This collection of addresses from the 2010 Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology focuses on the ‘last days’—a period that began with the resurrection of Christ and will continue until His return. Specific emphasis is put on the Christian hope amidst this present age of evil. Featuring contributions from a wide range of authors, this book has some strong chapters and others that fall a bit short of the mark, but the overall effort is helpful.

If you reject God in the mundane moments, you will reject Him in the ‘big moments’ of your life. If God doesn’t rule your mundane moments, He doesn’t rule you at all. [175]

Our hope of eternity (and all the glory that is attached to it) is rooted in the historical fact of the physical resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. So it’s not that we’re conjuring up some dreamy, vague hope. Rather, our belief in eternity, our hope for eternity, is a confident expectation of a guaranteed result. [177]

We stand in front of huge closets full of clothes and say, ‘I don’t have a thing to wear!’ We are eating way more than we need to eat and paying the price for it. We have acquired paralyzing debt … and it is time—I say this in pastoral love—that we stopped it. What do we have to offer the world if we are bowing down to their idols with them? [182]

Even a desire for a good thing becomes a bad thing when that desire becomes a ruling principle. My heart must only be ruled by King Christ. [184]

This life is not a destination. It is a preparation for the final destination, so that our faith, though tested, will result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. [191] 

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This book (the transcript of the 2008 Desiring God conference) deals with the role, importance, and usage of words. Exploring the connection between language and the Lordship of Christ is much-needed. The contributors here took some good jabs but couldn’t quite connect on the knockout punch. Each chapter seemed too distant from the others, almost as if the topic was too broad and nebulous to get a bead on. It’s solid, but well short of exceptional.

You have never spoken a neutral word in your life. Your words have direction to them. If your words are moving in the life direction, they will be words of encouragement, hope, love, peace, unity, instruction, wisdom, and correction. But if your words are moving in a death direction, they will be words of anger, malice, slander, jealousy, gossip, division, contempt, racism, violence, judgment, and condemnation. Your words have direction to them. When you hear the word talk you ought to hear something that is high and holy and significant and important. [24]

Have you ever said to someone, “Oh, I didn’t mean to say that”? It would be more biblical to say, “Please, forgive me for saying what I meant,” because if it hadn’t first been in your heart, it wouldn’t have come out of your mouth. [30]

It is only when I love God above all else that I will love my neighbor as myself. It’s only when God is in the rightful place in my life that I will treat you with the love that I have received from Him. Brothers and sisters, hear this: you don’t first fix language problems, communication problems, and word problems horizontally; you first fix them vertically. [37]

Love is willing self-sacrifice for the redemptive good of another that doesn’t demand reciprocation or that the person being loved is deserving. [39]

God knew that your need was so pervasive and expansive that He didn’t just forgive you; He literally unzipped you and got inside you by His Spirit so that you have the power to do those things that He calls you to do. Consider this: Jesus is Immanuel not just because He came to earth; Jesus is Immanuel because He has made you the place where He dwells. God has dealt with your powerlessness, not just by giving you insightful commands and principles but by literally giving you Himself. If you are God’s child, He lives inside of you in power and glory, gracing you with what you need to obey His call. [42] 

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