How do we be patient in our waiting periods? How do we recognize that it is not a waste of time? The fall broke our relationship with God, others, creation, and ourselves. However, in the same verses of Genesis that describe the fall, God presents the protoevangelium; the first good news of the redeemer. Jesus is that redeemer. He brought Himself down to a position such that Satan could strike His heel, yet in the same act, Jesus crushed Satan…
Prayer is an act of humility, a declaration of our dependence on God, that invites Him into our fears and worries. As we bring our requests with thanksgiving for all God has already provided, He meets us with His promised peace (Philippians 4:4-9).
Humility isn’t entirely about introspection and self. Humility brings unity. The apostle Paul wrote to the Philippian church about being unified, being of the mind of Christ (Philippians 2). Then he described Christ in a way that flipped the cultural expression of glory and honor on its head. He wrote out a hymn about the glory of Jesus being His surrender of His power and becoming a slave to die a criminal’s death. This is the achievement of eternity. This…
Our culture has this strange pattern of the ‘humble brag,’ where we act as if we are humble—all the while we are boasting. Paul warned of such pride. C.S. Lewis called pride “the great sin.” It is sin curved inward on ourselves. God opposes the proud (James 4:6), Paul presents this plainly in 1 Corinthians. He surrenders any self-judgment. Only God is the judge. Paul stated in 1 Timothy 1:15 that he was the chief sinner. His goal was to…