the sure pathway to godliness. May our God of grace and kindness grant us his peace, and immerse us in his presence, as we walk that road — and may he remind us both that he walked the road before us and walks it with us now.