Grace for New Life

Insecurity makes us tentative. It is hard to be strong when our weakness is so evident. But Jesus has joined his life to our and, in our weakness, we have his strength. Faith is what connects us to Jesus and helps us to live in his strength. Therefore, with God’s help, we fan the flames of the faith that has been given to us. (Based on 2 Timothy 1:1-14.)

When the hope we have for a better life is being ground down to nothing by persecution or life-stealing circumstances, it’s time to re-examine our foundation for hope. A hope foundation built on the things of this world will never last. But a foundation built on Jesus’ promise to return and restore us and all things will give us the hope we need to endure until those better days come. (Based on 1...

We tend to become what we focus on. Broken as we are, we humans tend to focus on the baser aspects of life in this world thinking that they will satisfy the appetites of our heart, but they never do. Thankfully, Jesus came into this world to redeem us lost and broken souls and give us a greater life with him that will last forever. Therefore, we direct our focus toward heavenly things, the things...

One of the important ways to grow into becoming the kind of person we want to be is by choosing a mentor and patterning our life after theirs. We are making such choices whenever we click on “Like,” “Follow,” or “Subscribe.” But are we being thoughtful and intentional about who we allow to influence us and the depth of influence that we give to them? Will following them lead us into the life that...

There is a lot of emphasis on rule-based living these days. While having some basic rules for our life can be helpful, for we all need some structure in our lives, it is important for us to remember that the rules are not our life, and neither is living without any rules. What we really need for fruitful living is to be enlivened, empowered and directed by the Holy Spirit. Our best life is lived w...

God is on the move.  He is always on the move!  Can you see what He is doing around you?  Did you know that the Holy Spirit is working all the time as He continues to work in your life and mine.   He is working on all those people in your sphere of influence.  Can you see Him working and how He equips you to be His mentor to others as He is working in their lives?  Are you ready?  God is on the Mo...

The standard human operating system is to live life in this world guided by what we see and for our own personal enrichment. The hollowness of this OS is revealed when we come to the end of life in this world and end up with nothing. But Jesus paid the full cost of our forgiveness so that we could be reconciled to God and have life with him. Therefore, we live differently in this world. We are gui...

We usually think of freedom as the ability to do whatever we want, but that kind of freedom can lead us to harm others and ourselves. With Jesus, we have been freed from feeding our sinful, self-centered desires. In the freedom we have from Jesus, we mold ourselves to connect with others so they might know him and the freedom he gives. (Based on 1 Cor. 9:19-27, 10:23-11:2.)

A lot of the challenging issues in our society these days, such as sexuality, gender, and abortion, pertain to the human body and who controls what we do with our bodies. Is it the government or the individual? A common response is to say, “It’s my body and I can do whatever I want with it!” As we look at Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, we will see that this isn’t even the right question t...

With all the challenges we face, it is easy for us to become discouraged and cynical about life. Our hearts are empty, and we have no use for other people, unless they can give us what we need. But Jesus gives us the endurance and encouragement we need to keep moving forward in this challenging world. He makes sure that all our needs are met and his love fills our hearts to over-flowing. Fully lov...

Central to the Christian journey is the faithful reading of Scripture and fellowship with Jesus and his followers. This is vividly illustrated in the dramatic encounter between two disciples and the risen Jesus on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). The disciples recognize who Jesus is, and are able to proclaim the gospel, only after he explains Scripture in relation to himself and...

We humans inherently try to justify ourselves on the basis of what we do, who we are, or what we have. But none of those human-centered approaches work. Thankfully, because of his own goodness and love, God has reconciled himself to us by sending Jesus to pay the full cost of humanity's forgiveness for our sins and give us his righteousness in return. Therefore, we abandon our efforts to just...

In times past, the surrounding society supported and encouraged faith in Jesus. But not anymore. In times of pressure or persecution, we may forget the power of the Gospel and be tempted to hide our faith to preserve our life in this world. But there is more power in the Gospel than there is in us. The Gospel message about Jesus has the power to create faith in our hearts, and through that faith w...

Human life is like a funnel. When we are younger, we have lots of opportunities to make choices. As we grow older, our opportunities to make choices narrows up to the point that, at the end of our life, we have almost no opportunities left. Without help, we will inevitably have regrets at life's end. But Jesus forgives us for all our failures, redeems our mistakes and gives us the Holy Spirit...

In our part of the world, we live in a time where Christianity seems to be in decline and there is resistance to the Christian message. But God has placed within each culture a connecting point for the Gospel message. So we nourish ourselves with the true Christian faith and also learn about the surrounding culture. With the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit, we can build bridges with our non-...

There is no one who is beyond God's grace. Even Paul, a former enemy of Christians, was transformed by Jesus to become the most prominent Christian missionary in New Testament times. Regardless of how deep or dark our sin may be, Jesus invites us to come into the light of his forgiveness. Like Paul, it is there that we find new life, new hope and new purpose. (Based on Acts 9:1-19.)

For some of us, having someone tell us not to worry is like telling us not to breathe. It is so ingrained into our lives that we cannot imagine life without it. What is needed is a shift in what our heart ultimately trusts. Worry happens because we trust in ourselves or our circumstances to preserve and protect our lives. Jesus invites us to live in a new way where we live in moment-by-moment trus...

Confirmation Sunday is an opportunity for young people to publicly confess that the faith into which they were baptized as infants is indeed their own personal faith. This is a momentous occasion in the lives of each of these four young people for, from this moment on, they will be taking responsibility for the Christian faith in which they were nurtured at home and in this community of faith. Thi...

We live in a time of great change and uncertainty, a time when the foundations of the institutions and shared beliefs that used to support society have started to crack and crumble. In a search for "salvation," most people take an individual perspective and focus on themselves. But Jesus brings salvation in a communal sense, for love always finds its fullest form in community. (Based on...

As Jesus got ready to leave the world, he prepared his followers by making them aware of the persecution that will come. The Source of strength and truth that will help them endure will be the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus promised to send to them. As Jesus' followers share his love with the world, the Holy Spirit will do the inner work of convincing people of their need for a Savior. (Based on Joh...

Before Jesus went to the cross, he assured his followers that he would send another Advocate, a Helper who would continue the work of Jesus by dwelling within his followers and reminding them of all that Jesus had done and taught. That Advocate is the Holy Spirit who fills us with overflowing life, love, joy and peace from God. With our spirit attuned to the Holy Spirit, we have courage and peace....

All human problems tend to be rooted in our bodies or our spirits, and sometimes both. Left to our own devices, there is no way for human beings to fully resolve and heal the problems we have. But the God-human Jesus has. His suffering and death on the cross, and his resurrection that followed on the third day, point to the culmination of our journey of faith with him, a journey that is initiated...

Because we are deeply rooted in this world, it is easy for us to primarily hunger for the things of this world. Sometimes we even try to use Jesus, with his power and authority, to get the things that we want. But Jesus went to the cross, died and rose again, to satisfy much deeper hungers in our soul. With him as our king, for now and forever, more of his grace and love shines through us into the...

Without new life from the Holy Spirit, we prefer to live in darkness instead of the light of God's Kingdom. But Jesus died on the cross and rose again to pay the cost of a new and eternal life for us. Through trust in Jesus, the Holy Spirit brings that new life to us personally. Living the new life the Spirit has given us, we live by God's truth and walk in his light. (Based on John 3:1-...

We are so used to looking at life through the framework of the world, that we miss seeing Jesus at work in our lives and in the world. But when we become willing to humbly receive, then we can see Jesus and what he is doing. Therefore, with our eyes on him and confident of his love and redemption, we are able to live our lives with the hope and joy of the resurrection. (Based on Luke 24:13-35.)