Advice for Finding Your Calling Nehemiah 1:1-11 The word “calling” can be intimidating. A calling is different than a job. A calling points us to our purpose. It gets us moving, exhilarates us, gives us purpose. We all need a calling because a calling connects us to something larger than ourselves. In the first chapter
Self-Control & Living In Christ (2 Peter 1:3-11) At the church I pastor, we've been walking through the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23. The foundational teaching is that each of the fruits are characteristics of God that are made manifest in the believer. That is to say, God is the source of of
Gentleness is Not a Bad Word We live in a culture that values strength. We marvel at the brute strength of World’s Strongest Man Competitions. We admire the controlled strength displayed on American Ninja Warrior. We watch intently as athletes display their strength on the field or court. If you are on Instagram you have
What is Faithfulness? In Galatians 5:22-23, the Apostle Paul lists different fruits of the spirit, one of which is faithfulness. What is the faithfulness that he is referring to? The faithfulness spoken about as a fruit of the Spirit is different from believing faith. This kind of faith is the faith that we live by.
God is good. Few sentences will stir such a variety of reactions than the simple sentence, God is good. Some of you reading this have experienced such blessing in your life you have no trouble believing God is good. Others of you have struggled in such a way that you have come to doubt if
Have you ever asked the question, "What is patience?" Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the
What does the Bible say about finding and keeping joy? I went to see Pixar's new movie, "Inside Out" this week. It's a movie about the emotional life of a little girl in which five emotions are personified and become characters in the film. Those emotions are Joy, Disgust, Anger, Fear, & Sadness. The main
The very first fruit of the Spirit is love. Why? Part of me loves passages like the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 and part of me hates them. I love them because they paint a beautiful picture of life lived in Christ. I hate them because it’s easy for me to look at
Are we told anything about generosity in the Bible? A lot of people thing that tithing and generosity in the Bible are synonymous with one another. However, did you know the New Testament doesn’t require tithing? The New Testament moves us beyond the law of tithing into a life of radical generosity. Consider these two
Five Reasons You Should be Tithing to Your Local Church If you have had much exposure to Church culture you have probably heard a pastor give a negative sermon about tithing. By negative I mean the pastor stands up there and talk about all the reasons you've got to give to God. "You've got to
