Even though we often think of “Blessed are those who mourn” as applying to another person's grief, when Jesus taught this Beatitude, mourning had less to do with someone grieving, and more to do with those experiencing intense sorrow for their own broken ways and for the brokenness of the world.
Read MoreThe day I entered into the kingdom of God, it was easy to lower myself before him. It’s easy to be poor in spirit at the start of one’s faith journey. It’s much harder to maintain a desperation for God when you can rely on your own strengths, talents, wealth, and knowledge.
Read MoreIn 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.
Read MoreIt 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.
Read MoreKing Jehoram of Judah is a very extreme example of a life gone awry. However, his life provides a powerful lesson that may be summed up best in the words of Warren Buffet: “To live a good life, write your obituary and reverse engineer it."
Read MoreWe've all likely been there in one form or another. "What have I done? How could I be so stupid?" This feeling may have arisen over something most would find innocuous, or something much more serious. Either way, we are all familiar with regret, and some of us are familiar with deep regret. Today, let's talk about the latter.
Read MoreEarlier this week I had my check up with my doctor. As part of the exam he took my blood pressure, looked at the results from my blood test regarding cholesterol, brought up a chart on his computer, and stated: "You have a 5% chance of having a heart attack in the next ten years."
Read MoreThe Morning Light is one of the first names given to Jesus. Do you know the last name given to him? In Revelation 22:16 Jesus calls himself the Bright Morning Star. What is it about these similar titles (Morning Light and Morning Star) that would cause biblical authors to bookend the New Testament with these references?
Read MoreSomething about Jesus attracted broken people far from God. Sadly, I'm not sure that people “far from God” today seek out Jesus' followers like “tax collectors and sinners” sought Jesus.
Read MoreWe may have said no to God many times in our past. Perhaps we are saying no to him in some area of our life right now. However, a change of heart and a humble yes can alter everything.
Read MoreIt has been said that God has no spiritual grandchildren. We are all responsible for our own relationship with Christ. Are you confident you know how to grow in your faith, deepen your relationship with God, and develop love for others? Sadly, this was not the case for Joash.
Read MoreWhat makes a person spiritually mature? Perhaps their number of years following Jesus? No. Maybe the amount of knowledge they have about spiritual topics? No. Perhaps the regularity with which they engage in spiritual practices? No.
All of the above are good, and they can lead to maturity when done regularly and relationally with God and others, but they are not the evidence of spiritual maturity.
Read More“His faithful love endures forever.” It's easy to say these words in times of mountaintop joy. The power of the saint is to be able to say these in the middle of the valley.
Read MoreTransformation into the character of Jesus is a scary process. Transformation to a more unloving heart is a lazy process.
Read MoreHow does human free will integrate with divine will? For example, on a personal level, when you make a decision, how do you know if it's "God's plan" for you or not? What if you make the wrong decision? Does that mean Divine Plan A now becomes Divine Plan B because your free will messed up God's first plan?
Read MoreIt would be great for a tree to explode out of the ground and grow in one day. It would also be great to take a giant leap to the top of a mountain. But that's not the way those things happen. Rather, they happen slowly, a centimetre at a time, a step at a time, a small moment at a time.
Read MoreThe 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?
Read MoreHow 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.
Read MoreYou are called to bloom and flourish - even in Babylon. But that does not happen by becoming like Babylon, for that world is passing away. What is required is something much more countercultural.
Read MoreWhen 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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