A Christian Life

  After crying out and convulsing him terribly, [the unclean spirit] came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. Mark 9:26–27 There is no one whom Jesus cannot help. In Mark 9, we read about Jesus’ interaction with a child who had long been possessed by an unclean spirit. The boy’s predicament had been his lot since he was young. He could neither speak nor hear. When the demon took him, it threw him down, causing him to foam at the mouth, grind his teeth, and become rigid (Mark 9:18). This young man was caught in a dreadful circumstance, essentially trapped inside his body, unable to hear any words of comfort that may have come to him from his father, family, or friends, unable to give voice to his pain and fear. His life was marred by the attempted distortion and destruction of the image of God that he bore.   Continue reading click here

It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. Philippians 1:20 Your body, and what you do with it, matters. More than once in his writings, the apostle Paul expresses great concern about people’s bodies. He asks the Corinthians, for instance, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?” He then goes on to say, “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). In other words, our bodies belong to the God who created them and who sustains them. This way of thinking is at the heart of Paul’s theology. Continue reading click here  

In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:4–6 In William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice , the character Portia delivers a soliloquy that illustrates the playwright’s regard for the principles of mercy and forgiveness: Though justice be thy plea, consider this: That in the course of justice none of us Should see salvation. We do pray for mercy. Click here to continue reading  

I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice pleasing to God. Philippians 4:18 Here is an amazing notion when you pause to consider it: you are able to bring God pleasure. It is a mind-blowing thought: that our Creator would be pleased by our actions. Yet Scripture encourages us to see that this is a reality. As Christians, we strive to live under the smile of our heavenly Father. One of the great biblical motivators for obeying God is that the way we live can “please God … more and more” (1 Thessalonians 4:1)—and one of the ways we can do this is through our generous giving, which is “a sacrifice pleasing to God.” Click here to continue reading  

  On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” John 20:19 When Jesus first appeared to the disciples after His resurrection, they were cowering behind locked doors, fearing what the authorities who had crucified their leader would do next. But locked doors couldn’t stop Jesus! Nothing stopped Him from entering the house and re-entering their lives, proving Himself to be their Savior and their living hope. He was able to be seen, heard, touched, known—and He approaches our lives in the same manner. No matter where we are or what we have done, Christ can enter our lives—our sadness, our darkness, our fear, our doubts—and make Himself seen and known, declaring, “Peace be with you.” Continue reading click here

  We ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. Romans 8:23 The Christian experience is both wonderful and challenging. We have received forgiveness. We’re adopted into God’s family. We enjoy a fellowship with one another that runs deeper than natural affinity. We possess a sure hope of heaven, which brings about eager anticipation. We have the Spirit, God Himself, dwelling within us. We are not removed, though, from the realities of life in this fallen world. We know frustration, we know heartache, we know disappointment, and we know groaning. Continue reading click here