Growing in Grace

In endorsing laws based solely on the secular liberal-libertarian conception of freedom (at least those that produce no obvious self-harm), they are doing the very opposite of what Jesus called them to do: They are hating their neighbors, including their gay and lesbian neighbors. You do not love your neighbor by encouraging them to engage in actions that invoke God's wrath ( Psalm 5:4-5 ;   Romans 1:18 ). As Christians we may be required to tolerate   ungodly behavior, but the moment we begin to endorse the same then we too have become suppressors of the truth. You cannot love your neighbor and want to see them excluded from the kingdom of Christ ( Eph. 5:5 ). What is needed is courage in speaking the truth: We cannot love our neighbor and tolerate idolatry and unrepentant rebellion against God. We cannot continue with the "go along to get along" mentality that is leading those we love to destruction. We must speak the word of God with boldness ( Acts 4:31 ) and acce

But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble . -Psalm 59:16 Control is a confusing issue for moms. We are supposed to determine limits, bedtimes, and portions, and teach character, academics, and hygiene. But even while holding tightly to the things we manage, we need to acknowledge the Great Manager and remember He is always there and in ultimate control. God is in control even in the dark moments in rocking chairs and on bathroom floors and, yes, in playground mulch. And in even darker moments in exam rooms and funeral homes. We grapple with reacting in crisis, soothing our children, changing unpleasant realities, and maybe even who to blame. Recognizing God's presence in the decidedly undramatic times helps us cling to God when life hits those inevitable spiritual potholes. " The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. " (Psalm 145:14). People have always

Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will be also.  -Matthew 6:19-21 NLT In the book Always There,  a mom writes about how she had to move from the familiar comforts of family and her home state to support her husband's new job and further education. They ended up in a small apartment in a not so great area . There was an old dusty playground in front of their apartment. The disappointment was heightened after a series of financial setbacks meant they had to spend two more years than they had planned in this situation. She writes about how she resented having "to change everything not only to become financially sound again, but just to make ends meet." She did not hide her bitterness from her husband and a few clos

His delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night . - Psalm 1:2 I was talking with a businessman recently who is involved in a Bible study with about a half-dozen men. These guys are all "well-oiled," financially speaking. But as I listened to him describe these men, I wondered what kind of Christianity they were modeling to their children? As parents, we need to think about the priorities we are teaching our children by our words and our actions. Ask yourself, If I could pass on my relationship with God to my kids, would they be satisfied with what they receive? If my children could never experience anything more than what I have today, would they be given enough to chart themselves successfully through life? Would they experience God? Would they know enough of Christ to long for more - a deeper and deeper fellowship with Jesus Christ? One thing we often say in our conferences and on radio is that your children will listen to what you say

Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple . - Luke 14:27 We don't talk a lot about cross carrying. That's more the fine print of being a follower of Christ - the part we don't generally go around advertising to those we're hoping to draw into Christian faith. But as I understand Jesus' words in Luke 14:27, you and I cannot truly follow Him unless we are carrying a cross. The cross is not just a popular piece of jewelry but also a unique Christian symbol that represents suffering and sacrifice. So it is with the cross He has asked you to carry. Your cross will undoubtedly extract pain and a price. Cross carrying is not a one-time decision. No, we must choose daily to pick up our cross, again, and follow Him. We are to continue carrying it over the long haul. Do you know what your cross is? Think with me for a moment. When the Savior asks you, "Pick up your cross and follow Me," what exactly is it that He is asking

You shall have no other gods before Me . - Exodus 20:3 There's nothing wrong with (sports) - or business or music or writing or entertainment or decorating - but when something becomes the focus of all your dreams and attention and energy, it becomes an idol in your life . For all intents and purposes, you begin worshiping it instead of God. Nothing can satisfy us like God. And nothing should replace Him in our affections. How many false gods could you name in your life? What are you hoping they'll do for you? Pray and ask God to protect your heart from being deceived and to give you an overwhelming desire to worship Him and Him only -Excerpted from Moments With You by Dennis and Barbara Rainey

But godliness with contentment is great gain - 1 Timothy 6:6 Whether you know it or not, your marriage is susceptible to the American Dream Syndrome - the notion that you can have it all, that you deserve it all.The more stuff you have, the better off you are. Desire to acquire. The slogans, like the wish lists, are practically endless. Yet contrary to the seductive tune of the American Dream, enough is never enough. Getting more only fuels the urge to get more. So how do you learn to live within that truth without constantly feeling like your lives don't measure up? You embrace contentment . Contentment arises from a spirit of gratefulness. It's the courageous choice to thank God for what you have and for what you don't have. Even when you don't know where this week's grocery money is coming from. Even when the washer goes on the blink. Even when the kids need braces. Even when your next-door neighbor drives home in a new car or is gone on a fabulous vacat

God, Master Architect, designed His house. Skilled people, such as Bezalel, worked to accomplish God's plans. They wanted to honor and please God by their efforts. "The world is moved along not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker." (Helen Keller) The story is told of a  man who visited a stone quarry and asked three of the workers what they were doing. "Can't you see?" said the first one irritably. "I'm cutting a stone." The second one replied, "I'm earning a hundred pounds a week." But the third put down his pick and thrust out his chest proudly. "I'm building a cathedral," he said. People view work in many different ways: as a necessary evil to keep bread on the table; as a means to a sizable bank account; as a self-fulfillment and identity; as an economic obligation within society; as a means to a life of leisure. Yet none of the

Each of us must see ourselves as ministers of the gospel. We don't simply attend church, consuming a religious product. Rather, our whole understanding of ourselves as members of the Body is directed toward being equipped to serve effectively in our vocation and our community - wherever God places us. Many Christians have a bifurcated (divided) view of life: Faith is over here in this compartment, and the rest of life - work, family, leisure time, and everything else - is over there. Like the young woman who stopped me in an airport recently, "Mr. Colson, I so admire the work that Prison Fellowship is doing. I'm a believer; I wish that I could be in full-time Christian service like you." "What is it you do?" I asked. "Well, I'm still in school," she said. "I'm finishing up my doctoral work in molecular biology. I had planned to teach full time. I love it. But lately I've realized I should do more for the Lord. My parents we

God's people ought to obey the standards that God lays out. One part of this is remembering their special relationship with Him. The Bible makes clear. . . that unquestioning acceptance of and obedience to Jesus' authority is the foundation of the Christian life. Everything else rests upon this. It also provides the key to understanding what is for many the great mystery of Christianity: faith. Saving faith - that by which we are justified, made right with God - is a gift of God; and, yes, it involves a rational process as well since it comes from hearing the Word of God. . . "All right," the struggling Christian may say, "but practically speaking, how does my faith become real? How do I get that vibrant, strong faith of Christian maturity?" That's where obedience comes in. For maturing faith - faith which deepens and grows as we live our Christian life - is not just knowledge, but knowledge acted upon. It is not just belief, but belief lived out -

God provides guidelines for His people so their moral life will be pleasing to Him. When I first became a Christian I was introduced to the priorities of the Christian community. I learned quickly that it was expected of me that I have a daily devotion time, a time reserved for Bible reading and prayer. I was expected to go to church. I was expected to have a kind of piety that was evident by not cursing, not drinking, not smoking, and the like. I had no idea that biblical righteousness went far beyond these things. . . Soon, however, I found that there was more to the Christian life than daily devotions and sanctified words. I realized that God wanted more. He wanted me to grow in my faith and obedience, to go beyond milk to meat. I also discovered that Christian jargon was an almost meaningless form of communication, both to non-Christians and Christians alike. I found myself more interested in echoing a subculture's lingo than in finding true godliness. My error was this:

Chapter 12 of John opens six days before the Passover with Jesus arriving in Bethany. A dinner is given in Jesus’ honor by Mary, Martha and Lazarus in the home of Simon, a former leper Jesus had healed. While Martha was busy serving as usual and Lazarus was reclining at the table with Jesus, Mary approaches Jesus with an expensive bottle of perfume which she poured on Jesus’ feet. She then used her hair to wipe Jesus’ feet while the fragrance of the perfume filled the house. This was a great act of worship by Mary. First, the bottle of perfume was very costly - worth a year’s wages or $10,000 by today’s value. Her act was also unusual. Anointing was usually done on the head, not the feet. The fact that Mary used her hair to wipe Jesus’ feet was also unusual as women did not usually unbind their hair in public. Her act showed great humility because she was doing a servant’s job by attending to the feet. Mary’s costly act of love toward Jesus was in stark contrast to Judas Iscariot.

"Often in the past, Lord, I have come to thee with a heavy heart and burdened life. And thou hast answered my prayers and graciously lifted the burden from me. Yet with strange perversion, I still refuse to leave my burdens with thee. Always I gather them up - those heavy bundles of fears and anxieties - and shoulder them again." -Peter Marshall Aww, yes. . . this can be me. I have faced some heavy things in my life thus far, but I have learned to take them to the Lord. And God has been ever so faithful to meet my needs in ways beyond what I had asked or imagined He would or could do for me. So why then, do I sometimes allow myself to get so overwhelmed that I can barely stand. I begin to experience anxiety creeping in; worrying and wondering how I can possibly ever get out of the difficulty. Will it always rain with problems and difficulties? Well, the Bible does say in this world we will have trials (John 16:33). . . so I guess, yes, there will be difficult days. What are

Genesis 22 records a very great test for Abraham. It is a passage of Scripture that I identify with having faced our own test of faith with Dennis’ cancer journey. In his Old Testament Commentary, Warren Wiersbe says that “the main lesson (of this passage) is obedient faith that overcomes in the trials of life. Abraham teaches us how to face and handle the tests of life to the glory of God.” When Dennis first began to process his cancer diagnosis, he said that “God must not have thought we could handle much adversity because we have been blessed in so many ways through the years. But apparently, he thinks we’ve matured enough to be able to handle this now.” It was interesting to read almost the same thing from Warren Wiersbe in his commentary. He writes, “In one sense, it is a compliment when God sends us a test; it shows God wants to ‘promote us’ in the ‘School of Faith’. God never sends a test until He knows you are ready for it.” The Christian life is not a guarantee of an easy life