The true grace of God for your journey home is not ease and comfort, but many sorrows and suffering here — expected, designed, limited, and rewarded — endured in faith, mindful of God and Jesus Christ, and with inexpressible and glorified joy. Which leads to boundless, uninterrupted bliss when we’re finally home.   As I... Continue Reading

I love the idea that God is quite willing and able to do more than I ask for, more than I can even imagine. I far too often doubt his ability and question his plans for me. I let the circumstances all around me define how much faith and trust I have, instead of looking... Continue Reading

The priesthood of all believers is a very important doctrine that says all believers are called to be witnesses of Christ, and all of us share in Christ’s ministries. We are called by Christ and empowered and anointed by his Spirit to be prophets in our society, to be priests in our society, and to... Continue Reading

In Christ, we are new creations, born again, empowered to live the Christian life. And because we are working from salvation and not for salvation, our work is no longer to gain favor with God, but simply to please Him (Colossians 1:10).   God is at work in us who believe (Phil 2:13). He empowers us... Continue Reading

Often your pastor is carrying around other people’s burdens that he cannot, for many good and godly reasons, share with you….There is a part of the calling of Christian ministry that must be done in the silence of the prayer closet….90% of his life is taken up with what may be 10% of yours. This... Continue Reading

Sampson’s story is amazing, for sure. It’s a warning to us all not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to, and to take heed that we fall not into the great sins that Samson did. But there are several ways in which the story makes us long for a true Savior who... Continue Reading

Friend, true freedom doesn’t come when we’ve successfully hidden; it comes when we’re found out but still accepted and cherished through God’s gracious love. Run to the true Light—Jesus himself—and find the forgiveness and freedom you long for in him.   My friends Ben and Paige have a 3-year-old named Ruth who loves playing hide-and-seek.... Continue Reading

We can make an idol out of anything; so can our kids. But until we start to spot the idols in our lives, we can’t help our children see the false sources they turn to. Evaluating why we do what we do helps us identify our idols and subsequently turn from them.   The concept... Continue Reading

Ephesians 1:13–14 states that in Christ we “were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it.” A seal in the ancient world did three things: it authenticated, it secured, and it marked ownership. All three elements are probably in view here. The seal of... Continue Reading

Countless people through history would have loved to have the access to God’s word that we enjoy today. We can read and we have it (most of the time) in our own language. We can afford it; we can get access for free on our phones or the internet. We have it in audio form... Continue Reading