A Ritualistic Heart is an Impure Heart
Even if we do all the right actions, if our hearts are far from God, it is all defiled.
If realizing how short we have fallen moves our hearts to repentance, then we are headed in the right direction. Let that contrition burn within us and move us to heartfelt prayer and worship while trusting in the blood of Jesus to wash us clean. Possessing the cleansing we need, let us worship our Savior... Continue Reading
A Pilgrim People
This world is not [our] home . . . “[we’re] just a passin’ through.
On this side of heaven, the Lord gives us a glimpse of our heavenly home in many ways, especially when we gather for corporate worship. I’ve experienced this in my home church, Saint Andrew’s Chapel, where every Lord’s Day we gather and cross the threshold from the secular to the sacred. But I’ve also seen... Continue Reading
Light in the Darkness
By nature, we walk in darkness, but Christ is the light of the world, and those who follow Him have the light of life (John 8:12).
God is Himself light, and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). His first words in creating the heavens and the earth were ‘Let there be light!’ (Gen.1:3) In Milton’s paraphrase of Psalm 136, which delights in the mercies of God: ‘He, with all commanding might. Filled the new made world with... Continue Reading
The Pursuit of Holiness
Lessons that I have learned from the book by Jerry Bridges.
This book is really good. No wonder why many Christians recommend it. It’s time that you read it as well. Let’s encourage and motivate each other in our pursuit of holiness because God says that we should be holy as He is holy. (1 Pet. 1:15) Holiness is the pathway to true happiness because as... Continue Reading
The Astounding Family that Awaits Us
It’s not so much that we lose our old family but that we gain a new family—a larger eternal one.
Right now family serves an earthly purpose. But the day will come when it will be transformed into a glorious experience that is multiplied and magnified by the larger family to which we are united. As Randy Alcorn has said, “God usually doesn’t replace his original creation, but when he does, he replaces it with... Continue Reading
Realizing the Kingdom
"Thy Kingdom Come" Session 10 - James
James lays great stress on faith. Trials both prove our faith (to be authentic) and improve our faith (strengthen). Our journey in this world is by faith in our King and His kingdom, and that journey can be an arduous one. Yet the light is not merely at the end of the tunnel; it is with us in the... Continue Reading
Stop Trying to Separate Friends!
The Spirit of God and the Word of God
God’s Spirit is not at odds with God’s Word. God’s Spirit never contradicts the Word, and God’s Word never hinders the Spirit. If you want One, then you have to take the other. They’re a package deal. So stop trying to separate friends! I’ve heard that there are people who are trying to cause... Continue Reading
Character Produces Hope
For those in Christ, suffering makes us more hopeful, not less.
Paul concludes, “and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom. 5:5). Hope won’t put you to shame, but it’s not the hope of wishing upon a star, or asking the universe or self-will, it is from God... Continue Reading
We Have to Understand Different People
We need to know our people, understand how we can best serve them and then find the most appropriate ways to actually serve them.
Nobody wants to be the pastor who foists himself on others when people aren’t for a visit nor the one who turns up unannounced to family gatherings when they aren’t welcome. Neither do they want to be the pastor who never visits anyone when they’re desperate for a visit and won’t go to anything despite... Continue Reading
Who was Elizabeth Prentiss?
To help cope with the grief of losing her children, from 1853 to 1856, Elizabeth wrote children’s books that were published and became widely popular.
Elizabeth Prentiss left behind a legacy of ministry to countless suffering women, devotion to her husband and children, many stories and books that helped others grow in Christ, and the hymn “More Love to Thee.” She did all this despite frequent waves of grief and sorrow, sickness and poor health. Though well-known as a published... Continue Reading
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 54
- 55
- 56
- 57
- 58
- …
- 3393
- Next Page »