Are you discouraged? Lost? Homesick? Tired? Burned-out? Cross back into Life! God is waiting for you to cross back to Life, cross back home to him. Grab your Bible because “the Holy Scriptures are our letters from home” like Augustine put it. The Bible will be your map back to Life. With the words of Warren Wiersbe “The remedy for discouragement is the Word of God. When you feed your heart and mind with its truth, you regain your perspective…
What do you think? What is spiritual formation all about? I think it is simply becoming what God has meant you to be. It is the process of becoming Christ-like. It is growing in con-FORM-ity to Christ. How does it happen? Only by letting God work in and through us. We can facilitate the process of spiritual formation but it’s always God’s work, not ours. Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in…
Do you ever feel that you are not doing enough or accomplishing enough? Even in the realm of faith? It is time to step back and look at the big picture. Then hopefully you will be able to relax and rest in God’s grace. Because all is well. So then [God’s gift] is not a question of human will and human effort, but of God’s mercy. [It depends not on one’s own willingness nor on his strenuous exertion as in…
If Christmas means ‘God with us’ and Easter spells out ‘God for us’, then Pentecost must be ‘God in and through us’. Okay, you say, but what does it mean? First God sent Jesus to die for us and make us right with God. Then he sent the Holy Spirit to live in his children: to guide, to protect, to inspire, to enable, to empower them to be all God wants them to be. The Holy Spirit really lives and…
What do you think is the goal of spiritual growth? Is it mastering spiritual practices? Or something much simpler? Your answer to this question tells the health of your spiritual life. Sometimes we do get carried away with our own plans. Hopefully this post can remind you of what matters most and direct you back to the very center of Christian faith. No matter how well we fast, how spiritually mature we are…it’s still God alone who saves. God alone…
Are you stressed out and running around like crazy trying to get everything ready? Take a pause. Sit still and be renewed in God’s presence. You never regret time spent in God’s presence. Why is sitting before the Lord so important? When we abide in God, our batteries are charged. And we can forego panic attacks by recognizing God’s powerful presence in the world. Be still, and know that I am God! (Psalm 46:10, NRSV) Why is God calling us…
Why does God test us? What do you think? The Bible is pretty clear about this. This is how Moses answered: The Lord your God is testing you to see if you truly love him with all your heart and soul. Serve only the Lord your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him. (Deut.13:3-4; NLT) Kurt Bubna states in his new book Epic Grace, Chronicles of a Recovering Idiot “God will…
What kind of excuses have you given to God? How do you rationalize your refusal to obey? This week I learned there is something Kurt Bubna, Moses and I have in common when it comes to choosing either the route of obedience or excuses. How about you? Kurt Bubna writes in his new book Epic Grace, Chronicles of Recovering Idiot that he did not want to become a pastor because he was terrified of public speaking, had no desire to…
I know the title gives a tall order for this post. But that know-how is necessary for spiritual growth. In order to bear fruit we need to be pruned. But we don’t like it. We don’t like to get hurt. So we resist it. But that leaves us in spiritual limbo. And that is not a desired state of being. Not from our point of view and not from God’s point of you. What to do then? Any branch in…
Spiritual books are my companions on my way home to God. Books are my spiritual friends and I love spending time with them. And most of all I love that they enrich my thinking, empower my spiritual walk, and encourage me on my pilgrimage. Of course, the most important book in any Christian’s life is the Bible. I cherish it and I devour it daily. I enjoy comparing different translations and I am forever in awe how God can speak…
