Posts with the tag “kingdom-life”
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God's Kingdom Now
May 11th, 2021
You see, what I have learned is that the kingdom of God is wherever God’s rule and reign are taking place. ... Read More
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Don't be a Stumbling Block
May 9th, 2021
I think the idea that is being expressed in the Lord’s Prayer is actually that God lead us “away” from temptation as apposed to not lead us “into” temptation. But more than that, I think the idea is ... Read More
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Disconnected from God's Priorities
May 7th, 2021
Jesus has always expressed the fact that there is a huge disconnect between what God prioritizes as important and what human beings see as being of greatest value, but never more explicitly than in th... Read More
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Nothing is Withheld by God
May 6th, 2021
Think about the implications of that. Nothing that I need is withheld from me by God. But it also means that nothing that is part of this created world belongs exclusively to me.... Read More
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Coming to our Senses
May 1st, 2021
The results are the same; God seeks to get our attention through the crises of our lives.... Read More
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Living in a Distant Country
April 30th, 2021
If all I have, like in the parable, comes from my Father, I have certainly squandered quite a bit of it on living in ways that are inconsistent with God’s commands of loving God with all my heart, sou... Read More
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Looking for Loopholes
April 25th, 2021
One does not try to or need to justify oneself if they know they are doing what is right. There is no need to use mental gymnastics to reinterpret the plain words of scripture if in your heart you kn... Read More
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Not Against Me but For God
April 23rd, 2021
I think there are denominations and other expressions of our Christian faith that honestly think they are the only ones who are the true followers of Jesus Christ and would keep others who call on Jes... Read More
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Losing the Most Important
April 19th, 2021
If we put all our time and effort into the things of this life which will eventually rust, rot, or fall apart and miss growing in our relationship with God and one another, we have missed the entire p... Read More
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The Answer Makes a Difference
April 16th, 2021
You see, our faith does nothing to change the truth of who Jesus is. No matter what we choose to believe about Jesus, Jesus is still who he is. Just because we believe something different does not m... Read More
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Lighting the Way
April 5th, 2021
A lamp will be seen no matter how dark it is. One might even argue that a lamp is most obvious the darker its surroundings. If we do not shine the light of Jesus’ love into the world, then we become... Read More
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Looking in the Right Places
April 3rd, 2021
Searching for the answers to the great questions of life requires that we look in the places where the truth can be found.... Read More
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What is My Witness?
April 2nd, 2021
What is the Church’s answer to the question, “Are you the representative of Jesus on earth, or should we wait for another?” Is the Church of Jesus Christ able to point to acts of mercy, healing, good... Read More
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Enough Said
March 30th, 2021
Enough said!... Read More
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What Spills Out of You?
March 29th, 2021
When we have a run-in with anyone what spills out of us is only what is already in us. No one can make us say and do the things we do by trying to start an argument with us or by rubbing us the wrong... Read More
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All Are Welcome
March 21st, 2021
Tax-collectors in Jesus’ day and community were seen as traitors to the occupied nation of Israel. Not only did they collect money for the occupying country of Rome but, they were often accused of co... Read More
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The Impact of My Faith
March 18th, 2021
I don’t find it surprising that Jesus forgives sin... What I find incredible is that the reason Luke gives us is that Jesus “saw THEIR faith.”... Read More
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Staying Centered
March 16th, 2021
Have you ever noticed that when things are going really well for people, it is at that moment they are most vulnerable? How many stories have you heard of people who reach fame and fortune only to se... Read More
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What's Next
March 12th, 2021
The thought that comes to me within this context, is that I can be easily distracted from God’s primary call on my life. I can easily feel like I’m doing a good thing right where I am in the very way... Read More
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Spiritual Healing
March 8th, 2021
Besides my surprise about Peter’s marital status, this verse has me thinking about what it means when we are healed.... Read More
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Do No Harm
March 7th, 2021
Some of the details of the final temptation in the wilderness make this text very thought-provoking. First, the devil is now using scripture and says, “For it is written…” Second, Jesus, instead of ... Read More
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Worship
March 6th, 2021
It is clear that we all have the capacity to choose that on which we will focus. I don’t think I’m going to far to say that, in this case, it is the same as worshiping. What we focus on, what we inv... Read More
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Simplify
March 5th, 2021
There is a danger in focusing only on the physical things of life. If we get too focused on the things, we may lose sight of our relationship with God. Yes, it is important to make sure you have eno... Read More
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No Fear in Love
March 1st, 2021
Those who live out of God’s love in this world can peacefully lay their heads down at night and sleep deeply. Their minds are not filled with fears of what will happen tomorrow or what the future con... Read More
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Love Restored
February 28th, 2021
Through the gift of God’s grace and forgiveness, the love of God from which we were created, and which had always been implanted in us, is restored in those who follow in Jesus’ footsteps.... Read More
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Acting Out Truth
February 27th, 2021
It is easy to make lofty speeches that express love and grace and forgiveness and peace, it is quite another thing to take actions that move us toward the accomplishment of the same.... Read More
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Joyous Extravagant Generosity
February 26th, 2021
It appears that in God’s economy, love translates into extravagant generosity. Because of God’s love for the world, he gave himself freely in the person of Jesus. ... Read More
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Child of God
February 25th, 2021
In other words, one should be able to say about us, “The apple does not fall far from the tree,” when they are referring to God as our father.... Read More
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Don't be Drawn Away
February 24th, 2021
John is describing someone who loves power, prestige, privilege, and possessions. These four “Ps” describe the attraction of the broken world which Satan uses to separate us from our relationship wit... Read More
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What Makes Jesus Tick?
February 23rd, 2021
John seems to be saying that we can be sure we know what makes Jesus tick, if we live as he has told us to live. Remember, for those of us who have claimed Jesus as Lord and Savior, what we have real... Read More
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Looking God in the Eye
February 20th, 2021
I think this text from John really simplifies it for me. He seems to be saying, anything we do (or do not do) that keeps us from fellowship with God is a sin. I don’t have to get caught up in trying... Read More
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Repetition of the Word
February 16th, 2021
Spiritual growth experts tell us that there is power in memorizing scripture. As these scripture verses are repeated in our minds or out loud, they become part of our thought process as we face chall... Read More
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Exiles from the Broken World
February 12th, 2021
One of the running themes we find in the New Testament reflects the Old Testament’s prohibition of the Jews mixing with the Gentiles. However, within the New Testament, it is a caution for the “new” ... Read More
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My Life as a Beacon of Light
February 10th, 2021
The chosen people of God have always been tasked with the responsibility to proclaim the mighty acts of God in such a way that those who have been kept in bondage by sin and death might come out of da... Read More
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Growing into our Salvation
February 9th, 2021
I am not surprised that there are good Christians who do this. I know in my heart, and am ashamed to say, that I have done the same in recent memory. What surprises me, is that there are those who d... Read More
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Holy Living
February 7th, 2021
Text: 1 Peter 1:15-16Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; for it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’ (NRSV)There are several schools of thought ab... Read More
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Faith Demonstrated
February 2nd, 2021
Faith in God is shown only when we choose to live out the life God has shown us through Jesus Christ. If we trust God, we will do the good works that God has prepared for us as our way of life (see E... Read More
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Does Jesus Still Weep?
January 31st, 2021
But the point Jesus is making as he weeps over the city and says, “if you, even you [city of peace], had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace!” is that Jerusalem, and those who a... Read More
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Have I been Crucified with Christ?
January 12th, 2021
When one has been crucified with Christ, one has subjugated one’s own quest for power and material possessions to what is necessary for the upbuilding of the Kingdom of God on earth. ... Read More
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What Really Matters
December 30th, 2020
Jesus is always asking us the question, “What do you want me to do for you?”. But until we understand the ways of God, we will answer that question with things that matter little in the Kingdom of He... Read More
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