Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10 What moves your heart? It may be your family or your spouse – or a close friend. However, when we begin to follow Jesus, he creates in us a new heart – a heart that is more like His. We begin to…
For the grace of God has appeared… Titus 2:11-12 For us to truly, in our hearts, want to repent of our sins, repent of our screw-ups—for us to truly want to turn our backs on our old selves, on the self-indulgent people we’ve been—we’ve got to first trust that we can change, that we can…
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;…
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…
Jesus said in the Gospel of Luke, “In the same way, therefore, every one of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.” – Luke 14:33. There’s nothing wrong with owning things. The problem is when things have us. As Christ-followers, we must love Jesus more than any personal possession. If…
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…
All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. 2 Timothy 3:16 My attempts at fixing things around the house or church usually end up with me paying someone to come and undo the damage I’ve created – not to mention the unscheduled trips to the emergency room! In…
“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16 This is arguably the most famous sentence in the Bible. But why is this specific verse so popular? I believe it is because this verse gives us a summary of the absolute perfect and greatest gift…