Humans were created for worship; it’s part of our ontology—the nature of our being—as determined by our Creator. You will worship something. If you worship the living God in spirit and truth, you will be transformed into His likeness; if you worship any version of… Continue Reading …
Paul said, “To live is Christ.” In four syllables, he explained why and what for his earthly existence. Apart from asking the Lord to regenerate you, you could not make a more life-transforming statement. Why was Paul living? Christ. What was his point of living?… Continue Reading …
Imperfect people steward neither blessings nor trials well. As Martin Luther said, we are curved inward on ourselves, meaning that self-interest rather than God’s glory or others’ good is what generally rules us, causing us to respond poorly to virtually everything that happens to us.… Continue Reading …
How many ways are available from the Lord to help you grow up in Christ? Most folks would say things like the Bible, prayer, church, and close friends. They are correct. Those are four essential means of grace for maturing in Christlikeness. Here’s one more.… Continue Reading …
In God’s mind, your life is over. He sees the end from the beginning. The Lord stands outside of time—a macro view, looking inside your timeline, which has a start and end date, and He’s helping you navigate your journey. You’re not sure where you’re… Continue Reading …
Everybody is a victim. We all received a raw deal. Nobody comes into the world unscathed. And after we arrive, we are hurt by others. However, it’s our choice to be angry with God about the life we have or choose His plan to flip… Continue Reading …
Let’s talk about slavery. I’m not speaking about what happens around our world every day, or what went on in our country 150 years ago. I’m speaking to Christians who willingly came to Jesus and said, “I want to be your slave.” I’m talking about… Continue Reading …
The backstory is the story behind the story. There is always a backstory to every story. The story that you know is not all there is to what is happening to you. Behind every story, God is mysteriously working. How does not knowing the whole… Continue Reading …
A true story. Trouble came into my life. I hurt without mitigation. In time, the hurt was so bad that I didn’t care if God killed me. The burden was beyond my strength utterly. I began to despair of life. (2 Corinthians 1:8) Slightly Paraphrased.… Continue Reading …
Mailbag – I was wondering if God treats His people the same way regarding giving “blessing for obedience” in the new covenant. It seems all over the Old Testament—if God’s people obey, they receive a blessing; if they don’t obey, they receive discipline. Does God still treat us… Continue Reading …