Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. (Romans 8:5-6 NLT) This builds on Christ and GIGO …
Jesus’ Noble Ones
The Lord says of His holy people: They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight….We have happy memories of godly people, but the name of a wicked person rots away. (Psalm 16:3; Proverbs 10:7) This builds on Christ and GIGO (garbage in, garbage out) Royal People, Royal Behavior Dr. Sinclair Ferguson, the Scottish theologian, told a story …
Christ and GIGO (garbage in, garbage out)
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it….A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say and do flows from what is in your heart. (Proverbs 4:23; Luke 6:45) Input and Output I took …
God Leads in Troubling Times
Listen to my words, Lord, consider my lament. Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. (Psalm 5:1-3) I was helped on this post by a sermon by Derek Thomas that I heard …
God’s Secret Agents
Angels are only God’s servants, spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation. (Hebrews 1:14) This post, titled God’s Secret Agents,1 builds on previous posts: Jesus our Immanuel, Immanuel Has Come!, and No Fear In Christ. John Paton and God’s Angels John G. Paton (1824-1907) was a Protestant missionary to the Vanuatu Islands near Australia. He ministered to …
No Fear in Christ
Jesus, the rising sun, will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace. (Luke 1:78-79) Reflecting Back on 2020 This year has been hard in many ways. But thank God, Bible searches soared online, and a record number of people are …
Immanuel Has Come!
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. (1 John 3:16) Christ is Still Present with Us Pastor Charles Spurgeon encourages: “Since Christ our King who is risen and reigning was once an infant, I may go to Him …
Jesus our Immanuel
The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel, which means “God with us.” (Matthew 1:23) Jesus’ Saving Impact Never Ends In a “Peanuts” cartoon, Lucy throws up her hands and shrieks, “For months we looked forward to Christmas. We couldn’t wait til it came; now it’s all over.” I’m glad that the …
The Best Optimism
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His word I put my hope….Put your hope in the Lord, for with Him is unfailing love and full redemption. God Himself will redeem us from all our sins. (Psalm 130:5-8) Christian Optimism Jesus’ followers navigate through God’s world with Christ-centered thinking and living. We must go through many …
True Optimism in Christ
God says: I will put enmity between you (the serpent) and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel….Christ’s reign (His kingly rule) will and must continue until every enemy has been conquered….And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, …