Do you know that you are sufficient in Christ? That you have all you need to face anything in life? His grace is sufficient for us. It is enough. It is abundant, more than enough. Sufficient. Paul’s Sufficiency Apostle Paul dealt with an ongoing troubling problem and asked God to remove it. Did he claim it by faith to be gone? No. Did he search out scripture references to demand it be gone? No. He asked God, and God said,…
According the Pew Research Center, our youth are leaving the church and doubting their faith. Every Christian parent desires their children to have a strong faith that would see them through life, but too often when they leave home, they also leave their faith. We blame higher education. Yes, they do their best to undermine faith in God and destroy the faith of our youth. But, I wonder if they, alone, are to blame. Public Faith Our children spend hours under…
Monday morning faith when life gets real, our relationship with Jesus Christ can guide us and provide all we need to meet the demands of life. It does not need to stay in the church, nor be confined to Sunday. It is for every day, every minute. It is a living, close relationship with our God through His Son, Jesus Christ. When that alarm rings, we can know God will supply all we need for life and godliness. Do you…
God offers to forgive and to wash clean. Spotless. No stains to remind us of our sins. Many times in the Old Testament God pleaded with His wayward people to return to Him as in Jeremiah 3:22, “Return you backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings.” “Come now…though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Isaiah 1:18 He wants to forgive you and…
Hope. Something we all need to get through rough times, right? Yes, we all need hope. God gives us a living hope. Wow! That sounds good. Not just words. Not a figment of our imagination. But a living hope directly from God. What does the Bible say about that hope? 1 Peter 1:3-6 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the…
My New Year’s wish for my friends is that each of you would be enriched spiritually. How can you be enriched? Read God’s word. Join me every day in reading the Bible, our source for our spiritual enrichment. If you aren’t a regular Bible reader, you are starving yourself. It feeds our spirit and provides an unshakeable foundation to build our lives on. It is part of our spiritual armor – the sword of the Spirit which is the word…
The birth of Jesus Christ as told by Matthew is the Christmas story. For believers, this is the time that we celebrate the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ. He gave up his exalted position in heaven to come down to earth. His purpose was to give his life a ransom for many. Every other part of this season pales in comparison to this important event. It is what makes it possible for us to be accepted by God. Matthew 1:18 Now the…
Holiday stress is a dark cloud threatening to steal our joy during this busy time of year. Expectations can overwhelm us. Trying to please everyone weighs us down. Our own plans and preconceived ideas clash with reality. We succumb to stress, anxiety, and depression. Wouldn’t it be nice to live protected from all this stress? There is a place where we can stay while carrying out all of our duties. It is sitting at the feet of Jesus. He doesn’t want…
Allowing default requires no effort on our part. Choice requires thought and purpose. Choose to allow Christ to live through you. Don’t let your default setting, your old nature, rule your life. It may lead you away from your savior. When we choose not to choose our choice is made by default. As believers, our natural self is constantly warring against the life of God in our spirit. If we make no choice – we choose. Natural self by default wins….
Do you remember my sharing with you more than a year ago about someone I care deeply about? To refresh your memory or if you didn’t see the post I will explain. I hadn’t seen this person in a few months. He had looked fairly healthy and clean. Then the end of July I saw him again and knew he was back on drugs. He looked underweight, hollowed-eyed, and jittery. It shook me to the core. Later that evening as…