Mary as God-Bearer
Emmanuel, God with us, entered our world through Mary’s body. The name chosen in Greek for her by the Eastern Church is Theotokos, which is translated God Bearer. Mary was pregnant with God. She teaches us that all Christians are to be God bearers. This is one reason why the Holy Spirit, the Spirit
Mary’s Son
The only Begotten Son enters Mary to be born as all babies are born. God reduced himself to a one-cell fertilized ovum inside Mary’s body! What humility! Once this union takes place, before the first division of the cell, “It” is not half-human and “It” is not half-divine. Fully God and fully man! The
Mary’s Obedience
“Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word” Luke 1:38a (NASB). Irenaeus contrasted Mary to Eve, “For as Eve was seduced by the word of an angel to flee from God, having rebelled against His word, so Mary by the word of an angel
Glorious Day
As we celebrate the first coming of our Lord we anticipate His Second Coming. Jesus constantly reminds us to be ready. History is moving to its final consummation, when everything will be summed up in Christ. “All things have been created through Him and for Him” (Col 1:16). He is coming to reclaim what
A Stream Called Grace
Grace flows from who the Father is. Grace reveals Him. It has appeared in Christ for all (Titus 2:11). It is at work in us by the Holy Spirit. Grace cannot be earned by angels or men. It is the stream of God which nurtures us, strengthens and buoys us up as we
Depend on Him
God sometimes asks us to do more than we can do, so we can discover His strength. I will not be judged by what I could have done on my own, but what God and I could have done together. He waits to join hands with us. He waits to give strength to our
Gratitude and Generosity
Gratitude to God for His generosity to me is not real gratitude until I have been changed into a person of generosity. One way of saying thanks for all the Father has given us is to give to others. We who are on the receiving end of the Father’s generosity are called to give
Gratitude is an Attitude
Gratitude is a disposition of the mind that understands itself to be the recipient of multiple gifts and is thankful to the giver. True gratitude is shaped by humility. It is humble enough to receive a gift and thoughtful enough to acknowledge it. Father you have so arranged life that gifts from You constantly
Keep Your Tongue
The tongue is the member of the body that is hard to bridle. It wants to run loose. “Let your words be few” (Ecc 5:2). The words we say cannot be taken back. What we say can add to the problem or create a new one. “If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and
Lived-Out Surrender
Surrender that has no practical outcome is not surrender. There is no piety that is merely locked away in our religious experiences. Being must become doing or it ceases to be being. Commitment without action is self-deception. Our experience of God will express itself in how we spend our time, how we expend our
Heart Writings
Look into your heart. Look at its tablet and see what is written there. Is it what you have been conditioned to do by your DNA, family patterns or the surrounding culture? Do you see in your heart the things the Holy Spirit has written? Which are you living by? Let your heart be
Heaven Meets Earth in You
The tabernacle/temple was the place that heaven touched the earth. Jesus has become our temple. In Him, the “Word was made flesh.” We saw the glory from the heavenly realm among us in the tabernacle of His body. In Him heaven and earth met. Divine and Human! You and I are also the temple
Reshape Me
Father, reshape us from all the ways we have been misshaped. Restore unto us the years the locusts have eaten. Shape us in the image in which we were created, even the image of your Eternal Son, our Lord Jesus Messiah. We give You glory for the grace and sacrifice that makes this possible.
The Compassion of Christ
To live like Jesus is to feel compassion for those in distress. The hungry, the helpless, the sick, the suffering, the left-out, the lonely, the poor, all caught His eye because they already had His heart. Seeing and feeling need calls for action. In our video-clip culture we are in danger of becoming desensitized.
A Spirit Inscribed Heart
Life has a way through unexpected events and unfolding relationships of teaching us something about what is inside our hearts. Saint Makarios, one of the Egyptian Desert Fathers, said of the heart, “So it is there that we must look to see whether grace has inscribed the laws of the Spirit.” This sight often
A Disciplined Journey
The undisciplined live a life that goes here and there and nowhere. The disciplined life has a goal and a vision and seeks ways to get there. It knows that the right roads must be intentionally taken, while avoiding attractive detours. The undisciplined life allows other people and circumstances to set its agenda. It
Being a Fruitful Tree
One analogy for the godly life in Scripture is a tree. “A good tree” (Matt 7:17). “Green olive tree” (Psalms 52:8). Like a tree planted by a river, with un-withered leaves, and nourished by delighting in God’s law (Psalms 1:1-3). Stable trees have deep, wide and well-watered roots. When our life is rooted in
Clear Vision
The God who is wants to be found when we seek Him with our whole heart. The divided heart is a barrier to seeing Him and seeking Him. The pure in heart have a clear vision of Him (Matthew 5:8). Full commitment tunes the focus. The divided heart distorts that vision and misrepresents the
Conditioning Yourself for Holy Character
Intentionally doing what we know to be holy and what is commanded for us to do has a way of shaping the heart. Sometimes holy actions follow a holy heart, and sometimes holy actions begin to condition the heart to be holy. This is paradox. Obey when you do not feel like it. Obedience
Living Out of a Holy Heart
There is a holiness of heart and there is a holiness of life. These two are to be joined. Without desire for holiness of heart, holiness of life is a futile attempt at works righteousness. When the heart is pure, then a holy life will follow. Father, cleanse my heart and it will be
The Holy Spirit and Transformation
Our transformation cannot happen without the Holy Spirit. By the powerful workings of the Holy Spirit in your inner person, you can have, as God said to Ezekiel, “A new heart and a new spirit.” God wants no less than a real personal transformation for you. He has gone to great lengths by sending
Personal Transformation
"When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity and dies because of it, for his iniquity which he has committed he will die. Again, when a wicked man turns away from his wickedness which he has committed and practices justice and righteousness, he will save his life.” Ezekiel 18:26-27 God is
Worship in All Places
Seeing new scenes all around us can inspire our worship. All of creation belongs to God and points to Him. A sunrise! A sunset! A flowing stream! A placid lake! A turbulent sea! A stately oak! A beautiful flower! An awesome landscape! A towering mountain! Rock formations! Caves! Birds! Animals! Clouds! Rolling thunder! A
The Interlocking of Works and Grace
In all of our works done for Christ and in His name, God’s grace is at work. This is why John Wesley said that good works are a means of grace just like the Lord’s Supper, prayer, Scripture reading, worship, etc. Jesus is always near when we are seeking to serve and obey Him.
Working Out the Inner Work
Our obedience reflects the kind of servants we are. Obedience is not about earning anything. It is about “working out our salvation” in cooperation with the One “who works within us to will and do of His good pleasure” (Phil 2:12-13 ff.). It is about working out in our lives what God’s Spirit is