The Christian Life
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul… (Psalm 23:1–3a) Mark 6:30-44 tells the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand. After sending out His disciples two by two to preach the Kingdom (6:7), they returned to Him, reporting all they had experienced (6:30). Jesus understood that an intense time of ministry ought to be followed by a period of rest, so He wisely invited His disciples to retreat with Him. They sailed out to a desolate place on the other side of the sea in order that they
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November 14, 2018 // 0 Comments
And [Jesus] said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to [Jairus], “Do not fear, only believe.” (Mark 5:34–36) Life involves varied experiences—some glorious, others tragic, and many in between. The birth of a child, much-needed provision arriving just in time, the salvation of a loved one—all evidences of God’s goodness in
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November 6, 2018 // 0 Comments
And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. (Mark 2:14) The world assesses a man’s value based on his apparent usefulness to its causes. It asks of the individual, “What can you do to advance such-and-such agenda?” Whether in politics, business, or sometimes even churches, people are too often treated as if they are cogs in some vast machine—there to “get stuff done” until they burn out in a fit of frustration and resentment. But Jesus shows us a different way.
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October 30, 2018 // 0 Comments
“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” (Matthew 4:1) According to Henri Nouwen, “…the true quality of our spiritual life can only be recognized in our temptations.” If that’s the case, we must understand the nature of the spiritual life (i.e. our new life in Christ). Moreover, we must expect that we will be tempted and tried as we learn what it means to walk in the fullness of the spiritual blessings we’ve received in Jesus (see Eph. 1:3). If you’ll remember, I wrote about Christ’s baptism a
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October 17, 2018 // 1 Comment
“. . .you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God” (Galatians 4:9) The world is more connected than ever. Technological advancements have made constant connectedness possible. In mere seconds, you can email a co-worker, text a family member, or make a new “friend” from across the globe. However, we as a culture are realizing that people are lonelier than ever. There’s even a name for it now—”The Loneliness Epidemic.” Psychology Today reports that, in the past 50 years, the rates of people who feel lonely have skyrocketed. In a survey of
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October 10, 2018 // 1 Comment
“…without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers” (Romans 1:9-10) The purpose of the Christian life is to know and make known the love of God in Christ, beginning with how we relate to the church. Jesus told His disciples, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn. 13:35). And Paul said, “…do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10). As Christ-followers, it seems like one of our most basic instincts should be to love our church family. At
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October 3, 2018 // 1 Comment
And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16–17) God’s nature was revealed at Christ’s baptism. Jesus rose up from the waters of the Jordan, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him, and a Voice bellowed from heaven, referring to the baptized as His own beloved Son. What was once shrouded in divine mystery is made manifest; now, at
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September 26, 2018 // 1 Comment
“I will sing praises to you . . . the God who shows me steadfast love.” (Psalm 59:17) Over the past several years, shows such as The Voice and American Idol have skyrocketed in popularity. The other day I found myself wondering why this is so. Here’s what I think: When you watch The Voice it makes you feel like the things we all want for our lives aren’t so unattainable after all. Onto the stage walks an ordinary person like you and me who has a chance to share their voice with millions of watchers. In some cases, an elite group of the most talented and famous
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September 19, 2018 // 0 Comments
The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24–26) If you worship with LifePoint often, you are keenly familiar with these words. They constitute the blessing—or the benediction—by which we conclude our worship gatherings. Yet, by nature, this familiarity carries with it an inherent danger. Things with which we are most familiar can most easily be taken for granted—or worse, easily ignored. Therefore, we need to re-expose our hearts to the potency of this
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September 12, 2018 // 0 Comments
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:12–13) How we approach God’s Word is the difference between growing and remaining stagnant in the Christian life. I doubt that anyone taking time to read this post has trouble affirming that the Bible plays a vital role in the life of a believer. Yet I
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August 29, 2018 // 0 Comments
