Read: Philippians 1:6, 2:12-13 It matters that the work God is doing in you is his initiative, his project. Let’s read that verse again: And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6 …
In 2006, Dave and I undertook the arduous task of building a house. It was our second go around, but this time it was different. We built our forever home! There are so many choices and decisions to make when building. It easily overwhelmed me. To be sure, many of the decisions can be changed …
Read: Philippians 1:10 Do you ever begin your day, your week by wondering what really matters in life? I do. Paul’s words in this verse stood out to me. His concern was that the people he wrote to understood what really matters. What really matters to you? Is it the same thing that will carry …
Read: Psalm 40 This psalm speaks to me of life as it is every day. We encounter trouble along the way, but God is there to walk with us. And his work in our lives brings forth praise in others. When we live out following Jesus in all of its measure, others will see and …
Maturity has nothing to do with eternity. Maturing in our faith continues to happen as long as we live. We never achieve that complete perfection this side of heaven. But we have the opportunity to grow in faith and in our experience with Jesus every day. And our reward will be this side of heaven. …
Maturity. What does that mean? Returning to the writer’s admonitions in Hebrews 6:1-4, it seems maturity means we are confident in the basic. Repenting from evil deeds, placing our faith in God, baptism, the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment are all basic tenets of following Jesus. Summarizing these, it seems that maturing means …
Read: Hebrews 6:1-4 We aren’t good Christians and bad Christians. You either follow Jesus or you don’t. But there is the aspect of maturity. I love watching my two-year-old granddaughter interact with her surroundings. This weekend while glamping, she rarely ate off her own plate. It’s not to say she didn’t eat, she just didn’t …
A friend and I decided to check out the local shopping opportunities and while on the way, we chatted about life, kids, family, jobs – you know, the usual friendly chatter. Somewhere in the conversation, my friend shared an encounter she had and summarized by saying, “I suppose a good Christian would do it differently.” …
Read: John 15:15-17 It is my experience that humanity tends to categorize by good, better, best. And sometimes, bad. People are good athletes or bad athletes. Others are good musicians or bad musicians. Some can sell, others can’t sell to save their lives. And in many ways, it’s true. We aren’t good at everything we …
Many of us are enjoying a holiday schedule this weekend. Although the origination of the Labor Day holiday is lost on many of us, it serves as a signal to the end of summer and gives another opportunity to gather with our gaggles, tackle projects outside or enjoy festivals, parades and community celebrations. How about …