May 2, 2016
if we are honest with ourselves, to ask God that His will be done, means that our will is done. It means that we want what He wants more than what we want. And let’s face it. We are willful people. We want what we want. We want life to revolve around us. We’d rather create the life we want and ask God to bless it, rather than seek the life God wants for us, and trust Him to deliver it.
May 2, 2016
What is he saying here? Jesus is saying that relationships matter more than religion. And when we look at his relationship with us and this Samaritan’s relationship with this helpless man, we begin to see what matter most to Jesus: It’s mercy. It’s mercy that led him to come to us. It’s mercy that led Jesus to lay down his life for us. And it’s mercy what makes us a neighbor.
April 24, 2016
We forget that people are looking for an alternative way of life. The way of life that our culture presents often leaves us weary and empty. So they are looking at those who follow Jesus. You may be the only real Christ follower your neighbor has ever met. So what are they seeing? Do they see patience in the face of adversity? Do they see goodness and generosity in your actions? Are they experiencing grace? The idea is that God doesn’t want us to live our faith in isolation, but in public. In this sense we get to be missionaries right where we live, in the everyday ordinary stuff of life.
April 24, 2016
As the Divine Craftsman, Jesus fits us into His household: Every one of us is precisely cut to fit snugly, strongly, and beautifully with every other part. Nothing is out of place, defective, misshapen or inappropriate. Because it is Christ’s building, the church is perfect, spotless, without defect of blemish. And what this means is incredible: There are no misfits in His family! Every misfit actually does fit in with Jesus!
April 14, 2016
This is why everything changes when you meet the risen Jesus. Because when you meet Him and believe in Him, He changes you forever. He breathes His new life into you. He gives you His Spirit, the Holy Spirit. His Holy Spirit comes to indwell in you, to guide you, help you, and empower you to live as His sent one. And this changes everything. For when the Spirit of Christ lives in you, He will help you begin to live like Jesus.
April 13, 2016
This is how Abram is to be a blessing to the nations. Salvation will come through the Jews. Abram was blessed to be a blessing. He is the original sent one of God. And his story is our story. For just as Abram was blessed to be a blessing so are we!
April 13, 2016
Not once did Cain admit doing anything wrong. Not once did he confess. Not once did he honor God and do the right thing. He only thought of himself – and that’s what sin does. It hardens your heart against God. And yet, look at the beauty of God’s love in his interaction with Cain. God gave him chance after chance to confess and repent. God showed incredible patience and kindness, and even though Cain had murdered Abel, God gave Cain mercy, not judgment.
April 12, 2016
We live today with the consequences of the Fall. But God’s story is not over. This is what God would have us see today: That God reversed the consequences of our sin with Jesus! When Adam and Eve sinned paradise was lost, but with the sacrifice of Jesus God’s presence can be found. That’s the hope that remains for a world without peace, where life is hard and paradise is lost.
April 12, 2016
Because Eve didn’t have a clear understanding of God’s Word, the serpent knew he could deceive her. So he contradicts God’s Word so as to cast doubt about God’s character: “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:5 He twists God’s word to make God appear harsh and restrictive. Sound familiar? He sows seeds of mistrust. “Maybe God is not as good as He appears to be.” “Maybe He’s holding back something good from you.” And really, that’s still how the devil works today. He wants you to think that God doesn’t have your best interests at heart. He wants you to doubt God’s goodness.
April 12, 2016
The removal of a piece of the man in order to create the woman implies that from now on neither is complete without the other. The man needs the woman for his wholeness, and the woman needs the man for hers. Each is equal in need in relation to the other. God took a handful from Adam’s side so she’d be the perfect fit for him and so he’d be the perfect fit for her. Here then is the mystery of marriage. This was God’s design: we were truly made for each other.