David Mathis

Minneapolis

Senior teacher and Executive editor at Desiring God

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Articles

He Dared to Ride a Donkey: The Prophetic Riddle of Palm Sunday

1 week ago | desiringgod.org | David Mathis

Jesus dared to ride a donkey into Jerusalem. We might be so familiar with Palm Sunday that we overlook what an audacious move this was. Don’t let the palm branches distract you. The point of the greenery is the man lifted up on the back of the beast. Along with clearing the temple with a whip, this was one of the most provocative steps Jesus took on the road to Calvary. All four Gospels make clear that riding the donkey was Jesus’s own idea (Matthew 21:1–2; Mark 11:1–2; Luke 19:29–30; John 12:14).
God of Holy Laughter

3 weeks ago | desiringgod.org | David Mathis

You can hear it in the sunrise. You sense it in the majesty of the mountains. You find it in the ceaseless gurgling of a stream, or the continuous crash of a waterfall. And if you have ears to hear, you catch it in the cries of the wicked, ensnared in their own devices. And you perceive it in the praises of the righteous, rejoicing in their Redeemer and his perfectly timed rescue. It’s the laughter of God. Yes, he laughs. Oh, how he does. “He who sits in the heavens laughs” (Psalm 2:4).
Glorious, Obvious Difference: The Complementary Souls of Men and Women

1 month ago | desiringgod.org | David Mathis

My wife and I knew we were different when we got married, even though public school hadn’t helped us much on that front. Our 1990s and early 2000s society tried to take the edge off our sense of difference, but still we knew. Clearly our bodies, as male and female, were different. And our instincts, while complementary, plainly differed. Of course, we had differing life experiences and families of origin, and so we exhibited the typical variances between any two humans.
Give Me More of God: ‘Habits of Grace’ for the Hungry

2 months ago | desiringgod.org | David Mathis

Audio TranscriptLet’s start off there in Isaiah 55. I want this to set the tone for our whole approach. I don’t know what kind of approach you bring to the spiritual disciplines. I want to bring an Isaiah 55 approach, which I think is not a one-time approach. I think it’s a lifetime approach of these habits of grace (or means of grace or spiritual disciplines). I would love to spend the whole time on Isaiah 55. That’s the plan tomorrow at a church in Pepperell, Massachusetts.
No One’s Born to Preach: The Myth and Truth of Pulpit ‘Gifting’

2 months ago | desiringgod.org | David Mathis

This article is for young men who aspire to preach but doubt their own abilities. I have in mind men who have discovered that good preaching has changed their lives and fed their souls. Miraculously, you — one who was born in sin — have come to love the word of God, and the gospel of Christ, and the preached word, and in you is a growing desire to preach it yourself. But you’re not sure. You may even have serious doubts. Are you “gifted” to do the work of preaching?
Awe with Audacity: The Spirit of Christian Prayer

Jan 7, 2025 | desiringgod.org | David Mathis

He helps the soul to approach with confidence, and yet with reverence; with filial fear, and yet with an emboldened faith; with zeal and importunity, and yet with humble submission; with lively hope, and yet with self-denial. —David Clarkson (1622–1686)Imagine Esther. She stands at the door to the king’s inner court. She has not been invited into his presence. She hesitates, knowing the fateful step to follow.
Light and Warmth in Winter: Three Glories of His Advent

Dec 3, 2024 | desiringgod.org | David Mathis

Advent gets me through the winter. Now, the Minnesota winters are nothing to trifle with. They can last a full four months, sometimes five. Before long, these winters feel like half the year. Yet even as a South Carolina native, I endure them well enough with the help of a good Advent. The light and warmth of a Christian December go a long way in taking the edge off these long, dark, cruel winters. Before long, it’s January. Yes, two frigid months still lie ahead.
Love the Church Like Jesus

Oct 31, 2024 | desiringgod.org | David Mathis

Love the Church Like Jesus Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her . . . so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:25–27)Imagine you see a bride early on the morning of her wedding day — and she is a mess.
First Up: Get Your Soul Happy in God

Oct 22, 2024 | desiringgod.org | David Mathis

I wake up hungry every morning. So do you. We may or may not awake with empty stomachs, but deeper down, our souls growl ferociously. However much we try to satisfy that hunger elsewhere, and however many live in denial, God made our souls to hunger for him, and feed on him. We want when we awake — and want and want and want. Some turn immediately to breakfast. Others dive right into an electronic device or screen. Some roll over and try to wrestle a little more joy from sleep. Yet the hunger remains.
What Does It Mean for a Man to Manage His Own Household “Well”?

Oct 20, 2024 | crossway.org | David Mathis |Adam Griffin |Matt Chandler |Ajith Fernando

What Does “Well” Mean? He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? (1 Tim. 3:4–5)What does it mean for a man to manage his household “well”? Oh, the apostolic brilliance of that qualifier. To some, it may sound like a low bar. Just “well”? To them, well may seem like welcomed leniency. To others, however, this is a glimpse of grace and a reason for hope.