All children of God are all called to grow into spiritual maturity. We are called to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. We are called to grow up in Christ. How is your spiritual growing up process going? “In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.” (Matthew 5:48, MSG,*) The key ingredient in the…
Are you missing God in your life? Good for you, it’s the Holy Spirit at work in you, wooing you back. God is always there but, sure, we can choose to ignore him or the world can lure us away. But there’s no wholeness or profound well-being without God. O God, You are my God; with deepest longing I will seek You; My soul [my life, my very self] thirsts for You, my flesh longs and sighs for You, In a…
Are you stressed out? Does a quiet retreat sound good? Are you looking for a get away in the midst of chaos? Make sure you’re not looking for peace in wrong places. C.S. Lewis reminds us “God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.” There’s no peace without Jesus. No matter what the world says. I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have…
Do you think you are a good enough person without any need for a Savior? That’s what the world keeps telling you. Don’t buy it. The Bible tells us differently. First of all: you surely are precious. But, second of all, you also are a sinner just like the rest of us. You do need a Savior. Don’t be deceived. I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of…
We are called to be one in Christ…but we are not succeeding very well, are we? Living in unity seems like a balancing act sometimes. How can we who are so different live in harmony? How can we respect everyone and allow each other freedom in Christ? These are the questions I’ve been mulling over lately. Blessedly I learned five things about how to walk in love from Romans 14:13-23. 1) We need to stop criticizing at once. Everyone we…
Are you in the process of becoming alive? Or do you insist staying the way you’ve always been? This C. S. Lewis quote captured my attention and refueled my Biblical imagination today. How about you? Imagine turning a tin soldier into a real little man. It would involve turning the tin into flesh. And suppose the tin soldier did not like it. He is not interested in flesh; all he sees is that the tin is being spoiled. He thinks…
Are you blaming God for your difficulties? Or are you angry at God for letting you suffer? I have news for you. It’s natural but not Biblical to think life, even for a follower of Christ, should be smooth sailing. The Bible does not promise life without difficulties or give an exempt for suffering. Actually, we are promised quite the opposite. I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have[perfect] peace. In the world you have…
How do you live out your faith in your every day life? What do you do daily to feed your faith? Do you have some daily faith practices? Or are you asking why you should practice your faith daily? Well, Jesus taught us to pray for our daily bread (Matthew 6:11, AMP). And that’s not just bread we are talking about here. It’s anything and everything we need in our lives. Daily prayer helps us to remember we truly are dependent…
One of the best things about Christianity is that we are not just saved, made right with God but we are also made whole. Wholeness is something everyone in the world wants. We want to feel complete. We want our lives to be wholesome. We want to be happy, whole, and peaceful. The way to wholeness is available for us in Christ. But only in Christ. But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore…
What can we learn from the temptations of Jesus? Or are they inapplicable in today’s world? Sure, it is not just about big temptations, it’s about our daily choices. It’s about putting God first in everything. [My thoughts here on Matthew 4: 1-11 are inspired by Eugene H. Peterson’s sermon notes found in Conversations – the Message with its translator.] The core of the temptations is to put something else first in our lives and God second. The things can be…
