20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean […]
A Mature Christian Perspective – Philippians 1:20-24 Read More »
14 For many are called, but few are chosen.” – Matthew 22:14 Since God loves everyone and Jesus died for all human sin on the cross, why does the Bible say that only “many” are called to salvation and not “all”? The “called” in Matthew 22:14 represent those who receive a gospel presentation. Regardless of whether they choose
Who Is Called to Salvation? Read More »
The gospel message – God’s good news to us – is glorious. God loves us all and He wants us to be saved, to join His family. Everyone who lives has a chance to be part of that family (even though we don’t deserve it). 8 But God demonstrates His own love for us in this:
How Do I Know if I am Saved? Read More »
When things go wrong, our thoughts often wander to, “Is God punishing me?” Whatever circumstances surround this thought – an illness, a loved one’s death, a tragic event – we sometimes start digging into the past (recent or long ago) and pull out something we feel guilty about and attach our present situation to that.
Does God Punish Us? Read More »
When we study the Bible, we sometimes see God testing believers – often in hard ways. We see Abraham, asked to sacrifice Isaac. We see Joseph, withstanding injustice. We see Job, losing his possessions and loved ones. We see Paul, suffering mightily for Jesus. We see Esther, risking her life to help God’s people. And
Why Does God Test Us? Read More »
Every hour we are closer to eternity. Inhale, exhale. Closer to eternity. Drive to work. Closer to eternity. Take a walk, mop the kitchen, do the dishes, snuggle with the kids. Closer to eternity. Most of the time we don’t think like that. There are things to do. Good things, godly things – like living
Closer to Eternity Read More »
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward
Our minds are an intense field of war, where the most strenuous fighting often occurs, and the most tiring effects take us to low places. Some Christians are more prone to struggle with this than others and there are many ways in which we can get off track (e.g. one Christian may struggle with pride
Our Thoughts: Struggles and Solutions Read More »
When December arrives, the account of Jesus’ birth (what we often call the Christmas story) is recited in our churches and our homes. And what a glorious account it is, when our Savior and Lord came to live with us. Emmanuel – God with us. 14 The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We
Emmanuel: God with us Read More »
The Same Mindset 1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain
Jesus: Our Example Read More »