Posts Tagged ‘Spirituality’
The Language of Christmas // Part 2: Words of Affirmation
Talk Isn’t Cheap But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11 Have you ever thought to thank God for the…
Read MoreThe Language of Christmas // Part 1: Physical Touch
The God Who Gives For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. — John 3:16 The sentence from the Gospel of John above is the most famous Bible verse of all time. It reveals so much about…
Read MoreLiving an Intentional Life // Part 3: Intercede
Defining Some Important Words The words intercede, apologetics, and evangelism might not come up in your everyday conversations. You might even feel a little overwhelmed when you hear them. But these aren’t things that should be left to pastors and theology professors alone! In fact, you’ve probably engaged in these things this week! So, let’s…
Read MoreLiving an Intentional Life // Part 2: Invest
Be Prepared to Give an Answer But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your…
Read MoreFresh Fruit // Part 9: Self-Control
What is Self-Control? When you think of self-control, what do you think of? For many, an easy illustration is of the calorie-counter who passes on a second slice of cake. But self-control goes much further than managing our physical hunger and love of sweets. Below is a more expansive definition. Self-control: the virtue of one…
Read MoreFresh Fruit // Part 8: Gentleness
It’s Tough to Be Gentle In today’s culture, it can be a serious challenge for us to be gentle. Just think about how harshly people respond to one another’s politics: convincing others that we’re right and “righteous” often comes before respect for them as people! This is the standard that is set for us in…
Read MoreFresh Fruit // Part 7: Faithfulness
Faithfulness is Counter-Cultural Some near-synonyms for the word faithful are loyal, constant, devoted, unwavering, steadfast, and committed. One way to define the word might be “to remain steadfast, holding true in your words and actions to a commitment you once made.” To be faithful means to be unshaken by the wind and waves, prepared to…
Read MoreFresh Fruit // Part 6: Goodness
Are People Born Good? Before we think too much about what goodness is, we need to understand the difference between “goodness” and “kindness.” The late theologian and Bible scholar, John Stott, notably pointed out that the nine characteristics of the fruit of the spirit can be placed in groups of three: Love, joy, and peace…
Read MoreFresh Fruit // Part 5: Kindness
The Golden Exception If you’re old enough, you might remember the phrase, “be kind, rewind.” That motto encouraged people to reset their VHS tapes so that the next person to borrow the tape would be able to start watching right away. It’s sort of like replacing the toilet paper when it runs out, so that…
Read MoreFresh Fruit // Part 4: Patience
A World of Hurry We live in a world of hurry. Can you think of anything that hasn’t gotten faster in the last ten years? For the vast majority of human history, instant messaging was impossible for even the wealthiest kings. But today, it’s in the pocket of almost every American and countless around the…
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