Proverbs 15:1 says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” That kind of answer is possible when we stay connected to Jesus and cooperate with the Holy Spirit. He’s the Master Gardener who produces this fruit in us, we don’t need to strive or struggle to force it. Our part is to open ourselves to the Spirit and obey His leading; His part is to produce the fruit.
What Comes Out Under Pressure Read More »
There is a deep trust required to say, “Okay Jesus, I am going to put you first in my schedule.” But as you trust Him and abide in the vine, fruit grows! And this fruit that the apostle Paul is talking about isn’t produced based on how long you’ve been a Christian or by willing yourself to grow it. Bearing the fruit of the Spirit is a natural byproduct of spending time with Jesus. Reading the Bible, going to church, finding a Life Group, or listening to worship music on your commute—each of these is a practical way to abide in this season.
What is one step you can take this week to abide and not strive?
Are You Striving or Abiding This Season? Read More »
If you are walking through pain right now, you are not walking through it alone, and you are not walking through it forever. Jesus does not offer a philosophical answer from a distance, but instead, He offers Himself, a Savior who wept at Lazarus’s tomb, who bled on a cross, and who rose in victory over death itself.
Why Does a Good God Allow Evil? Read More »
Christian freedom doesn’t mean living with no authority over your life. It means living under the right authority.
In Jesus’ day, becoming someone’s disciple meant more than sitting in a class and learning information. A disciple learned the teacher’s way of understanding Scripture and then tried to actually live it out. Different rabbis had different interpretations of how the Law should be applied. So, when Jesus says:
“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me,”
He is basically saying:
Learn My Way. Walk with Me. Let Me show you what life with God is supposed to look like.
This Yoke’s on You! Read More »
We can be very good at making things happen. Most of the time the thing we are trying so desperately to produce is something only God can produce.
There is another son in the story. Isaac is the result of God keeping His promise. Humanly speaking, there seemed to be no way. Abraham and Sarah had tried their own way, but God’s promise hadn’t changed. There are times that faith means trusting God enough to act on what He has said. It means finding His promise, praying His promise, and confessing His promise over situations that look impossible.
You Can Go Your Own Way, But I Suggest You Don’t Read More »
What It Means to Be a Child of God Have you ever walked into a room and wondered, Do I really belong here? Maybe you’ve felt like the outsider, the forgotten one, or the person who doesn’t quite fit. For some of us, those feelings go deeper. Experiences with family, rejection, or disappointment can leave
Just as earthly inheritances aren’t earned but received simply because we belong to a family, our heavenly inheritance comes because we belong to God’s family through Christ.
An earthly inheritance becomes official through a signed will.
Our heavenly inheritance has been signed and sealed by the Holy Spirit. Paul calls the Holy Spirit “the guarantee of our inheritance” (Ephesians 1:13-14).
What Does It Mean to Be an Heir of God? Read More »
The real fight isn’t trying harder—it’s trusting deeper. Every day we’re faced with the same question: Will I trust God, or will I trust myself?
That was my problem that day in the kitchen. Somewhere along the way, I had drifted from the simplicity of the gospel. I was no longer resting in what Christ had accomplished; I was trying to supplement it with my own effort, believing that if I prayed more, worked harder, or performed better, then maybe God could finally do what I longed for Him to do.
It’s the Same Faith Read More »
We are like a person drowning in the middle of a vast, storm-tossed ocean with no land in sight. We cannot save ourselves. Our only hope is for a rescuer to come. Christ has come to rescue us, and we receive that rescue not by our own efforts, but by placing our faith in Him.
Grace Over Performance Read More »
Many of us have grown up around Christianity. We attend church because our parents do/did, or perhaps because our friends invited us. We know the Bible stories, we sing the songs, and we even know the answers to some basic questions about Jesus.
But eventually every one of us has to ask a difficult question: Is my faith actually my own?
Is My Faith Really My Own? Read More »
