I recently spent some time meditating on John 15 verses 1-7. Not long after, I came across an excerpt from Sinclair Ferguson’s book In Christ Alone. Ferguson gives 4 tenants for what it really means to “abide” in Christ. I mingled his points with my own thoughts, and added some practical application.
Read MoreI still remember the first time I got in trouble during grade school. I had to sit out the entire recess. It was quite a traumatic experience for a second grader! I sat quietly and watched in agony as all the other kids roamed freely around the playground. And there I was, stuck at a picnic table next to the teacher.
What about you? When was the last time your freedom was taken from you?
It is no surprise that Jesus prays in John 17:3 about eternal life; what may surprise us is how he defines it: “that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ.” Jesus defines eternal life not as an amount of time, but as a knowledge of God. Interestingly, the word “know” that Jesus uses does not mean merely a head knowledge, or else he would be saying that eternal life is simply a thought. Instead, Jesus is talking about an intimate knowledge, a real relationship with God the Father and his Son. Eternal life then, as Jesus says, is not just a quantity of time but a quality of knowledge.
Read MoreI have never met a joyful busy person. Not one, including myself. In our culture, especially on the college campus, we have equated busyness with success. If we are not busy, then something must be wrong with us. We must not be important enough. We fill our schedules with roles, responsibilities, and relationships, while at the same time emptying ourselves of all joy and peace. All the while wondering what else we could be doing.
Here are two things that I’ve been trying to do to counteract my busyness, and I hope they’re helpful for you.
Read MoreThe word “benediction” is not a word that we use in our everyday conversations, but it carries weighty implications for living our lives every day in service to God and man. Google defines the word benediction as “the utterance or bestowing of a blessing”. This past weekend I had the honor of offering my first “benediction” to the people at our church; as a newly ordained pastor, this is one of the most exciting and humbling privileges afforded to me.
As I have thought about this incredible privilege, I started contemplating the benedictions in Scripture. One of the most famous benedictions from Scripture comes from Jesus himself. It is often called the “Great Commission”. Here is what Matthew, a friend and disciple of Jesus, recorded as Jesus’ “Great Benediction”.
Read MoreWhat’s the best gift you’ve ever been given? Think about it for a second… I’ll bet two things just happened: one, I hope you thought of a pretty awesome gift, and two, you thought of the person who gave it to you. I think this is because the giver of a gift determines much of its value.
Read MoreThe times we have felt most loved were memorable because the love had endured a history of hardships, even promised to persist through a future of failures.
In short: we remember love that remembers us.
Read MoreIt’s amazing what you see when you’re looking for it. I can’t get over how much of God I see now that I am looking for Him.
Read MoreA poem by Hayden Nesbit.
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