God of the Living
To be the lord and king of the cemetery is no great complement to that lord or king. It would be cause for the mockery of such a king. In the case of the biblical witness, we read that “God is not God of the dead, but of the living.” Those who are His
Ministry Antenna
We need to keep our antennas up for any signal from a person, or from the Spirit, so that we might minister Christ to those in need. For this we will have to be prayerfully alert. We will need to stop interrupting their speech so that we can get in what we want to
Get Together
We are not called to be “Lone Ranger” Christians. We are called to be a part of a community of faith. That community of faith is important to the thriving of our own faith. Those isolated from the body may become weak, lonely and even fall away. We need to take the initiative to
Sanctifying Spirit
The Holy Spirit is more than a guide in our lives. Why is God’s Spirit called the Holy Spirit? First, He shares the nature of God Who is Holy, second, to distinguish Him from evil spirits, third, it is His office to make us holy. He is the sanctifying Spirit. He is the nature
More Than Sinners
We are much more than sinners saved by grace. We are called saints and we are called to be saints (Romans 1:7). We are called from our former life as sinners (2 Peter 1:9). Conversion frees us from being a slave to sin (Romans 6:1ff). Jesus said, to more than one person, “Go and
Hear the Old Stories Again
Don’t strangle biblical stories with theological contortions about the story. (Though I know theology has its place). Let the story speak to you as it has spoken to those for ages and ages. We need to rehear the stories; we need to learn to retell them again to those we love. We need to
Sin as Slavery
Paul said, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1 ESV). We need to practice the things that pertain to our freedom. Freedom must be maintained by life practices. To yield to sin is an invitation to be placed under
Lose It to Find It
This is a life principle that Jesus often referred to on more than one occasion. If you want to save your life for yourself you will lose it. Jesus asks us to “lose our life for His sake and the gospels so that we might find it”. He asks us to die so that
Aligning with Creation
A man bought a large arid piece of land, planning to grow plants on it. A friend asked, “What are you going to plant?” He said, “I do not know. I have to listen to the soil before I know what will work.” The earth has often been abused and molested by people who
Shaped or Misshaped
Culture wants to shape us like itself. In this regard, it is a force that must be acknowledged and reckoned with for our own spiritual good. Conforming to the world is the enemy of our transformation into Christlikeness. This is why Paul warned us, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be
Curing Prejudice
Peter was sent in an amazing step-by-step way to preach to the Gentiles and see them fully embraced by God Himself as they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 10). His mind was changed, but a lifetime of cultural shaping about non-Jews had to be confronted in an unpleasant way (Galatians 2:11-14). The multi-language
Completing the Justified
He makes the righteous (the justified ones) perfect (complete). This means we are all in progress. This means that justification is only the beginning; there is a process to following this man Jesus. He has called us, not just to follow Him but to be like Him. He calls us to a life of
Following The Internal Christ
Life can be confusing; questions can abound. We have not been left alone to walk alone. He is with us. He goes before and behind. He walks besides us. He dwells with us. He is there to speak truth and direction to our mind and spirit, if we will but hear and heed His
Faith as Relationship (3)
“Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who
Faith as Relationship (2)
“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share
Faith as Relationship (1)
“Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.” (Hebrews 3:5–6 ESV) Hebrews 3:1
Patient for Growth
When I review the history of how my own views have evolved, I need to remember to be patient with the people around me who are now where I was. So much of our evolving understanding and spiritual formation happens over long periods of time. It is a kind of self-righteousness and arrogance that
Energy of God
“You shall receive energy from Me after the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8, paraphrased). Peter’s energy failed as he depended on himself to keep his word to not deny his Lord; ours will too. Weakness is the state of depending on ourselves; strength is depending
Called by Name
Jesus calls His sheep by name and they recognize His voice. Our Shepherd names us. Whenever we hear the Great Shepherd call our name we intuitively know that it is God calling. The Great Shepherd knows our names and longs for a personal heart-bond. Being like Jesus means that we build relationships with real
The Mind of God
Can we know the mind of God? Not on our own. Not by our conjecture. We know God through the Spirit of God. He shows us Jesus. He shows us the mind of God; He reveals the thoughts of God. True spirituality is derived from being in contact with God through the abiding presence
The Indwelling Christ
(NOTE: Sorry for the missed devotional yesterday. We had a technical problem that is now fixed. So, you are receiving two today. Thanks for being a faithful reader. ) The indwelling of the Christ in our hearts is not magical; it is relational. He dwells with us, not for us to use Him for
He Remains Faithful
The last line of an ancient saying always puzzled me. (2 Timothy 2:11–13 ESV) “The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he
Creativity
Humans are made in God’s image. A part of being thus made is the God-given power to be creative. It is amazing what humans have created over the course of human history. Laziness, fear and procrastination are enemies of creativity. Few people discover what they need to do by an audible voice. What do
Holy Living Context
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:11-13 ESV). Some
Things Not Up For Trade
The salesman said, "Anything I have is for sell or trade". About products and merchandise, you would expect a salesman to say that. This morning I've been thinking about things not up for sale or trade in my life. I will not trade the Kingdom of God for all this world has