Move from Fullness to Abundance!
How full is your life? Let me put it another way, how abundant is your life? The questions sound different, don’t they? Many of us have lives that are full, but not as many have lives that feel abundant.
In John 10:10, Jesus is recorded as saying “… I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Other translations say, “Have it abundantly.” The point is that Jesus came into the world to free us from all that binds us, and to release abundant spiritual life in our souls and in our midst. We are tempted to think that the life Christ has for us is smaller than the lives we are trying to carve out for ourselves, but actually the opposite is true. He who created you wants to give you the best and fullest life your frame can handle.
In a related way, Paul exhorts us to be “Filled with the Holy Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18) The full and abundant life that Jesus provides is realized through the filling of...
How to Behave Like a Good King
When I was very young my older brother and I loved to play King. We would make card castles, and we would drape blankets over our shoulders. We’d throw cards at each other’s castles until we eventually destroyed them. Then we would traipse around with our blanket-trains following us, declaring that we were the conquering kings.
There is something deep inside our beings that loves the idea of kings and kingdoms.
A time is coming when, “the kingdoms of this world will become the Kingdom of our Lord and His Messiah, and He will reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15) Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords; every knee in heaven and on earth and below the earth will bow before Him. (Philippians 2:10) He is the Benevolent Ruler who gives life, rather than takes it. He fights to free people, not conquer them. He is the One who provides for His people, rather than receives provision from them. His...
Living Well In Turbulent Times
It seems there is new and ongoing upheaval and violence across many areas of the world. There are unsettled feelings and anxieties almost everywhere. How should we live in such times?
Let’s remember some key truths from Scripture:
- We are receiving a Kingdom that can’t be shaken. The end of Hebrews 12 indicates that God will allow/cause shaking in the world so that only the eternal things that cannot be shaken will remain. In other words, God will shake the hell out of the earth, so the things of heaven are what remain. This is good news, not bad. “Since we are receiving a Kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”” (Hebrews 12 28-28) The Kingdom of God is within and among believers – heaven is in our midst. (Luke 17:21)
- The primary battles of this life are in the spiritual realm, not against people. “Our struggle is not...
How Do You Start Your Day?
How do you start your day? Do you awaken to the blast of an alarm that catapults you from your subconscious state? Do you consider what must be done that day and simply do what you can to get yourself moving on the right path? Do you start your day alone in your head? Or on your phone?
Or, do you start your day seeking and acknowledging God’s presence? This may sound like a religious/Sunday school question that has an obvious “right answer,” but press past the conceptual and consider your actual, consistent experience.
When describing His relationship with His Father Jesus said,
“The One who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do what pleases Him.” (John 8:29)
Jesus did not live His life alone; He lived it with the Father. He maintained this connected relationship by doing the things He sensed the Father wanted.
Jesus went on to say,
“If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and...
Are You Positioned to Hear From God?
What do people mean when they say they “hear God’s voice?” Can everyone hear God? Do people have the same capacity and/or ability to hear the Lord? Does the Lord “speak” more often or more clearly in some places and at some times than others?
The book of 1 Samuel notes, “In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.” (1 Sam. 3:1). Apparently, there are different dispensations regarding the frequency and clarity of God's communication. Approximately 3,100 years ago the people of God were not experiencing much of the revelation of God. Then Samuel was born, and God started communicating boldly through the prophets.
In the New Testament, the book of Hebrews begins, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through...
Are You Building Your Muscle?
Many people want to be healthier and in better shape. Today the number of popular diet program options is mind boggling. Keto. Paleo. Intermittent Fasting. Cleanses. Mediterranean, just to name a few.
Do you, too, want to get in better shape? If so, I have one question that I must ask; do you want a short-term or a long-term solution?
Many people want to look nice for an upcoming event or reunion, but fewer seek to sustain a life change that will make a difference for the long haul. Do you want to cut excess sugar for the next 10-20 years, or is this a short-term fancy? Are you willing to keep at your exercise plan for years and years, or is it related to some short-term goal?
Sometimes people address their faith-life in a similar way. They want to get in “spiritual shape;” they are hoping it will happen by magic, and they put their hope in a “crash-diet” of Sunday sermons and crisis prayers. Many of us hope that we...
Are You Prepared for What's Next?
When you consider your future, what do you think will happen?
Do you picture good things coming your way, or does the future feel somewhat bleak?
No one really knows the future. God rarely gives detailed insights into what is coming next. It seems that He wants us to rely on Him and not to become fixated on what will or won’t happen. This can feel disconcerting – and some become so concerned with knowing the future that they involve themselves in the occult, seeking dark powers for information about their future as if that will bring them security and comfort.
God’s Kingdom approach is quite different. He promises to be with us always; to never leave us or forsake us. His character is such that He can be trusted with our future, even though we don’t know what that future will hold.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28 NIV)
Rather...
