A Moment of Hope

by David Chadwick Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Pause for a moment and think about this. BEFORE the world was ever created, God had a design with you in mind. What an amazing thought! This truth comes after Ephesians 2:8-9, which says that it is by grace we have saved, not a res...

by David Chadwick There is a place for works in the life of a believer. We have been saved by grace through faith, but because of that salvation, we have now been called to good works. Even the smallest acts of kindness and the tiniest displays of obedience are noticed by Jesus and will be rewarded in heaven one day. Jesus clearly taught this in Matthew 10:42. He said, "And whoever gives one of th...

by David Chadwick There is a place for good works in the life of a Christ follower. But only if it is laid on the foundation of grace. Grace is the bedrock of our salvation. However, works must follow in the life of a Christian. But what kind of works should we do? Take a moment and look at Matthew 25:31-45, the parable of the sheep and the goats. It is an end times parable that suggests some diff...

by David Chadwick If we are solely saved by grace through faith, where then do works fit into the life of a follower of Christ? The message of Jesus is different from every other world religion in that it is a message of undeserving, radical, powerful grace. James clearly states that faith without works is dead (James 2:17, 26). Is this a refutation of Paul's teaching? Absolutely not! The Bible ca...

by David Chadwick Are we saved by grace through faith or by grace, faith, and works? One cannot be justified, made righteous, and forgiven before God by both. Being saved by grace and being saved by your works are two diametrically opposed concepts. In fact, if you really think about it, faith is only available to us because of grace. Grace is a free gift that can never be earned. Salvation by wor...

by David Chadwick Live by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). Be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). Be led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14). Pray in the Spirit (Ephesians 6:18). Finally, grieve not the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). Or as 1 Thessalonians 5:19 says, "Do not quench the Spirit." I find today's exhortation to be the pinnacle point of a life that is full of the Holy Spirit because it forces all of...

by David Chadwick This week, we are examining what it looks like to live a life yielded to the Silent Sovereign, also known as the Holy Spirit. Jesus calls us to live by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16), be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), be led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14), and to pray in the Spirit (Ephesians 6:18). What does it mean to pray in the Spirit? Well, it's actually pretty simple. A...

by David Chadwick Live by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). Be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). And today: be led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14). The Spirit will speak to you in a variety of ways. But as we learned earlier this week, if you are one of God's sheep, you will hear the voice of Jesus through the Holy Spirit (John 10:27). But what does this look like? Well, you may "hear" the Holy Spir...

by David Chadwick We are called to walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). But we are also called to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). Ephesians 5:18–21 goes on to say that as we are filled with the Spirit, we are to "address one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father i...

by David Chadwick This week, I want us to take a look at the Holy Spirit, also known as the Silent Sovereign. Do any of you enjoy going on a long walk? Walking is a gift from God. Whether you walk to get from one location to another, to pray, to exercise, or to enjoy God's beauty or creation, walking is something that everyone does in the natural realm. But did you know that walking is also a sign...

by Marilynn Chadwick I wonder why we keep buying the same old lies. If someone else treated a woman as badly as she sometimes treats herself—overwork, eating disorders, addiction, lack of rest—they'd be convicted of abuse. The real war on women may require that we take an honest look in the mirror. And stand up to the devil who planted those lies in the first place. If we truly want to understand...

by Marilynn Chadwick To nurture someone is another way to be kind. Especially when it comes to little children. The words nurture  and  nourish  come from the Latin word meaning "to nurse." To nurture someone is to help them grow, develop, or succeed. I think back to the days of nursing our three children and I'm still awed that I was able to provide practically all the nourishment needed by those...

by Marilynn Chadwick Religion has not always been kind to women. But women also seem bent on exhausting themselves. Today's woman seems restless. I think St. Augustine could easily have been talking to us when he made this famous statement in his Confessions : "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you." Religion may not have been easy on women. But Jes...

by Marilynn Chadwick I'm one of those people that gets misty-eyed over our men and women in uniform. My dad is a World War II era submarine veteran. Our family tree is dotted with soldiers back to the Revolutionary War, when our ancestor, Captain Simon Hunt, was one of the 80 minutemen who led the charge against the British with the "shot heard round the world." Soldiers fight for our freedom. The...

by Marilynn Chadwick Kindness actually makes people happier. Such were the findings of a Stanford University study. Subjects who did five kind actions each week were happier than those who did not. And those who performed five acts every day were the happiest of all. The study found that happiness is greater when the acts of kindness are directed toward those we know as opposed to strangers. I gue...

by Marilynn Chadwick The Proverbs 31:10 "woman of valor" is kind, and she teaches others to be kind. But we must also consider the kindness of God. Because until we get that one right, we'll never walk in true freedom. Throughout history, we have seen how women (and all people, for that matter) have done terrible things to themselves and to each other when their view of God is off. We have a good...

by Marilynn Chadwick I will readily admit I love superhero movies. Today's superhero movies have given us quite a rush of female superheroines splashed across our screen—a far cry from the helpless damsel in distress of years past. Perhaps these fit, strong females will provide our daughters with better role models and higher self-esteem? Better think again. Just when we suspected these hard-hitti...

by Marilynn Chadwick You'd think women would have learned by now that sometimes we can be our own worst enemies. For example, the torturous custom of foot binding, which plagued China's women for over a thousand years, was perpetuated by women. Originally a symbol of female wealth and refinement, foot binding eventually became a symbol of beauty. The smaller the foot—with a three-inch foot being t...

by Marilynn Chadwick I still marvel when I think about how God gave women the added privilege of being life-givers and co-creators of the entire human race. Eve was the first woman. Her name literally means "mother of all the living" (Genesis 3:20). I love Eve's response after giving birth to the first human ever born to a woman: "Look, I have created a new human, with the help of the Eternal" (Ge...

by Marilynn Chadwick A woman of valor who can find?...The teaching of kindness is on her tongue ( Proverbs 31:10,26 JPS). Disney got it right. The scariest villains are often women. Think about it. Cinderella's wicked stepmother overworked the poor girl and locked her in an attic before she was finally rescued by her handsome prince. The evil Maleficent cast her jealous spell on Sleeping Beauty. S...

by David Chadwick Kindness. It is a word that our modern society seems to undervalue and it is a "missing in action" concept in the Christian world. This week, my exhortation has been to reclaim kindness. We have talked about remembering how important kindness is, we have talked about how to reclaim it, how to increase a life of kindness and show it to others. Today, I want to call all of us to ac...

by David Chadwick Do you know what I think gives the best illustration of kindness in the entire Bible? The story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. It is one of my favorite accounts in all of Scripture. Let's look at it together. If you know biblical history, you know that the Samaritans were derided by the Jews in Jesus's day. They were absolutely hated. Despised even. They were considered the ha...

by David Chadwick I want to urge all of us toward kindness during these times. Remember it. Reclaim it. And then today's tip: increase it! If you want to increase the weight you are lifting at the gym, what do you have to do? You have to add a little more each day. Over time, you will be able to lift heavier and heavier weights. The same holds true with kindness. Practice increasing in kindness a...

by David Chadwick How do we reclaim kindness? A term that is missing in action both in secular culture and among Christ followers. I strongly believe we are in times where those of us who profess Jesus as Lord must exercise kindness. But how? Our world is so hostile and volatile. What do we even do? I'm glad you asked. We must begin with observing the nature and character of God. God demonstrates...

by David Chadwick I believe kindness is one of the things that is missing in action in today's society. Where has it gone? Generally speaking, kindness is defined as the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. If you were to look around, I bet you would agree with me that these traits are hard to come by right now. Biblically speaking, kindness is also a fruit of the spirit (Galatian...