By His Word “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” —Galatians 1:3–5 There are moments whenContinue reading “The Savior Who Gave Himself”
Tag Archives: Christian discipleship
Let the Family Resemblance Show
In the Life of Christ “Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.” —Luke 6:35, NIV “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” —Luke 6:36, NIV Most families have a recognizable resemblance. We notice someone’s smile, hear a familiar laugh, or watch a child makeContinue reading “Let the Family Resemblance Show”
When God Speaks, Make Room to Listen
By His Word “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” Acts 6:4, ESV. There are mornings when we open the Bible looking for encouragement, and others when we hardly know what we need. We may be carrying a difficult conversation, a decision we have postponed, or a worryContinue reading “When God Speaks, Make Room to Listen”
When the Search Becomes Worship
In the Life of Christ “They fell down and worshiped him.” —Matthew 2:11, ESV I can spend considerable time learning about something without allowing it to change my life. I can study exercise without becoming stronger, read about generosity without opening my hand, and discuss prayer without pausing to pray. That same distance can developContinue reading “When the Search Becomes Worship”
When God’s Word Gets Our Full Attention
By His Word “We will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” Acts 6:4, NIV. We can spend an entire day listening and still miss the voice we most need to hear. There are messages to answer, conversations to follow, concerns to sort through, and opinions that arrive without being invited.Continue reading “When God’s Word Gets Our Full Attention”
When Jesus Stopped for the Voice in the Crowd
In the Life of Christ I can picture the road outside Jericho: people walking with Jesus, voices rising and falling, and Bartimaeus sitting where travelers might pass him. Mark identifies him by name, something the crowd may rarely have bothered to ask. He was blind and begging, yet he understood something vital about the manContinue reading “When Jesus Stopped for the Voice in the Crowd”
When “Lord” Becomes More Than a Word
By His Word A person can admire Jesus, speak warmly about Him, and still keep His words at a comfortable distance. That is why the question at the end of His Sermon on the Plain reaches deeper than it first appears: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”Continue reading “When “Lord” Becomes More Than a Word”
The Immensity of Forgiveness
By His Word “Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you.” — Luke 6:37–38 (NIV) (Bible Gateway) An old injury can return to mind while we are doing something ordinary. We hear a name, pass a familiar place, or remember words spoken years ago, and the conversation begins againContinue reading “The Immensity of Forgiveness”
The Kingdom Standing in Front of Us
In the Life of Christ “Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, ‘The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, “Here it is,” or “There it is,” because the kingdom of God is in your midst.’”Continue reading “The Kingdom Standing in Front of Us”
There Is No Other
By His Word “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.” — Isaiah 45:22 Isaiah 45 speaks to people living in a world crowded with competing gods, political powers, and human promises. Israel had experienced defeat and exile, while Babylon appeared invincible.Continue reading “There Is No Other”