Conflicts of Christmas
Christmas might not be the happiest time of the year, just like the first one. But we can still have joy.
Bible and Christian faith
blogs that talk about the Bible and our Christian faith
Everyone Exactly like the Apostle Paul?
God calls many people to secular work and honors them for it.
Fruits of the Spirit, not the same as Gifts of the Spirit
Some people believe they passively receive the fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control) since we do passively receive certain gifts of the Spirit (often at birth.) But even as real fruit has to come from the work of the tree, we have to work at developing … Read more Fruits of the Spirit, not the same as Gifts of the Spirit
Seeing Good in Unbelievers
…Grace in Witnessing the Gospel We share the Good News of the Gospel, by telling the bad news of sin, but let’s also affirm the good we see in our unbelieving friends. Many people—albeit outside God’s law–do live by their own moral standards. As a result, these people would bristle if we told them … Read more Seeing Good in Unbelievers
Absolutes of God
…utterly different, always Good God is perfect in every way, and this confuses sinful people, because they are not perfect. Although God reveals his character to us in the Bible, our frail human minds struggle to perceive this flawless God. As a result, people often misunderstand God or even accuse him of being wrong. To … Read more Absolutes of God
Unbeliever’s Jealousy
Some unbelievers don’t want to see us at peace with God, because they envy our peace. They will do whatever they can to upset us. Like them, Satan hates our peace and spurs unbelievers to upset us. God promised us his peace, even in the midst of struggles (John 16:33, “I have told you all … Read more Unbeliever’s Jealousy
Never Ashamed
Sometimes we hide our sorrows, weaknesses, and sins from people; our shame tells us others would judge us, because we believe they are perfect. But Satan motivates our shame, and it lies to us. While unkind, unsafe people will judge us, kind Christians will not. They may even suffer from the same weaknesses. While we … Read more Never Ashamed
Blocking God’s Love
Do you feel distant from God’s love? Sometimes we block our own ability to feel God’s love, because we have not confessed our hurts, worries, doubts, and sins to God. Like God’s love, the sun can shine on us, but we can independently put up an umbrella and block that love, due to the condition … Read more Blocking God’s Love
Christianity, the Faith of Broken Hearts…
Yet so Much Joy Atheists, pagans, and unbelievers would say Christianity is the faith of sinners with broken hearts, but Christians know a joy foreign to these unbelievers. The pagan world denies its sin and perpetually pursues happiness. As a result, pagans call Christians fools, because Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn,” Matt.5:4a. The … Read more Christianity, the Faith of Broken Hearts…
Relationship with God before Obedience to Him…
Breaking free from legalism Our relationship with God comes first before our obedience to do his will. We need to satisfy ourselves in Christ first before we can successfully obey him. Yet if you were confused by the spirit of legalism, like I was as a child, you may have only heard that you have … Read more Relationship with God before Obedience to Him…