The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

Episode 468 - Show Notes Listen to those words, “filled with all the fullness of God.” How can we contain all of God. It’s like trying to empty the ocean. There is more of God than we could ever possibly experience. Paul is praying for men and women who had already placed their faith in Jesus. They were Christ-followers, but Paul prays that they would experience more of God in their lives. I belie...

Episode 467 - Show Notes When we believe in Jesus we are leaning our whole weight upon him. Our trust is completely in Jesus. With all that we are we lean on Christ. We trust in no one or nothing else for our salvation. Our faith is in Christ, and Christ alone. I wonder if today,  we might struggle with what it means to believe in Jesus. For some, belief is a mental assent or agreement. It’s a the...

Episode 466 - Show Notes Grace is often defined as the unmerited, unearned, and undeserved kindness of God. Grace is "the love and mercy given to us by God because God desires us to have it, not because of anything we have done to earn it.” At 50 years old, I’m still trying to understand God’s grace. My natural tendency is to think I need to work for or earn the goodness of God. Show me what...

Episode 465 - Show Notes I often think of the 12 disciples of Jesus. Each of them was personally invited by Jesus to follow him. None of them put in an application. None of them were interviewed to see if they would be selected. No, they were asked by Jesus to follow. Over the next three years, they would follow closely. Certainly, they would learn from the preaching and teaching of Jesus. But the...

Episode 464 - Show Notes True, biblical gratitude is much more than an attitude, it is a lifestyle.  When we commit to honoring God as the source of all blessings, a real transformation takes place.  The daily practice of living with a thankful heart impacts every part of our lives.   As you look back over this past year, there may be things you find deeply discouraging.  Yet, we know that despite...

Episode 463 - Show Notes I’ve never met a person who didn’t want to make a difference in their life. It’s a sincere desire we have. It’s a God-instilled desire. But for many of us, we don’t know how to make a difference. What you have to offer God matters. Your life matters. It matters to those you serve, those you help, those you pray for, those you encourage, those you bless. Your life matters....

Episode 462 - Show Notes I’ve met people through the years who love Jesus and who serve God but they have never been baptized. They never saw the priority of baptism.  Baptism is something Jesus commanded us to do. It’s not an option for the believer. It’s something we do as soon as we believe. In fact, the word baptize is found 77 times in the New Testament.  Baptism is an outward and visible sig...

Episode 461 - Show Notes Notice that our love for God is to be comprehensive. The word “all” is used three times. If we love God with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our strength - no area is left out. Why love? Why not duty? Why not create a religion where we work for our salvation? The answer is because God has created us to be in relationship with himself. It would be possible to fulf...

Episode 460 - Show Notes Everyone listening today has a story. You have a past. We all look back with regret to some choices and decisions we have made. Like me, you’ve probably had the thought, “If I had known then, what I know now, I would have made a different decision.” Thankfully, our God is abundant in grace. If you have trusted Jesus Christ as your savior and Lord, you have experienced his...

Episode 459 - Show Notes The questions of death and eternity are questions we all face.  I believe the Christian faith offers the only solid answers to the final questions.  The Bible tells us everything we need to know about life after death and it tells us everything we need to know with certainty.  Outside of the Word of God, we are left with speculation and personal opinion. In the pages of Sc...

Episode 458 - Show Notes This week I have been meditating on a passage of Scripture in the Book of Proverbs. It’s talking about the importance of God’s Word and how we should never let it out of our sight. King Solomon goes on to say to us that if we keep God’s Word near to us, it will provide the protection we need. Listen to what he says. Listen again to those powerful words: “Do not let wisdom...

Episode 457 - Show Notes I have met so many people who felt they didn’t have much to offer God. We think of our talents, gifts, and abilities and then compare them to others. It’s easy to find someone who has more experience, who is more charismatic, or more gifted. We then find ourselves thinking, “What do I have to offer God?” But we need to rethink what small really is. God is not dependent on...

Episode 456 - Show Notes The Book of Proverbs calls for us to have a teachable spirit. Disciples have a willingness to learn and to follow. This is essentially what a disciple is…a student.  A hunger to learn and a willingness to search for knowledge is a wonderful gift from God. We must embrace it. We should recognize that we don’t know it all. There is much God wants to teach us. We can learn fr...

Episode 455 - Show Notes Maybe you once had a strong relationship with Christ, you once served God, but today you have walked away. You wonder if God would forgive you. You doubt that he would give you a second chance. In the Old Testament there was a prophet named Jonah. God spoke to him and told him to go preach in a city called Nineveh. Jonah couldn’t believe what God asked him to do. They peop...

Episode 454 - Show Notes I’m sure that in your life right now you need to make a decision, or maybe several decisions. Perhaps you are deciding about your future, your work, your family, where you live, or a parenting decision.  Do you feel that uncertainty about the decision you need to make? Are you struggling with some stress and anxiety because you want to be sure to make the right decision? L...

Episode 453 - Show Notes As we observe human nature, we see that there is a great diversity in what we value.  Many value success and accomplishment. Some will value houses and cars. Some will value travel and experiences. Others will value giving their children opportunities for sports. We all value different things. There is nothing inherently wrong with this as much of our choices have to do wi...

Episode 452 - Show Notes For a lot of people, the past holds a difficult childhood, an abusive marriage, the loss of a loved one, or a difficult financial situation. Yet no matter how painful our past may have been, for some strange reason we often choose not to let go. In order to get on with our future and simplify our lives, we must choose to make a clean break and leave the past behind. Stayin...

Episode 451 - Show Notes God has promised to give us the power of the Holy Spirit. This power is necessary for Godly living, and to fulfill our purpose as believers. But to access this power, we must stay connected to God. Today the Holy Spirit is just as alive, active, and accessible to us as we seek to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives. The Holy Spirit is absolutely vital to our lives today! ...

Episode 450 - Show Notes In the Old Testament we find a man name Daniel. Though he was a Hebrew and had been captured by the Babylonians, God had opened the door for him to work for the King. We can imagine that he was busy with many administrative tasks, yet he too had a daily appointment with God. Actually, he had not one appointment, but three. In an effort to attack Daniel, some of his enemies...

Episode 449 - Show Notes I believe there are many who hear others talk about intimacy with God, but they have never experienced it for themselves. They have read about a close relationship with God, but it has never been their experience. They will never know what it is like until the intimacy becomes their own. I’m so thankful that God doesn’t offer us cold, ritualistic, meaningless religion. Ins...

Episode 448 - Show Notes Take those three powerful words to heart: “It is finished.” Jesus stepped in and took our guilty sentence. He is our substitute. He took our place on the cross. Once and for all Jesus paid the awful penalty for sins. It’s important we understand that Jesus’s work on the cross is complete. As Jesus cried out, “It is finished.” Justice has been served. There is nothing else...

Episode 447 - Show Notes When you open your Bible from the beginning, the very first thing we see God do is work. He is doing the work of creation, but the second thing God does is rest. He rests from his labor. I truly believe that from the earliest pages of scripture God is setting for us an example. While rest for our physical bodies is essential, the Bible talks about another kind of rest, one...

Episode 446 - Show Notes Does our faith in Jesus have an impact on our work, and how we work? I believe it does. What you do matters, but how you do it matters more. Character matters. It matters to God. How you represent Christ in the marketplace matters. Your work ethic is a part of your testimony of a changed life through Jesus. When you go to work it is a daily opportunity to bring glory to Go...

Episode 445 - Show Notes In our culture today, we have an epidemic of critical and negative thinking. It comes out in our vocabulary now, more than ever. Social media has given each of us a megaphone to shout to the world our feelings and opinions.  This week as I was praying about my own negativity, I sensed God speaking to my heart these words, “Loren, your negativity is contagious.” Those words...

Episode 444 - Show Notes It’s important that we see the Holy Spirit as a person. The Holy Spirit is the third person in the God-head.  He is not a personality.  He is not the personality of God.  He is the third person of the God-head. It’s important for you to know that the Holy Spirit of God comes in a personal way.  The Holy Spirit is not impersonal.  He is not just a force or a power.  When yo...