Your Life: Abundant

 Photo by Robert Linder on Unsplash  

“A cock must crow, a mole dig, to the glory of God.”  --C.S. Lewis  

Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added  to you.”

You are gifted

First, you must know that you were created for a purpose I don’t mean just the big, overarching purpose of living for God, although that is certainly true and anything you do must start there. I also mean your particular vocation, your calling. God has gifted you with a unique set of gifts to be used for His purpose, to bring Him glory, to be his hands and feet in the world. Whatever our gifts, we should rejoice in them, knowing that a perfect God planned it perfectly. 

It’s so easy – especially for we women--to get into the comparison game. And the way this game is played, it comes out in one of two ways:  either we are the ones who fall short as we compare...

Photo by Tamara Gak on Unsplash

Read time:  4.4 minutes

The New Year is a time for new beginnings. But those new beginnings will come to naught if we're not going in the right direction. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, “If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction.” 

So commencing this week and continuing throughout the month of January, I want to help set you in the right direction for your new beginnings. That way, not only will you be going in the right direction, but you'll have a very sturdy railway car to travel in. The weekly topics we'll cover are: living authentically, getting your mind right, and pursuing your calling.  

In this post, we'll take a look at living authentically in your true identity. 

"God does not play dice.” – Albert Einstein 

In our previous post, we looked at what it means to live authentically in an inauthentic...

The New Year is a time for new beginnings. But those new beginnings will come to naught if we're not going in the right direction. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, “If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction.”

So commencing this week and continuing throughout the month of January, I want to help set you in the right direction for your new beginnings. That way, not only will you be going in the right direction, but you'll have a very sturdy railway car to travel in. The weekly topics we'll cover are: living authentically, getting your mind right, and pursuing your calling. 

This week we'll  take a look at how to live authentically in an inauthentic age.  

Read time: 5.7 minutes

 Once again we are approaching a New Year, a time to reflect upon the past year and to resolve to do better, be better. We want to set things right. So in three blogposts: a look at Jeremiah 29:11; some aspects of God’s sovereignty and our response to God’s sovereignty, I will help lay a foundation for you so you can set things right, right from the start. 

Today we take a look at some of the aspects of God’s sovereignty as explored through various Scriptures. 

God uses earthly powers and suffering for our good

 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)

As discussed at length in my first post, the context of the Jeremiah passage is one of exile, of suffering. No more will be said about this passage here.

In the short book of Habakkuk, we see God dramatically using political powers and suffering.  In the beginning of...

This post is the first in a series of three blog posts focusing on Isaiah, Chapter 9. The three are, in order: God’s grace through His peace, God’s justice through His peace, and God’s completion of His ultimate peace.

 

Today we examine God grace through His peace, focusing on Isaiah 9:6.

For to us a child is born,

    to us a son is given;

and the government shall be upon[d] his shoulder,

    and his name shall be called[e]

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

During Advent, the four weeks leading up to Christmas, we are anticipating Christ’s first coming as that babe born in a manger, preparing for His arrival with Scripture readings, quiet reflection, and plaintive songs. Christ’s arrival at Christmas marks a time of joy and peace, both within and without the body of Christ, as we human beings have been seeking inner peace since our...

Inspired by a sermon by the Reverend Fred Hope, pastor of Rockville Presbyterian Church, Wadmalaw Island, SC

 Who, me meek? 

Merriam-Webster:

Meekness: the quality or state of being meek: a mild, moderate, humble, or submissive quality

 The above definition from Merriam-Webster about sums up what we understand about meekness. And this understanding we bring to our reading of the Scriptures, specifically Matthew 5:5:

 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” [Matthew 5:5]

 And Psalm 37:11:

 “But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.” [Psalm 37:11]

 But does this understanding accurately describe who we are in Christ? And just as important, does this understanding truly capture the intent of these Scriptures? Let’s get started.

 First, some historical background

In the 4^th Century, when the Bible was translated into Latin, the Hebrew word (as in Psalm 37)...