GOSPEL :: FAMILY :: MISSION
The average person consumes 4.7 hours of television a day. This doesn’t even account for social media use. The average Christian consumes less than an hour of Scripture study, biblical teaching and Christian community every day. The American vision of confidence is in shambles. The American dream that Hollywood force-feeds us every day is a sham. Where does your confidence come from?
Where does your confidence come from? When your parent is dying. When your friend’s marriage falls apart. When your sibling loses their job. When a child dies. When a friend suffers abuse. When your finances are in ruins. When your friend stabs you in the back. When your child rebels. When you give into that sinful pattern again. When your physical health fails again. Where does your confidence come from?
When you feel alone or unimportant or when you are struggling to experience the grace and truth your heart needs, please remember that you are not alone, you are not unimportant and you can experience grace and truth in the presence of Christ who is the life-giving, life-sustaining presence we need.
I have a habit of making the things I want into things I need which in turn make the things I need into things I don’t want.
Do you ever question your security or feel insecure or uncertain of your future? Do you ever feel afraid or anxious because you can’t predict the future of that relationship or the future of your educational dreams or the future of your financial stability or the future of your child’s walk with the Lord or your future with your current employer? None of us can predict or control what happens in the next moment.
Whenever we hear that another shooter has killed people or another driver has driven his car into a crowd or another group of people has attacked another group of people or another marriage is falling apart or another friendship is on the rocks, we can begin to feel anxious. Anxiety is a lack of peace.
What are you willing to go through personally, professionally, recreationally, financially, emotionally and relationally to be a member, leader or shepherd for the bride of Christ? Are you ready to die? Are you ready to pray and fast? Are you ready to trust Jesus?
Walking out the Christian life is like taking the dirt roads to a vacation spot instead of taking the highway. We don’t typically choose the roughest roads to travel when heading to our vacation spot. We choose the quickest and smoothest routes because we want to get there quick.
Over the last few weeks we’ve learned that the gift of salvation is given to us by God’s free grace and it’s received through the pipeline of faith. We also learned that the gift of salvation results in humility and humility is cultivated by resting in the truth that God’s doing + God’s working + God’s results = God’s glory.
Ephesians 2:8 – 10…
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
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