The Spirit Points To Jesus
The Spirit in us points to Jesus. Both Simeon and Ana had the Spirit speak through them about the infant Jesus (Luke 2:25-37). Jesus said, “When He the Spirit of Truth comes,…He will glorify me” (John 16:13-14). The power of the Spirit has been used in self-serving ways by charlatans and money grabbers. The
Humility And Spiritual Warfare
“Humble yourselves…your adversary is seeking to devour you” (I Peter 5:6, 8). Included in this exhortation is to “cast your anxieties on Him…your adversary is seeking to devour you” (v. 7-8). Is not this warning us that pride and anxiety is a crack in the door through which the devil can gain a
Unrelenting Trouble
Troubles can hit us like a storm whose relentless winds just keep pounding. We hunker down, praying desperate prayers that it will soon pass. These times become moments when faith is demonstrated by our grip on the One to whom we say, “I will not let You go.” But remember, He has you in
Beyond Beautiful Thoughts
Our devotional life must move beyond mere sentimentality and beautiful thoughts. This can mask itself as true spirituality. Human words can be a beautiful thing to consider. Spirituality is rooted in a commitment to our Creator God. It is a blend of awe and worship, along with faith and trust. It is an inner
Repairing God-torn Barriers
At the moment of Jesus’ death the 90 ft. tall veil in the temple was split from top to bottom, opening the way into the Most Holy Place. The event would likely have been witnessed at that hour by a priest burning incense. For Christians, a new and Living Way is opened through Christ
Not My Will
We as Christians often speak of a surrendered will. We see this as the foundational decision on which to build a life of holiness. Yet we also believe that we are to choose, or will the good. These two ideas are not mutually exclusive. The answer is: to will what God wills. It is
Joy And Unconditional Love
When we hold persons as unworthy of our love it impinges on our own happiness and joy. Listing other’s flaws and foibles is seen as justification to not love. A measuring stick for other folks to get “our love” marks us as people who do not understand the great love God has for us.
Inescapable Presence/Love
“Where can I go from Thy Spirit? Or where can I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend to heaven, Thou art there; If I make my bed in Sheol (Hades Greek), behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
The Un-spared Son (3)
The sons and daughters of God are not spared from their crosses; God does not rescue His own from all of the sufferings of life. He even calls on us to make a living sacrifice of ourselves to Him. “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a
The Un-spared Son (2)
“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32 ESV). This verse has two “gives” that are very different but very connected. In the Greek the first give is about “handing over to powers
The Un-spared Son (1)
In Genesis 22 Abraham is instructed to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice to God. This is a hard story for us to understand. Later the law would make child-sacrifice illegal. Abraham did not have the law, but had an unshakable confidence in God’s command. The surrounding cultures did have child-sacrifice; so, it
Deification (3)
The pilgrimage toward holiness is not to an arrival, but it is a journey. It is a pursuit. It is social in that we pursue Christlikeness in how we interact with others. The pursuit of Christlikeness and the desire for it, is the normal path of the believer and is also what makes us
Deification (2)
Adam’s way of being like God was different from Christ’s way of revealing God. Adam wanted power and position; he wanted to be “like God” for all the wrong reasons. Adam chose the path of self-sovereignty. Jesus revealed God as One who “emptied Himself of all but love”. If we would be deified, then
Deification (1)
“He has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” (2 Peter 1:3 ESV). The early church fathers talked about deification as the goal of the Christian
The Normal Christian Life
Those who have studied the lives of great Christians are struck by the fact that there came a crisis and/or decision after their conversion to surrender all, and be filled with the Spirit. There are several books that have collections of these stories. Billy Graham, D.L. Moody, E. Stanley Jones and thousands of others
Something More
The order of salvation is justification and then sanctification. This is perfectly argued by Paul in the letter to the Romans, especially chapter 6. It is here that the believers, those who “have been made alive from the dead” are to offer themselves to God as slaves of doing right (righteousness) with the result
Knowing
You don’t know that you don’t know. When you are not open to a deeper truth, you cannot expand what you know. You can’t know so long as your focus is giving your own opinions. You can’t know when you never consider that you might be wrong. You can’t know when you will not
Right Focus
“Focus first on the kingdom of God and righteousness and all these things shall be added to you” (Paraphrase of Matthew 6:33 by Philip Smith); this is a good way of seeing this verse. Certainly, we can’t claim to be “seeking” if we are not focused. Distractions are the enemy of focus. Focus on
God is no Bully
Bullies bluff their way through life; the only God who is rode a donkey into the jaws of a cross and won by love. Bullies adore raw power; the only God who is accepts the weakness of the cross. Bullies win by sacrificing others; the only God who is wins by sacrificing Himself. Bullies
Drawn To The Trinity
The Spirit of God in us draws us to our Father in Heaven. The Spirit of Jesus is the Spirit of the Father. He is in us to fill us with Himself and to replicate the DNA of the Father. Christlikeness is Father-likeness. The Spirit is indispensable to our spiritual formation. The Father sent
Decision Making
The Lord does not always give specific guidance when we ask. Could it be because He is trying to get us to make some decisions based on what we have learned about God through His Word? Could it be that we cannot develop character without learning to make mature decisions? When we are forced
“Love Lifted Me”
I was sinking in sin to its outcome of death. The Law could not lift, save or restore me. It only announced my condemnation. Secular enlightened society could not lift me; it had no language to which I could hold. Psychology could only analyze me. Sociology explained me in terms of my environment, but
Our Ascended Lord
The Eternal Word descended from Heaven as the Son of God and became the Son of Man. He descended from God through the Virgin’s womb and became fully man while remaining fully God, in one new, perfectly indivisible nature. He ascended in the clouds back to Heaven as Daniel’s exalted Son of Man (Daniel
The Light
John deliberately begins his gospel as a parallel to the Genesis creation story. John tells us how the Word existed before the world and that the Word created the world. Both books start with, “In the beginning”. Another striking parallel is that of light. “Let there be light” and “There was the true Light
Not Alone
Alone is a terrible place to be. Yet, when Jesus left the disciples, He said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you. I will be with you to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). He fulfilled this promise by giving them the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ Himself. There is a