God’s truth never restricts you; it always sets you free! But typically our reaction to God is that he is restrictive. Are you discouraged? Is there a sense of bondage in a particular area of your life? A lack of victory over a certain sin? A harmful addiction? It is possible that...
If you ever feel that you are so insignificant that God does not care about you or that He does not want to listen to your prayers, you will be encouraged by Romans 8:32. There, we are assured that our heavenly Father loves us unconditionally. There was nothing so precious to Him that He would...
One of the paradoxes of the Christian life is that God’s gifts often require effort on our part. God brought the Israelites to the Promised Land and told them He was going to “give” it to them (Num. 13:2). This sounded great to the Israelites until they realized that, with the...
God’s people are His preserving agents for a world that is corrupted and degenerating because of sin. Cycles of destruction and violence upon humanity are at work in individuals as well as corporate masses. Christ came to create a new humanity. Your life is designed and commissioned by...
Throughout His ministry, Jesus relied upon the Holy Spirit to direct Him as He made crucial decisions and faced relentless opposition (Mark 1:12). Centuries earlier, Isaiah had described what the Spirit’s presence would mean for the Messiah. The Spirit would give Jesus the knowledge of the...
Does God give second chances to those who have failed Him? He certainly did so for Peter. Peter had proudly announced that he was Jesus’ most reliable disciple (Matt. 26:33). Yet Peter not only fled with the other disciples in the moment of crisis, but also blatantly denied he even...
Some things must die in order to be productive. Certain seeds will not germinate into a plant unless they freeze during the winter. Death is now a new beginning for a new life. Jesus had faith that His death would bring salvation to the world. His resurrection was...
There comes a time for each of us when merely talking is not sufficient. We must actually set out on the journey of following Christ! We can spend many hours debating and discussing issues related to the Christian life, but this means little if we never actually step out and follow Christ! He...
As this new year starts off, it is good reminder to focus on love. Not in a cheesy or sappy way, but remember love is powerful! Love has no limits. Love never says, “You’ve gone too far. I can’t love you now.” “All things” means everything is...
God’s heart is for us to participate in our transformation. One of the paradoxes of the Christian life is that God’s gifts often require labor on our part. God brought the Israelites to the Promised Land and told them He was going to “give” it to them (Num. 13:2)...