Let There Be Light – Pt. 1
When the days are short, and it is the darkest time of the year, we do something interesting: we light everything up! God also brought light into the darkness in creation. He brought light forth simply by His word. The word of God is powerful, and the scale of His creation is immense. But He still wants to be involved in the smallest details in each of our lives. He wants to be able to exercise His creating power in our lives.
The Art and Science of Gratitude – Pt. 2
Quite often we get the feeling of joy and gratitude in reverse order. We think that if we are feeling joy that it will make us grateful. This is backwards. We need to be grateful first, no matter the circumstances, and the feelings of joy will follow.
The Art and Science of Gratitude – Pt. 1
Humans tend to notice the bad over the good. We tend to focus on the negative far more than the positive. We have all experience one negative word drowning out many positive words. Why is that? And how can we change our hearts so the negative doesn’t outweigh the positive as much?
Going Public – Pt. 5
As Christians, we also have the opportunity to go public before authority figures. It is important to remember that authorities have been placed in the positions they have by God. We must therefore show proper honor and respect, regardless of whether we feel they deserve it or not.
Going Public – Pt. 4
There is a great temptation, because it is so easy, to design our lives so we have as little contact as possible with those who do not share our faith. As Christians, we often need to make a conscious effort to bring those who would not call themselves Christians into our sphere of influence. This week gives us some tips on how to do just that.
Going Public – Pt. 3
Going public with our faith requires boldness. In the book of Acts, the apostles are shown to be bold witnesses for Christ. This week we explore the recipe for being bold in our witness. First is to have time with Jesus. Second is to be a part of a community. Third is to pray big prayers.
Going Public – Pt. 2
Jesus calls His followers to be the light of the world. He calls them to go out and make disciples. You don’t have to have all the answers to all the questions before you go public with your faith. God has positioned you in someone’s life that will only hear the gospel message from you. All you need to say is, “This is what happened to me!”
Going Public – Pt. 1
Do you have a private faith or a public faith? Our faith is supposed to be visible to all. It is supposed to be shared. Our faith needs to permeate our whole person because most people can’t disconnect the “message” from “the messenger.” This is why our lives have to reflect the message we are trying to communicate.
Believe, Belong, Become
Romans 5:12-21 Romans 10:17 Psalms 16:11 John 17:3 Hebrews 10:24-25
Living Water
Do you see people the way Jesus saw people? Do you find yourself looking to something or someone other than God to quench you spiritual thirst? Do you represent Jesus in fullness of grace and truth? Jesus portrayed the fullness of grace and truth, not a balance of the two, and it is important to understand the difference between these two ideas. We should be passionate because of experiencing Jesus.
24/6 The Rest of God – Pt. 3
If anyone could justify not resting, it would be Jesus. He had three years to start a movement that would change the world. But He still chose to rest. We should follow His example.
24/6 The Rest of God – Pt. 2
Creating a rhythm between work and rest is important. However, we must be sure that we do not confuse “rest” with “leisure.” We can be just as out of balance by not working enough as we can by not resting enough. Sometimes the challenge is trusting God with our rest during the time of harvest.