What We Were Created For

“If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.” (Mark 8:35 NLT, second edition) How do you know if you are living for your dream or God’s dream? You may think you were created to get up, go to work, come home, watch TV, and go to bed, to make a little money, retire, and die. Really? You think that’s all God put you here for? If your dream is truly…

We haven’t yet seen anyone in their true glory. Including you. Yes, Mozart did start writing symphonies as a child, and Picasso could draw before he could talk. But most human beings are profoundly thwarted in their “calling” here because of wounding, assault, envy, or circumstances that would never let them fly. For most human beings on this planet, work ranges from disappointing to oppressive. What does the kingdom offer those men who work the Indonesian…

The world is extremely divided. God is allowing things to happen that challenge the strongest in the Faith. Opportunities abound for us to lose hope in a way that God never intended. What is at the heart of it all? I posted on this subject in a Podcast and one of our daily memos written by Francis Chan. This is how he profiled the lukewarm Christian. Someone who attends church regularly, but it’s what's expected of them. They believe good Christians should do so.…

The story of Eve holds such rich treasures for us to discover. The essence and purpose of a woman are unveiled here in the story of her creation. These profound, eternal, mythic themes are written not just here in the coming of Eve, but in the soul of every woman after. Woman is the crown of creation—the most intricate, dazzling creature on earth. She has a crucial role to play, a destiny of her own. And she, too, bears the image of God. But in a way that only the…

The Spirit-fueled development of Christ-like character is liberating, because it brings us closer to being the people we were designed to be, the people our Spirit-renewed hearts want us to be. – Tim Keller The Fruit of the Spirit is listed in Galatians 5—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These qualities make up the Fruit. There are not nine different fruits—it is a nine-part Fruit. The Fruit is…

Have you ever come home after traveling and experienced a feeling of security and delight? There’s often a reassuring sense of comfort upon opening the door to familiar things and the awareness of being where you belong. The apostle John was given glimpses of our future home, the new Jerusalem. You may be surprised to know that there were no church buildings in John’s vision, “for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple” (Revelation 21).…

Tomorrow I will be attending the funeral of the most significant individual to ever have come into my life. Better said she brought me into this life. Mom recently celebrated her 100th birthday. It was a great day. Not a day she would have ever predicted seeing. We called her the “energizer bunny”. She kept going and going. Always the one in her personal care home with a smile and a word of encouragement for someone that needed it. She made certain that all…

The Holy Spirit’s presence is essential for the Christian life. Despite our best efforts, we have no ability to produce Christlike character on our own. Although we’ve been declared righteous through faith in Jesus, we still succumb to sin, pressures of the world, and the deceptions and temptations of the devil. Thankfully, we have a resource that is greater than any hindrance—God’s omnipotent, indwelling Spirit. He continually works to transform us…

The English preacher Charles H. Spurgeon (1834–1892) lived life “full throttle.” He became a pastor at age nineteen—and soon was preaching to large crowds. He personally edited all of his sermons, which eventually filled sixty-three volumes, and wrote many commentaries, books on prayer, and other works. And he typically read six books a week! In one of his sermons, Spurgeon said, “The sin of doing nothing is about the biggest of all sins, for…