James 3.13 observes, if you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life,
doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.
Everyone wants wisdom, or at least we always want to make the right decision. Always making the right decision is not really wisdom from God’s perspective. (more…)
Isaiah 7.9 warns, unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm.
When God says He cant, He means He wont. God cant do something because it violates either His character or His commands.
Without faith God warns, it is impossible to please Him therefore those who come to Him must believe He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Our faith is integral to God’s work and presence in and through our lives. (more…)
2 Timothy 2.4 observes, soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.
We should see joining the Church more like joining the military. That’s how the Muslims see it. I’m not advocating for Christianity to become more like Islam, our God is nothing like their god.
The Bible does record God expecting, dare I say requiring, His people to be absolutely surrendered to His will and committed to His cause. (more…)
2 Timothy 1.7-8 explains, God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and
self-discipline. So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord.
A lot of Christians know the first verse but don’t understand its connected to the second verse. The purpose of the promise is to equip Christians for their mission.
The work of God is the bringing of His Kingdom to earth as it is in heaven. Step one is for every knee to bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Savior and Lord of all. (more…)
Mark 12.34 observes, realizing how much the man understood, Jesus said to him, You are not far from
the Kingdom of God.
Knowing and doing are not the same. We inherently know this in our dealings with people, especially family. We know our spouse loves us but sometimes their actions are hurtful. We know our children know what they are to do but they often fail to do what they have been made responsible to do.
On and on it goes in our experience of the gap between knowing and doing, both in our own lives as well as the lives of others. (more…)
1 Thessalonians 1.10 promises, Jesus is the one Who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming
judgment.
Recently I was listening to a man describe why he rejected his Christian upbringing. He served as a soldier in Vietnam and couldn’t understand how a good God could allow so much suffering. He has since become a Muslim. I didn’t understand how switching ‘gods’ helped him especially to one who doesn’t describe himself as love. (more…)
Colossians 1.28 explains, we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.
This verse most succinctly defines the occupation or purpose of every Christian: to bring people to Jesus and help them know His will.
When God lived on earth He began His work by inviting men to follow Him so that they could become fishers of men. When God left the earth entrusting His work to the care of men He commanded them to go and make disciples. (more…)
John 20.21 defines the Christian destiny, as the Father has sent Me, so I am sending you.
Jesus, God, left His message and work of reconciling the world to Himself through Jesus the resurrected Savior, in the hands of His followers.
What are Christians supposed to give their lives to? Making disciples. How are Christians supposed to do this work? As Jesus did. What does this look like? We are to live as Jesus lived while He lived with us on the earth. How did Jesus live? Simply, humbly and purposefully. (more…)
Philippians 2.12 commands, work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep
reverence and fear.
Easter has just passed for most Christians: it is the time for celebration of the life, death and resurrection of God in Jesus the Savior. It is a celebration because humanity no longer is required to be perfect in order to get to heaven. It is a celebration because humanity is no longer measured by their own performance for earning heaven. It is a celebration because God is offering a pardon for all disobedience against Him by every person who has ever lived who will simply ask God for His pardon through Jesus the Savior. (more…)
John 11.41 observes Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me.”
One of our hindrances to prayer is our belief that God hears us. God the Son had no such hindrance with believing that God the Father heard His prayers. Why? (more…)
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