February 2, 2016
You see power, force, getting an edge, grabbing hold of something to gain an advantage is the world’s way of getting ahead. But it’s not the way of Jesus. Jesus’ way was to empty himself, to let go of his advantage, to lay aside the powers of his deity, to lay aside the privilege of his status – so He could serve us.
February 2, 2016
When we place our lives before Him we do so with a sense of dedication. We are set ourselves apart for His service. Now when we serve, you see, it’s not for the needs of the Church, its not just to be involved or to receive a rewarding benefit for serving. It’s so that we can serve and worship God.
February 2, 2016
God sent us Jesus so He can hear from us. We are all the same at the foot of the cross and at the foot of His throne. There are no special awards for the kinds of prayers any of us might use: We can pray publically or privately. We can pray in loud cries or soft whispers. We use few words or no words. It doesn’t matter to Him.
February 2, 2016
The devil wants you doubt God, Jesus and your salvation. The devil doesn’t want to know the certainty of your salvation. He wants to rob you of your hope of salvation. He wants to convince you that you do not belong to Jesus and you are not really forgiven. And he wants you to think that you have to keep earning God’s approval. He wants you to live as if your salvation is up to you. He doesn’t want you to rest in God’s grace. He wants you to live in fear of judgment. He is the thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy…. But when you put on the helmet of salvation that comes from God, you will stand firm and secure in God.
February 2, 2016
Without the truth we are at the mercy of the Father of Lies, of whom Jesus said, There is no truth in him.” His strategy is to keep you away from the truth. If he can keep you from opening your Bible, learning His Word, believing in His unwavering grace and precious promises to you… he can keep you off balance; he can cripple you with doubt, anxiety and fear. If he can keep you from knowing His will, he keep you from loving your neighbor. If he can keep you from sound biblical teaching, he can keep you sidetracked, confused and engaged in foolish arguments rather than the mission of Jesus.
February 2, 2016
Because He defeated death, we will defeat death. Because He is exalted, we are exalted with Him. He is Lord over all and yet He is our Lord. Therefore, no matter what evil we face, we need not fear. We can stand strong in His mighty power because there is nothing in all the universe can defeat Him or unseat Him.
January 26, 2016
Husbands, God has given us a unique privilege. The pattern for our role in our marriages is to live out the gospel for our wives. Our role is to lead her with grace. Our role is to lead her with sacrifice. Our role is to love our wives like Jesus loved the church. What this means is that God wants you to give yourself fully for her: to die to our selfish ways, to surrender our pride and seek her best no matter what it might cost us.
November 28, 2015
God commands you to let the Holy Spirit be the dominating force within you. That’s the idea behind Him filling you. You allow His thoughts to be your thoughts, His ways to become your ways, His desires to become your desires. The idea is one of allowing Him to permeate every part of your being.
November 26, 2015
When we shine our light, we don’t just make Jesus visible to them, we make their own darkness visible to them… and when their darkness is exposed, they come to a conviction of their own sin, their a need of a Savior, and having their eyes opened by the light, they too will become lights.
November 24, 2015
This is the way of love. When your heart is bent on pleasing God, you will want to love those He loves. And when you love those He loves, you will give yourself up for them, just like Jesus.