Posts about Discipleship (2)

We live in a society that is increasingly polarized. In fact, the world actively seeks to divide us. As a body of believers, we need to stand on the principles of God and fight against the spirit of division. Ephesians 4 speaks repeatedly about the oneness of believers and the characteristics of the believer that is seeking unity. Those focused on unity are:

Stories of both God's sovereignty and the suffering of God's people are riddled throughout the Bible. In our human understanding, God's sovereignty and suffering seem to be at odds, but throughout the Bible God uses the suffering of his people to work good (Romans 8:28). Recount the stories of Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, Ruth, the Apostle Paul, to name a few, and we see much suffering allowed in their lives. How does God use suffering?

In the busyness of life, it is easy to be so focused on what we and others are doing (or should be doing) that we miss out on choosing “the good portion” — taking time to be with and listen to the Lord along the way. Martha knew this well.

[As previously seen in the Christian Post] God’s glory seems to be somewhat mysterious. We talk of glorifying the Lord through praise. We hear Sunday School lessons on the glory of God in a pillar of fire. But when it comes to understanding what the glory of the Lord really is, we seem to all fall a bit short. And for good reason.

“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2)

We have multiple holidays in the United States that directly celebrate or are tied to the concept of freedom (Juneteenth, Independence Day, Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day, etc.) Freedom is a distinctive value of the Western world, but it was not always so.

When I was in my twenties, I thought I knew everything. The older I have become, the less I realize I know. I am completely and utterly dependent on God for everything.

The sun reflected off the surface of the water as the weathered hands of two fisherman worked their nets hoping for a good catch to support their meager living. The Sea of Galilee was a hard taskmaster.