What's in a name? Expectant parents spend hours determining the just-right name for their child, giving great thought to its meaning. In the Bible, names carried significant meaning, too. Sometimes it represented a parent's hope for their child's future. Sometimes it represented the current state of ...
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The Christian Life
Meaningful Quiet Times, Consistent Bible Study, Praying with Purpose— these deepen our relationship with God. The Christian life is where we walk it all out. When God's Word changes us, we treat others differently. We love more sincerely. We forgive more readily. We move to meet needs more quickly. As a result, the world sees Jesus in action. How will others know that a relationship with God makes a difference, if they don’t see it?
In these posts you’ll find encouragement as you wrestle with brokenness, forgiveness, struggles, and suffering. You’ll be challenged as you grow in godly character and spiritual intimacy. And you'll find hope. Many posts show my spiritual growth in the Christian life as a mom of teenagers. (Can you relate?)
Anticipating The Birth Of The Son
Long ago a young Jewish girl received some startling news. As a virgin, she would conceive and give birth to a Son--the Savior of the world (Luke 1:29-33). The people of Israel had been living under a cloud of darkness. But soon, their promised Messiah would be born. Although they didn’t know it, ...
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Your Christmas Lights Chase The Darkness Away
On a typical evening, like most neighborhoods, ours is relatively dark. Sparsely spaced streetlights and occasional porch lights provide minimal visibility. Come Christmastime, however, all that changes. Light is everywhere! Some people decorate their houses tastefully. Others look like something ...
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When You Need New Glasses
A few mornings ago I was reading through my quiet time material, and I realized that I need new glasses. The ones I'm wearing are over two years old. The scratches and smudges distort the lights when I'm driving at night. Sometimes it feels like I'm looking through a star filter on my camera. If you ...
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Chosen ON Purpose, FOR A Purpose
We don’t make choices accidentally. Sure, accidents happen. But when we make a choice, we do so on purpose for a purpose. We choose for a specific reason. Likewise, we were chosen by God for a specific purpose.
When I go to the grocery store, I choose everything I put in my basket. (No, the Blue ...
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An Invitation to Worship
When I think of the word worship, my first thought is music. Oh, how I love music. There are so many varieties to love! To me, music is the language of the heart. The right song at the right time can change everything. Music can calm an angry spirit. It can lift a sad one. Music can get us moving in ...
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An Invitation to Radical Intimacy with God
Intimacy. To be completely known, accepted, and loved. It's one of our most basic needs. No matter what else is going on in our lives, we need to know that someone knows us. All about us. Even the worst aspects of our nature. Yet still loves us. Generally speaking, friends like that are hard to come ...
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Finishing What God Gives Us To Do
Yesterday I ran. I ran what used to be my daily 3.1-mile loop. I used to think that wasn’t a big deal. But yesterday was different. I hadn't run that distance in several years.
I didn’t grow up being physically active. I hated the heat. Hated sweat. Hated being outside. How in the world did I ...
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![This week in our small group study, I felt the Lord’s gentle chastisement.
We looked at the promise in Luke 11:28, “He [Jesus] replied, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.’”
At first glance, the promise of blessing comes from obedience. But it’s much more.
In the preceding verses, Jesus had cast out a demon that caused a man to be mute. The crowd accused Him of casting out a demon with Satan’s power.
Jesus explained how ridiculous it would be for Satan to drive out his own demons. Then a woman cries out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you,” (v 27).
This is the sticking point. Jesus was in the middle of an important discourse when this woman interrupts Him. He corrects her with this:
✨ Blessed are those who HEAR the word of God and obey it.
That word HEAR means to LISTEN with FULL ATTENTION.
✨ We cannot truly obey God if we don’t know what He’s saying to us.
Basically, Jesus told this woman, and the others in the crowd, “Pay attention!! Don’t get distracted from my voice. I have important things to tell you. You won’t know what they are and what I want you to do, if all you’re thinking about is what you want to say or how you can gain attention. Put your attention on ME.”
It’s never fun to be Jesus’s object lesson.
The questions I’m asking myself …
✨ What keeps me from spending time alone with Jesus?
✨ When I finally get alone with Him, what distracts me?
✨ What keeps me from focusing on God’s Word?
✨ What causes my kind to wander when I’m praying?
➡️ Eliminating distractions …
➡️ Exercising discipline …
… to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5)
… brings true blessing.
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