Claiming our identity in Christ requires the translation of deliberate thought into prayerful action. [Click title to read more.]
Category: spiritual fruit
When Confidence Looks Like Callousness
I don't think we often realize it, but sometimes Christian confidence expressed in the wrong way can look a lot like Christian callousness - even when it's well-meaning. And compassion is the only way to leaven it. [Click title to read more.]
Fellowship Is What Happens – Or Should Happen – In Times Of Church Conflict And Disagreement
I fear that, over time, the church has lost its grasp of what fellowship actually is. We've reduced it to a positive, feel-good form of engagement: bonding at a Bible study, chatting over chips and dips, believers going out in kayaks together. And that's surely a part of fellowship, but not the entirety of it. Fellowship is what ought to happen - what needs to happen - at these crisis points when egregious wrongs have been committed and everyone is (justifiably!) angry and hurt. [Click title to read more.]
The Master of the Sea
One of the blessings of growing older in Christ has been the simple knowledge that I can only control so much. [Click title to read more.]
A Reassurance: It’s Good When You’re Not The Center of The Universe
An overt focus on the self can be devastating. [Click title to read more.]
We Just Don’t Know
So much of the Bible emphasizes listening, avoiding careless or hasty speech, and being considerate of others. And so much of that is because we don't know the hidden depths of each human we meet, nor can we understand their hopes and fears and dreams and struggles. [Click title to read more.]
Giving Up The Fight Against Pain and Discomfort
It's not necessarily wrong to avoid pain, and to do what we can to minimize the pain, discomfort, fear, or grief in our lives. But a lot of us need to get more comfortable with being uncomfortable. [Click title to read more.]
New Installment Of Jonathan Study Now Available!
This week: if necessary, could you sacrifice even your dearest plans and expectations to fulfill the desires that God has for you? [Click title to read more.]
Your Glass Of Water
I challenge you this year to find a "glass of water" task in which you too will be spectacularly faithful. [Click title to read more.]
The Art of Holding Back
Many believers see themselves as truth-tellers, and well we should. The Bible demands that we speak in truth and in honesty and authenticity at all times, concealing nothing and without dissembling; that is, by the way, precisely why it's wrong for me to tell those white lies. But many believers also believe that truth-telling means "saying how you feel about everything at all times, no matter how hurtful or cruel, whether asked or unasked." And that is not what Biblical truth-telling is. [Click title to read more.]
