Spiritual Growth (Page 3)
Two Ways: The Righteous and the Wicked (Psalm 1)
As stated on an earlier occasion, The Bible speaks of those who are “blessed” or “happy”. What is it that makes someone able to receive such a designation? It is because they have taken hold of that which brings eternal satisfaction. What is it? David declared,…
The Value of Varied Prayer
It is the clear teaching of Scripture that we are to give ourselves to consistent prayer (1 Sam. 12:23; Col. 4:2; 1 Thess. 5:17; James 1:5; 1 Pet. 5:7). However, at times we can find it hard as we may struggle with how we ought to pray. The manner of prayer is a struggle for many, but it ought not to prevent us from praying! We must not be under the impression that there…
Christ first, Family second, Church third – Really?
Christian, what place does the Lord Jesus Christ have in your life? Many have given a common answer indicating the order of priority, “Christ is first” and then they add, “my family is second, and the church is third”. Now I understand what most people mean…
Resources for Spiritual Growth – Part 1
Back in Deuteronomy 7:1-11, Moses gave the Israelites the mandates for their inheritance of the land of Canaan. There were specific things that they were to do. They were to eliminate their enemies (Deut. 7:1-4) because they opposed the holiness of God. Though these enemies were in the land, they were to remove them. In addition to removing the people, they were to also…
God is in Heaven
Our Father in heaven” (Matt. 6:8)? In this post I want to dwell on the two words “in heaven” because they are filled with glorious truth that ought to greatly encourages us when we pray. The Scriptures teach that God is everywhere (omnipresent). Yet in a special way, His abode is located in Heaven. It is the place in which He rules and governs the…
How Much Should I Pray?
How often should I pray for something? For how long? 7 times? 70 time 7? I like what Peter Leithart has to say about the matter over at First Things. He uses Paul’s “thorn” of the flesh example, and Jesus parable about the persistent widow, and plays them off against each other: “Weakness was essential to [Paul’s] apostolic ministry, an…
How to Strengthen your Faith
At times the Christian does get discouraged and become despondent. They have not lost their faith, as this was a divinely given gift. However, their faith can be weakened and therefore in need of strengthening. The child of God at times will have “little faith” (Matt. 14:31) and ought to desire to have a growing faith (cf. 2 Thess. 1:3). Though a believer can…
Why the Right Kind of Faith is Important
Do you have faith? Many will answer “yes!” I often hear people talk about having faith. Faith in others, faith in themselves, faith in circumstances, and even faith in nothing! So here is the second and more important question, do you have saving faith? What I mean by that is, does your faith become the means in which you take hold of complete forgiveness of…
What is the point of life?
One thing that sets different worldviews apart from one another is their conception of what is good, or what is the primary goal (or end) of life. Each worldview answers this question differently, even if some answers seem similar. Aristotle, in his Nicomachean Ethics, says that happiness is the “supreme good.” Indeed he says the following: “Happiness,…
The Motive of Prayer
Why do you pray? It is clear that God commands His people to pray (Col. 4:2; 1 Thess. 5:17), but why do you pray? This is important because if our motive is not honouring to the Lord, why should we expect our prayer to be of any value? When instructing His disciples the Lord Jesus said, “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand…