6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 Have you ever felt rejected? Maybe by someone you trusted or a family member? It can leave us feeling worthless. In the scriptures, Joseph felt…
Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105 God’s Word is more than just letters on a page – they are life. Romans 15 reminds us that whatever was written was written for our instruction and that through the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.…
Faithfulness comes to us when we feel like quitting or are discouraged about something. We have a choice to make, keep pressing on or stop and throw up our hands. Like the Apostle Paul, let’s keep pressin’ on. The Lord wants us to hope and trust him through the Holy Spirit. Staying faithful will bless…
13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14 Have you ever been held back because of your past? I…
I believe; help my unbelief—Mark 9:24 Have you really thought about what you believe about God? Some givens (I think): We know He is Omnipotent – all powerful. He created everything (Genesis 1; Colossians 1:16). We know He is Omniscient – he sees everything and knows everything and can do anything (Isaiah 55:9; Hebrews 4:13;…
My Father is glorified by this; that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples. John 15:8 In order to be like Jesus and become a person of no excuses, we need to know Him. He is Lord and Savior and should be the focal point of our lives. In John 15, Jesus…
How would you complete this sentence: A person who believes everything about Jesus and follows Him will speak in a way that is _______? We are coming to the end of Paul’s letter to the Colossians. This Sunday we will look at Paul’s encouragement for them to “walk in wisdom” and to be ready to…
What difference would it make if we approached our spiritual disciplines as a means of drawing closer to Jesus? I mean, if we read our bibles, pray, and attend worship occasionally just because that’s what good Christ-followers do, we seem to be missing the point of our efforts. We should be in the Bible more…
Following Jesus isn’t just about abundant life, but how we are being transformed daily through spiritual maturity to be more like Jesus. By God’s grace and the work of the Holy Spirit, we are supplied with whatever we lack to get us where God wants us to be. In the book of Titus, Paul reminds…
Jesus is our advocate – someone who helps. He represents us in God’s courtroom. He diverts the wrath of God and takes the punishment we deserve. Understanding that Jesus took the penalty for our sins should influence our love for Him and serve as motivation to obey Him. He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to…