You have a place in God’s plans. Yes, God is calling you to enter deeper into his grace. God is calling you into a full partnership with him. How do I know this? Just by reading the Bible. Every follower of Christ is called to make disciples and serve the body of Christ. Not just pastors! Every single follower is called to partner with God. Malcolm Smith has said “We have one function in life: to be the manifestors of…
So you are a Christian, saved by grace through Christ. What now? We have not been left alone to wander through life. God is alive and active! Christ operates through his followers. The Holy Spirit encourages us to live God’s words in our lives. So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front…
What does following Jesus really mean? Sure, it means we’re saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and for that we give thanks to God! But how is God calling you to follow? Because God loves and calls each and everyone of use uniquely, taking into consideration our personality and life experiences. We are not just a bunch of people to God. We are individuals with needs, desires, and dreams. We are God’s children with whom he wants to…
Self-control has always been the spiritual fruit that has intimated me. Somehow it has felt like a court order, a requirement that I could never meet. Then I read about the nine spiritual fruits in the Message and I had a revelation that has changed my approach to self-control, the ninth spiritual fruit found in Galatians 5:22-24. But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an…
The empty tomb on the Easter morning is a terrific symbol of Christianity. The tomb was opened so we could get in to see that Christ was risen. Christ did not need the tomb to be opened for him to get out. All the time God helps us to see the power of the resurrection. We have a mighty powerful God! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! God has prepared us the way back to him in Jesus….
The English-speaking world calls the day Jesus was crucified Good Friday. The same day is called “Long Friday” in Finnish. The Finnish version emphasizes the long hours on the cross. The English version emphasizes the outcome of the crucifixion of Jesus. Either way it is because of us that Jesus was crucified. It is pretty hard to admit that we are such sinners that without the sacrifice of Jesus we would never have an access back to God. It is…
During this Holy Week I’ve been reading The Sacred Meal by Nora Gallagher. This is a book in the Ancient Practices series published by Thomas Nelson. The Sacred Meal is about the practice of Holy Communion. What makes this book special is the writing style of Nora Gallagher. Reading the book feels like sitting at a coffee shop with a good friend and comparing notes on the Lord’s Supper. The book is not a theological reference book but a conversational…
Throughout this season of Lent I’ve been trying to ready myself for Easter joy by praying, fasting, and listening to God. Today I will share the biggest repentance trigger of my Bible readings this Lent. Does this speak to you as loud as it did for me? Then Jesus went with them to a garden called Gethsemane and told his disciples, “Stay here while I go over there and pray.” Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he…
Melodic Monday reflects on How Deep the Father’s Love (by Phillips, Craig, and Dean). What a powerful song! What a powerful love! What a powerful salvation story! That God would give his only son to make a wretch his treasure! The song points out so well that it was OUR sin why Jesus suffered on the cross. It is OUR voice that is mocking God. We deserve death and we get resurrection instead! All because of Christ Jesus! Hallelujah! Let’s…
Do you let Jesus carry your burdens? Or do you still carry them on your own? Is your faith only intellectual or have you really let Jesus rule your heart? Do you trust Jesus to carry your burdens? Do you let Christ serve you, give you true freedom? Or do you still suffer alone? But the fact is, it was our pains he carried— our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that…
