Picking up your cross is not popular. This world talks about everything but the cross of Christ. Even Christians would like to take the good and easy parts of the gospel and leave the tough ones out. We all would just like to hear about God’s love and leave the carrying your cross part for others. Francois Fenelon asks us a hard question: “He asks nothing but death, and you desire nothing but life. How can you put up to…
Is your faith an accessory or an addition to your life? Or is it the foundation of your life? Too often we push God and his will in the corner. Faith is nice and God makes us feel good but we leave it there. We go on with out lives without God and radical faith. “These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words…
Do you have people telling you to splurge just because life is short? That the purpose of life is “to live a little, to enjoy luxury items, to get more toys, to have been there and done that”? “Because life is short and we live only once…why not to enjoy while we can?” That kind of talk leaves me confused. How about you? That kind of talk tells about emptiness and how utterly lost people can be. If we think…
How is your salvation-garden doing? I never thought of it this way before but reading the first chapter of James in the Message got me thinking. What if our lives really were meant to be salvation-gardens cultivated by God? Are we hindering God’s work? Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God’s righteousness doesn’t grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled…
The way to life – to God! – has been given to us in Jesus. The empty cross is a sign of victory over death and sin and brokenness. We are saved and guided to the way of Life by grace through faith in Jesus. We are not to look for shortcuts to God. There sure are plenty of empty promises floating around: quick answers, easygoing formulas for success and happiness. But those are not directing us to the way…
Our spiritual eyes need to be kept on Jesus. That is the only way we can be sure we are on the right path. Jesus is the key for worth while living. I know it sounds crazy for many but that’s the bottom line of faith. Jesus doesn’t only save us but gives us meaning, purpose, and direction. Once you’ve experienced the peace and love God is pouring out on you there’s no other way. The visible world really is…
Do you remember the Rubiks’s cube? Or “magic cube” as they also called it? Did you ever solve it? It felt it was impossible to solve it. Just like the problems we face in every day life, they seem impossible. But that’s just how they look from our perspective. We can’t see in the future. We don’t know how things are interconnected. We don’t have magic powers. Still we are not to give up! Angel Gabriel told Mary: “And did…
Waiting on God is hard. But I have learned that it is wise to wait for God’s timing. I have also learned that God’s word is truly trustworthy. God does not break his promises. God can’t break his word. Because he is God. When God made his promise to Abraham, he backed it to the hilt, putting his own reputation on the line. He said, “I promise that I’ll bless you with everything I have—bless and bless and bless!” Abraham…
What does make you tick? What is the driving force in your life? Who is the chief energizer of your activity? It does matter what we choose and how we live our lives. Like A.W. Tozer has said “No matter what a man does, no matter how successful he seems to be in any field, if the Holy Spirit is not the chief energizer of his activity, it will all fall apart when he dies.” Life is short and without…
This blog post is dedicated to my soul sister, sweet friend Candice. This post is based on her favorite Bible verse Galatians 2:20. Abundant blessings to you, sis! What a blessing it is to know you! “We know very well that we are not set right with God by rule-keeping but only through personal faith in Jesus Christ. How do we know? We tried it—and we had the best system of rules the world has ever seen! Convinced that no…
