One of the questions that drives many people away from God is a variation of: “Why does God allow suffering?” Because our human mind doesn’t understand why a good God would allow bad things to happen, especially to those who are called His. The last few weeks, we’ve been talking about righteousness and justification. This week, we begin to dig deeper into the fruit of what it means to be justified before God and what type of character is produced through suffering.
Read MoreFriendship is something we all know, experience, and offer, but rarely is it something that we stop to truly think about. When was the last time you looked up a TED Talk on how to be a better friend or bought a book on improving your friendship skills?
Read MoreTrue confession - I am 100% a Type 2 on the Enneagram. For those who don’t know, that means I’m a helper. At the age of 29, I’m running a non-profit, I’ve helped start a different one, and lead several ministries. Right now, I’m finally learning the gift of boundaries. God had to take me on a harrowing journey for a season to learn that importance, however!
Read MoreAs someone who loves the water, the baptismal brought familiar comforts. The gentle pressure of the water hugged me and wrapped the robe around my body and legs. I submerged into the silence and emerged to the words, “raised to walk in newness of life.”
Read MoreMany times in the course of my adulthood, I have quoted this familiar verse from Scripture. Before I go any further, I have to talk a little about why this verse says what it says—the context of this verse among the verses preceding and following. The portion of Scripture this is from has the title “Christian Liberty” and Paul, the writer, was talking about seeking the good of others. Most likely, he was speaking of the types of meat people of the Jewish religion could and could not eat, versus what the Greek unbelievers they were with were eating and he was telling them that whatever they did should be for God’s glory—not their own.
Read MoreMy single season lasted for over a decade, so through my twenties, this passage is one that I came back to often when I needed to have my hope renewed. Because Abraham waited 25 years to see the fulfillment of God’s promise to him - as the years passed and his and Sarah’s bodies aged beyond child bearing, Abraham had to choose to believe against every type of impossibility. So, that’s what we’re going to study today: how to believe when all your hope is gone.
Read MoreI would like to consider myself a woman reasonably gifted with words. I normally know how to string sentences together, but I also tend to talk way too much and too often (even making a career out of it!) so perhaps I’ve just had a lot of practice. My greatest God-moments, though, are when He is working in a way that I can’t explain or write down, and He gently whispers to me, “Rest in Me, instead of needing to define Me.”
Read MoreWhen I first stumbled upon Wall Street Journal bestselling author Emily P. Freeman, it was on her podcast. I saw it linked and shared somewhere that my mum brain can’t recall, and the title of it resonated with me. I was in a space that I’d never been in before, unemployed in the traditional sense of the word and at home with two littles. I finished up my paid ministry role in 2019 knowing that I wouldn’t be returning, so I was at a loss as to the ‘what now’ for my life. I was looking to find my Next Right Thing - I was looking for a new beginning.
Read MoreIf there is ever a time to be holy, it’s during Holy Week. It’s a time to repent and reflect on the most transformative week in history. We respond to the week with remembrance and reverence. But before we approach the week with efforts to attain our highest level of holiness, we need to reflect on our call to holiness: not only what it means to be holy, but how we are to be holy.
Read MorePaul knew his audience - we see that as he regularly references the Jewish law and, this week, he brings in Abraham and David, both of whom would have been acclaimed as founding fathers for Paul’s intended audience. Like a lawyer presenting his case before a jury, Paul builds on his earlier points by bringing in influential witnesses to prove his points. So, let’s see if we can follow Paul’s case here.
Read MoreVerse Mapping. It’s the latest fad in Christian Bible study. I personally love it. This new method of exegetical (verse by verse, in-depth) study of the Bible is a new way for many to explore the Bible. The James Method was the first group to introduce me to this method. When I heard a publisher was reaching out for reviewers for this Bible, I snatched up the opportunity to join. The Bible did not disappoint.
Read MoreI remember exactly where I was the day my season of waiting began. It was 2014, summer, right in the middle of hot, sticky July. My mother, sister, brother and I were standing in a department store waiting to check out just as the tornado sirens buzzed. Rain began and thunder followed almost immediately. The line was long, snake-like, intimidating, never-ending.
Read MoreHave you ever been wronged? Maybe someone accused you of something you did not do. Or someone excluded you from a group for no apparent reason? Perhaps they spoke poorly of you to others? Whatever the circumstances, I am sure a situation springs to mind.
Read MoreMy preschool friends and I headed out for a walk. First, we descended down the slippery slope, we stopped at the two tall trees, and then we crossed over the “bridge” (currently buried in snow). At last, we had arrived - we were at Pine Tree Patch! This is a frequent destination for my young friends who will spend their time pretending to be animals or finding sticks and building shelters or making up games where they take turns chasing each other.
Read MoreAfter making his point that none of us are righteous in our own right before God, Paul concludes this chapter with a reminder about pride and identity. To boast means to rely on something that gives you confidence to do something or to behave in a certain way. It is the thing that makes you say: I am a somebody because I have that. I can do this because I am this. What you boast in usually becomes your identity and what you fundamentally rely on.
Read MoreMany of you have likely wondered: “What exactly does a Godly man look like today?” There are numerous articles and books written about this topic, as each writer strives to uncover more of this mystery. Many of these types of lists are written from a woman's perspective, since not often do we hear from guys what their opinion of a godly man is.
Read More“Why is belief a virtue?” A friend struggling with their faith once asked me. “There’s no merit in believing Santa Claus exists.” In the moment, her question stumped me because she was absolutely right. Believing in something naively – especially if it turns out to be false – isn’t noble or admirable. It’s pitiable. I think that’s what many people think Christians are doing when we talk about believing in Jesus.
Read MoreWho are you? Have you ever taken a second and truly thought on this? What are some of your first answers that come to mind? Like many others, you may think of your role in your family, your career, your role in friendships, your gender, and your role in church.
Read MoreOnly when we have the eternal perspective and the blessed hope of Heaven will we be able to navigate through life’s inevitable heartbreaks and heartaches successfully. Jesus said to a group of anxiety-ridden and heartbroken disciples, “Let not your hearts be troubled...In My Father’s house are many mansions...I go to prepare a place for you!” (John 14:2). He would say the same to you in your days of difficulty. I know, for that’s what He spoke to me as I experienced several friends and family taken home to Heaven.
Read MoreIn a way, this week’s passage is the climax Paul has been building up to. Chapter after chapter, Paul tries to get the reader to understand God is righteous but none of us are righteous; that the law makes sinners out of all of us. And honestly, it feels like a hopeless cause, a dead end, like we’re all doomed. “But” - that one word turns the tide. It’s the first word in verse 21 that transitions from Paul’s earlier point to this week’s lesson: how an unrighteous person can get access to the righteousness of God through faith.
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