Do you love God? Truly love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength? If you answered yes, how do you know? Is it a feeling you have? Some sort of emotion? If it is, then you are in trouble.
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What is faith, exactly? We know it’s powerful, because at least six times after healing someone Jesus says to them, “Your faith has healed you.” However, how do we know we have faith, especially the faith that saves and heals and empowers?
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One of the shortcomings of the English language is we have one word for love, and that one word must describe our relationship with many people and many things (like friends, pets, and food). Rather than lump all these loves into one word, it would be helpful to dig into the nuances of love and its purpose in our life.
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What is “character growth”? When it occurs in a person, what is happening? More importantly, is character growth something we choose to make happen or is it something that happens to us? Actually, there is a passive and an active path to character formation.
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Do you compartmentalize your life into various sections (work, fun, school, family, church etc.)? Do you consider some of your compartments to be more God-centred and others less God-centred? In other words, are there any life compartments where you might consider yourself to not be a full-time minister for Jesus?
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When we see an “Under Construction” sign, we may have a little more grace for mess and things not working properly. So why is it so hard to give ourselves the same grace?
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It may feel confusing, scary, or clear, but the path is a good one. It may look like it's going around in circles, but the path is a good one. You may not see beyond the next step, but the path is a good one. Your job is not to know the end. Your job is to take the next step, and God has given you tools to help.
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There are times we lack the knowledge and confidence to do some basic things as a follower of Jesus: share our faith, facilitate a small group discussion, explain a bible passage to our kids, disciple a new believer. Sadly, we sometimes use the lack of knowledge as an excuse to not do these basic actions.
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Has anyone ever said to you "I thank God for you..."? If so, what about you were they thanking God for? Perhaps your help in something, or your ongoing presence in their life, or for a gift you gave them? There are two qualities for which the Apostle Paul consistently gave thanks. Do you have them?
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Long ago, the church had an expression: extra ecclesia nulla salus: “outside the church there is no salvation.” Nowadays we gasp at that statement. It seems so arrogant and heavy-handed.
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When was the last time you attended a work training session, or went to a conference or workshop intended to develop your skills? What skills were you developing? These are great skills to have, and we are wise to keep learning skills and virtues that will serve us well in the workplace and in our career. However, in the grand scheme of life, most of these skills and virtues are of secondary importance.
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Sometimes, I think I’m doing pretty good. I am a decent human. I mostly don’t break the 10 Commandments. I can give myself an A on good behaviour, or maybe even an A+! Sadly, however, good behaviour alone is meaningless, especially when we see this Beatitude.
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In order to follow Jesus well, we must abide in him. Sadly, however, this is one of my biggest struggles in my walk with God. I love lists and being able to check things off, but as soon as abiding becomes a to-do item, it stops being abiding.
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It is a loving action to give a person autonomy and not try to control them, but it also causes us great pain to watch that person's life turn into a dumpster fire. We may offer help, but if the person refuses to turn from their own stubborn desires, we can only lament, pray, and continue to love.
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Transformation into the character of Jesus is a scary process. Transformation to a more unloving heart is a lazy process.
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When I was 18 I backpacked over Europe by myself for four months and spent many days alone in brand new cities. One of my favourite things to do was to leave my hostel and wander around. I felt free, relaxed, and curious. Little did I know my walking in those moments has a proper name: the practice of flânerie, or the art of aimless strolling.
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The metaphor of a “rat race” is often used to describe a lifestyle of incessant work and busyness to try and achieve something that is inherently unachievable. It's pressure-filled, busy, anxious, and ill-fitting. No one who is living a rat race would say they are living their best life. But why is there a rat race at all? What empowers it? Why do we participate in it?
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How are we to "bloom where we're planted" as resident aliens in this spiritual city of Babylon? What does a flourishing life look like in the midst of Empire? Hebrews 13 answers that question with some very practical advice.
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When I was a kid, delight came easily. As I got older, delight seemed to fade as I became more "adult-like" and less childlike. Being grown up and having a family took responsibility. Working a job and paying bills took responsibility. And of course, responsibility means seriousness. Or does it?
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The voices of carnival hawkers are loud and attention-grabbing. The voice of God, that little candle flame of faith in our soul, is quiet, and we have a hard time hearing it when we live in a carnival. So when we leave the carnival to a quiet place, we begin to hear the Father's voice calling to us, and we realize we are very, very thirsty.
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