The Wake-Up Call

We must be delivered from our faith in God as religion and into our faith in God as everyday life.

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

In the midst of what could otherwise be a chaotic experience in the wilderness, God establishes structure, rhythm, and direction.

The kingdom of God is a very different place than the kingdom of the world, and the wilderness is the place where it all gets sorted out—the wheat from the chaff.

The pathway toward enough is found through obedience to God alone.

When we live in direct, right relationship with God, the way is made to live in direct, right relationship with ourselves and in direct, right relationship with one another.

Worship is the everyday reality and relationship with the provider to whom we attribute value and worth and the reception of provision, protection, and peace from this provider. 

We must learn to make the wilderness pivot, which is the shift from wants-and-needs-driven expectations to core God-given longings.

Because of Christ’s work on the cross, we have been declared not guilty before the great tribunal of God’s judgment throne.

God knows what we need, and he knows we regularly need retreat and refreshment.

God cares about our bodies and our health.

While it’s always easier to grumble at our leaders in the wilderness, the secret to success is crying out to God.

And this is the meaning of the wilderness—the strengthening of our souls in the midst of struggle through the power of the Holy Spirit.

He wants our worship in the midst of the difficulty of deliverance.

Every single one of us has the opportunity every single day to help walk somebody home. 

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

At the cross we simultaneously behold the great mystery of Christ—the wrath of God against sin and the love of God for sinners—and we are saved.

I want to live my life at the pace of Jesus in me; in step with the Holy Spirit—awake but not anxious, alert without preoccupation. 

Faith gives our heart and soul the vision of God.

So often in our praying we pleadingly ask God to act on our behalf. I often wonder if God is looking for a mode of prayer whereby we are acting on God’s behalf and at his behest.

The issue is not the size of one’s faith, but the strength of their God.

Will we succumb to the slavery of building the kingdoms of this world, or will we become sons and daughters and inherit the now-and-still-coming kingdom of God?

Jesus is the victor who, after his suffering and humiliation, has been crowned with glory and honor! Today’s post is from A Meditative Journey Through the Psalms by Timothy and Julie Tennent. Most recently, he served as president of Asbury Theological Seminary among other posts he holds across the global church. Julie is a gifted musician and was one of the driving forces that helped bring to frui...

Tell the Israelites to Turn Back: We Need the Mind of Christ to Think the Thoughts of God.