I like to think of repentance like rain on a parched land. Sometimes rain will downpour, other times it comes as gentle rain, steadily and slowly. We know it has rained by the signs of life. In the soil of true repentance, life will spring out from the ground. Genuine repentance shows itself with fruit… Read More »
We come to Christ as beggars. Begging Jesus is what we observed in blind Bartimaeus, the blind beggar who sat on the side of the road, who pleaded for mercy from Jesus. (Mark 10:46-52.) What a picture of our miserable and needy state. We come to Jesus: blind, begging, and in need of a Savior’s… Read More »
I’m a big fan of helping Christians dwell together in peace and unity with a love for the truth. What do we do when Christians disagree about how to handle coronavirus? In seeking the peace of the church in this time, I’ve been thinking about the role of our conscience in Covid-19. What does conscience have to… Read More »
In his book, Union with Christ, Rankin Wilbourne reminds us of a key component of the gospel: our union with Christ. Rankin points out that the phrase “in Christ” is used over 160 times by the Apostle Paul. As Christians, Christ is in us and we are in Christ. Our union with Christ means that… Read More »
Recently I was amazed at our persecuted brothers and sisters in Egypt who were praying for the evildoers that sought to murder them. These Christians understood that evildoers can take their life but not their living hope in Christ Jesus (Matthew 10:28, 1 Peter 1:3-9). One persecuted leader, Fr. Boules George, explained that his prayer for his enemies was in faithful… Read More »
Where does a Peacemaker Find the Power to Persevere in Conflict? Answer: Through Complete Dependence on Jesus. What motivates you on a day to day basis? Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work” (John 4:34). What would it look like if God’s glory… Read More »
Paul was gushing with confidence in God’s ability to complete his work in his fellow Christians. In Paul’s letter to the saints in Philippi, he says this: “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” – Philippians 1:6. Paul was sure… Read More »
How often do you wear a mask? Does anyone know the real you? To be a good friend, it requires us to be vulnerable. Intimacy doesn’t just happen. It requires revelation. Just as we can have a relationship with God because he reveals himself to us, self-revelation is a prerequisite for intimacy in our close relationships. Ever… Read More »
When you run out of human love, what do you do? I suggest that you ask God for more faith. Our cry should be: “I believe, help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24, Hebrews 11.) Faith and love are necessarily connected. The Christian life is “faith working through love.” (Galatians 5:6.) You won’t be able to love without… Read More »
In his book Loving Well, William P. Smith recounts a story of an elder sharing that he and his wife thought the secret to the success of their 27-year-long marriage was that they had learned how to be patient with each other. He went on to say that he thought that was similar to our… Read More »