BCL Online Picks — November 6, 2025

November 6, 2025/BCL/BCL Online Picks

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.

Finding content worth your time takes time—and we’re here for it. Topics this week include growing in thankfulness, obedience as citizens of earth and heaven, predestination, money, and more!

1. A Life of Thankfulness

As Thanksgiving draws near, it’s easy to speak of gratitude while still wrestling with ingratitude in our hearts. In this Ligonier Ministries devotional, pastor and author Gabriel N.E. Fluhrer points us to Scripture’s two-fold remedy for a thankless spirit—one that lifts our eyes from what we lack to the God who provides. Keeping reading here →

2. Pastors Around the World Apply Romans 13

How do we live faithfully under governments that don’t honor God’s laws? In this Gospel Coalition article by Elliot Clark, pastors from around the world reflect on Romans 13, showing that submission to authority and devotion to Christ are not opposites but callings held together under the rule of our true King. Keeping reading here →

3. 8 Questions About Predestination

Bible passages on predestination aren’t meant to confuse or divide but to comfort believers with God’s sovereign grace. In this Crossway article, pastors and theologians Joel Beeke and Paul Smalley walk through eight common questions about predestination, exploring God’s sovereignty, human responsibility, election, and assurance. Keeping reading here →

4. The Failures of King David as a Father: Passivity

Even a “man after God’s own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14) can fail as a father. In this With All Wisdom article, Stephen Salinas reflects on how King David’s passivity toward his children brought lasting pain and why true parental love doesn’t ignore sin but lovingly confronts it, always pointing to the forgiveness found only in Christ. (Many thanks to The Aquila Report for bringing this article to our attention.) Keeping reading here →

5. TULIP and Reformed Theology: Unconditional Election

The five points of Calvinism are often summarized by the acronym TULIP, which traces how salvation rests entirely on God’s sovereign grace from beginning to end. In this Ligonier Ministries article, R. C. Sproul explains the ‘U’—unconditional election—showing how God’s gracious choice in salvation gives believers unshakable assurance and peace. Keeping reading here →

6. The Myth of “Christian America”

Being good citizens of the nation in which we live is part of our Christian duty. Yet our lasting hope rests not in earthly nation-building but in faithful witness to Christ’s eternal kingdom. In this insightful Heidelblog post, historical theologian R. Scott Clark explores the important distinction between the Christian-influenced heritage of America and the covenant between God and ancient Israel in the Old Testament. Keeping reading here →

7. Money, Money, Money

How should Christians view money? In this article from the Ligonier Ministries archives, theologian Gene Edward Veith reframes money not as a master to serve but instead as a means of serving our neighbor through our vocations. He reminds us that our financial decisions should reflect the gospel, not the market, and when we labor, earn, exchange, and spend, we are participating in God’s providential ordering. Keeping reading here →