By His Word “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” — Philippians 2:12 When a child receives a complicated gift, opening the package is only the beginning. The gift may belongContinue reading “The Gift We Learn to Live”
Tag Archives: spiritual growth
When Another Person’s Blessing Feels Like Your Loss
On Second Thought Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 18:10–16 Key Verse: Proverbs 6:34 “For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.” —Proverbs 6:34 Jealousy rarely introduces itself honestly. It does not normally announce, “I resent the good that God has given someone else.” Instead, it disguisesContinue reading “When Another Person’s Blessing Feels Like Your Loss”
Don’t Stop Halfway Up the Mountain
As the Day Begins “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.” —John 12:26 The word “mediocre” comes through Latin roots suggesting something situated halfway up a mountain. It is a fitting picture of a ChristianContinue reading “Don’t Stop Halfway Up the Mountain”
God Is at Work in the In-Between
DID YOU KNOW Life rarely moves in straight lines. We pass through beginnings and endings, joy and disappointment, certainty and confusion. Some seasons feel like winter, others like spring, and many of the most difficult days are the ones between the two. We know where we have been, but we cannot yet see where GodContinue reading “God Is at Work in the In-Between”
Keep Pressing Toward More of God
As the Day Begins “That ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.” — Ephesians 3:19 There is a dangerous kind of contentment that can creep into the Christian life. It does not look like rebellion. It looks like settling. We begin to think that because we have trusted Christ, learned some Scripture,Continue reading “Keep Pressing Toward More of God”
There Are No Shortcuts to Knowing Christ
As the Day Ends “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 3:14 There is something reassuring about Paul’s words because they remind us that spiritual growth is not automatic. Even the apostle who had encountered the risen Christ still described himself as pressingContinue reading “There Are No Shortcuts to Knowing Christ”
When the Word Becomes Part of You
The Bible in a Year “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart; for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.” — Jeremiah 15:16 Jeremiah gives us one of the most vivid pictures in Scripture of whatContinue reading “When the Word Becomes Part of You”
When God Plows the Heart
The Bible in a Year “Thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.” — Jeremiah 4:3 If you have ever watched a farmer prepare a field that has been sitting untouched for a while, you know that planting does not begin withContinue reading “When God Plows the Heart”
WHEN RESPONSIBLE PARENTS LOSE SIGHT OF JESUS
In the Life of Christ “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” —Luke 2:49 One reason I appreciate Luke’s account of Jesus in the temple is that nobody in the story feels artificial. Mary and Joseph are righteous, faithful parents, yet for aContinue reading “WHEN RESPONSIBLE PARENTS LOSE SIGHT OF JESUS”
WHEN GOD LOVES US TOO MUCH TO LEAVE US UNCHANGED
DID YOU KNOW “My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” —John 15:1–2 We often hear the word “discipline” and immediately think of punishment, rejection, or anger. Scripture presents a different picture.Continue reading “WHEN GOD LOVES US TOO MUCH TO LEAVE US UNCHANGED”