BeReconciled.com

A ‘worrier’ is storing ‘treasure’ in the wrong place. If what you most value can be taken away or destroyed, then you set yourself up for anxiety. – (“Don’t Worry: Luke 12:22-34,” Seeing with New Eyes by David Powlison, p.115) This summer, I found myself awakening in the morning, only to hop on the internet [...]

The language of love, trust, fear, hope, seeking, serving- terms describing a relationship to the true God- is continually utilized in the Bible to describe our false loves, false trusts, false fears, false hopes, false pursuits, false masters. – (David Powlison writing in Idols of the Heart and “Vanity Fair,” Journal of Biblical Counseling, 13:2, [...]

Philippians instills in me a longer view of the battle– the marathon of the Christian life. It offers joy and hope and encourages me to strain toward the goal, because Christ Jesus has made me his own (3:12)! I know that I am not always overflowing with joy and thanksgiving, in stark contrast with the [...]

Have you ever noticed in yourself a desire to be right in an argument at the expense of hurting a relationship? I see in myself a desire to prove myself at the expense of others. Standing for truth is important, but when love has left my heart, I have created an idol. “The approval of [...]

True gain does not come from smart investments in the stock market, a large income, or storing up worldly knowledge. True gain comes from knowing Christ (Phil 3:7-11) and pursuing godliness (1 Timothy 6:6-9). Knowing Christ: But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as [...]

God’s goodness is a truth I can live by. I am taking this opportunity to blog so that in future days, I can remind myself of this unchanging truth. My lips should be quick to praise God! I should not be surprised at my Father’s goodness to His children. Scripture teaches that God does not [...]

As a law student, they have trained me to be a skeptic. The truth is not always as it appears. I am taught to read between the lines, to grasp the larger picture. Why did that criminal defendant use that defense? How did Jane die? What really happened? This class room skepticism has a tendency [...]

In the Gospel of John, Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will be our Helper, to be with us forever. He will dwell with us and will be in us. We will not be left as orphans. (John 14:16-18) As Christians, we take comfort in knowing that we will not be abandoned by God. Jesus [...]

Philippians 2:12 talks about a “fear and trembling” that the “beloved” are to have before God. What does this fear of God entail? Need we fear God’s punishment? Before I answer this question, the answer may very well turn on semantics and how we define our words. For me, I define punishment with more of [...]