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Wednesday, February 29, 2012
God Is Greater Than...
We can believe our assessment of ourselves—which often includes condemnation & diminished worth—or we can believe what God says about us. Here’s an amazing passage: “If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.” 1John 3:20 …Think about it: If our own hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Reasonable Faith
There is compelling evidence for the existence of God. And there is compelling evidence for the truth and authenticity of Christianity. Nevertheless, Christianity is rooted in faith. It is a reasonable faith, not a blind faith. But it is God’s desire that we come to Him in faith. “And without faith it is impossible to please God…” Hebrews 11:6
Monday, February 27, 2012
Let's Care About Others Anyhow
If we care about others, if we care about right and wrong, if we care about justice—we will probably be hurt and disappointed more often than those who don’t care. It’s easier not to care. But God call us to trust in Him and care anyhow!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
When The Church Gathers... God Is With Us
I love it when people begin gathering for church and there is talking and laughter and off to the side you might see a few folks praying together. There is a feeling of anticipation that we are going to share in something good and important with each other. The best part of all is that we know that God has promised He will be here in our midst. Awesome!
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Confidence In God Rather Than Fear
It’s sad that so much of what we do is motivated by fear. I read an author one time who suggested that our world is “ruled by fear”. Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of loss, fear of dying, worse yet, fear of living. “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid…’” Hebrews 13:5-6.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Discerning God's Will
When attempting to discern God’s will remember that God never wills us to behave in ways that are contradictory to the clear teachings of scripture. If you’re “hearing a word from God” that calls you to violate biblical truths, it’s not God you’re hearing.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Admitting The Truth
An unhealthy person will expend great effort attempting to justify illogical and inconsistent behaviors. A healthy person will admit truths—even hard truths—and try to move forward in God’s strength and with an honest acceptance of reality.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Sin Is A Sad Reality of Life... Fortunately, Though, Forgiveness Is Available
Sometimes people are disturbed by the Christian teaching of original sin which maintains that people are inherently sinful. It’s true that this is indeed a sad and troubling reality, but it’s also important to remember that there is another important reality: Forgiveness is available. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1John 1:9
Monday, February 20, 2012
It's Almost A Miracle
“An honest man, armed with all the knowledge available to us now, could only state that in some sense the origin of life appears at the moment to be almost a miracle, so many are the conditions that would have had to get satisfied to get it along.” -- Biologist, Francis Crick, co-discoverer of DNA. Hmm, “almost a miracle”, huh?
Sunday, February 19, 2012
You Reap What You Sow... That Explains A Lot
The idea that we reap what we sow is an absolutely reliable truth that actually explains so much of what happens in our lives. Some people, unfortunately, have trouble seeing the connection between reaping and sowing. Wise people see it and it informs their decisions and behaviors. “Do not be deceived; God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” Galatians 6:7
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Growth Requires Risk
Growth requires risk, in fact, significant growth and development does not occur unless we are willing to stretch in ways that take us out of our comfort zone—including our comfort zone regarding other people’s opinions. “If you live in fear of what others will do or say, you aren’t going to take the risks necessary to grow and develop as a person.” --Author Tim Lavender.
Friday, February 17, 2012
The Love of God In Us
God can stir a love in our hearts for people we wouldn’t typically be inclined to love. Has that ever happened to you? If it has, that’s great! Among other things, it is evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Carly Jones Fan Page On Facebook
*NOTE: A good portion of what is written, above, is true… particularly the part about her excellent singing voice. The part about the $50? Well... okay, that might be slightly fictional.
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Jesus Doesn't Have A Partial Discipleship Program
If you say, “I love Jesus and I want to be one of His disciples, but I’m interested in the partial discipleship program… you know, the one where I get to hold back a little bit of my life for myself.” I think Jesus’ response might be something like this: “I don’t have any discipleship positions like that. The only ones I have are the positions where you surrender to me all of you.”
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Humbly Serving Others
Jesus says about himself that he “did not come to be served, but to serve…” Matt. 20:28. Our egos rebel against the idea of being a servant. “I should be the one who gets served!” we think. That’s why you can typically spot authentic followers of Jesus by their willingness to humble themselves and serve others.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Happy Valentine's Day
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails….” 1Cor.13:4-8(a) Happy Valentine’s Day!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Love That's Not Based On Performance
After I apologized to friend, one time, he said to me, “Dan, my love for you is not based on how perfectly you perform.” That was a kind, generous, Christ-like gift. If you can honestly tell a person that your love for him is not based on perfect performance, you will enhance and nourish your relationship with him.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Thinking Honestly About Ourselves
It seems like such a simple, obvious fact, however, it can be difficult to genuinely come to see and admit this truth: “I am not the center of the universe.” “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” Romans 12:3
Friday, February 10, 2012
Persevering In Prayer
When we persevere in prayer regarding a matter—over a lengthy period of time—that can give us the opportunity to mature in our thinking about the matter. Sometimes, when we do this, we come to see some truths regarding the issue that we couldn’t see when we first began praying about it. “…Always pray and never give up.” Luke 18:1
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Accountability And Authority
Because of the basic nature of man, it is important for people who have great power & authority to understand that there is a greater authority to whom they are accountable. Some of the worst atrocities in human history have been perpetrated by people who believed that they were the ultimate authority. A just society must be rooted in a transcendent moral law-giver: God.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Things That Are Temporary And Things That Are Eternal
There are things that are temporary and there are things that are eternal. It’s not that the temporary things are completely unimportant, actually, they have a measure of necessity and importance in our lives. However, those things that are eternal are of greater value for the simple reason that they are what lasts. “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1Cor.13:13
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
I'm Glad God Is Patient
Over and over again, the Bible describes God as patient. This is good news for you and me. In the book of 2 Peter chapter 3, vs. 9, the Bible says, about God, “…He is patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” I am thankful today, for a God who is loving and gracious and VERY patient with someone like me!
Monday, February 6, 2012
The Pain Makes Us Stronger And Wiser
I believe God could have intercepted every moment of pain that we’ve ever experienced and He could have prevented them. Now, I wouldn’t want to pretend that I understand this completely, because I don’t. However, He allows us to experience the pains because these experiences make us wiser, stronger, more humble, more appreciative, and more sympathetic toward others.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Acknowledging The Really Powerful Agent
Some people would like for us to believe that the blind, random, forces of a purely materialistic universe somehow produced what we experience as consciousness. That seems absurd to me. It seems to me that the miracle we call consciousness could only be produced by a very powerful conscious Agent. We’ll be worshiping that Agent at church this morning…. It only seems right.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Having A Real Heart For God Is What Matters
Jesus recognized a distinction between doing religious things and having a real heart for loving God and following Him. A person can diligently practice and observe religious rules or laws or rituals but have a heart that is unmoved by a genuine encounter with God. Jesus is concerned that our faith goes all the way to our heart and that it affects who we really are.
Friday, February 3, 2012
When We Forgive...
When we forgive, it’s not that we pretend the offense never occurred. Rather, when we forgive, we are acknowledging the reality of the fallen human condition and pointing to the authentic work of the gracious, merciful living God in our lives.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Loving God With Our Minds
The Bible tells us to love God with our minds. A few ways we can do this are by studying the Bible; honoring God by thinking carefully & deeply about important matters; and engaging with others in conversations about truly meaningful and substantive issues. Our minds are an incredible gift and a significant aspect of what it means to be made in His image. We honor Him when we use them well.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Sin Will Be Unthinkable?
“None of us will sin in heaven, not because it will be impossible. Sin will rather be unthinkable. Why? We will experience the passions of Christ fully and directly…The life of Christ will pour into us every moment…We will be in His literal, seeable presence.” –Larry Crabb. This is an interesting thought from Larry Crabb. Is it likely that the full, direct, literal presence of Jesus will make the notion of sinning absurd? That seems feasible to me. Cool, huh?
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