If we live in a “spiritual” climate where pretense is rewarded and honesty is frowned upon, we may conceal the heartache of deep needs that God allows to remain unfulfilled right now and cover up the reality of our continuing struggle with sin.
As we learn to pray, we must learn to want the higher things that relate to God’s rule and His righteousness — and want them for higher reasons than those that usually motivate us. We must seek, above all, the things that redound to His glory.
God is willing (and eager) to lift us to planes higher than we can yet imagine. Our need is for a bigger desire, a greater sense of what can happen if we’re willing to submit to God as He removes from our hearts the things that hold us back.
We must delight in God’s holiness. We are to love Him because He is our Creator, simply for His own sake. Love’s joy has to do with giving, not getting. The moment our main focus shifts from the Beloved to ourselves, true joy begins to disappear.
The sense of rightness and goodness present in moments of real worship ought to tell us that the adoration of God fills a very deep need within us. We have been made such that praising God is as much a joy to experience as it is a duty to fulfill.
God’s majesty is displayed in every work of His creation. There is nothing about the natural environment that God has designed to surround and support us that does not show His greatness — if we have eyes to see and hearts to understand.
“It is impossible to keep our moral practices sound and our inward attitudes right while our idea of God is erroneous or inadequate. If we would bring back spiritual power to our lives, we must begin to think of God more nearly as He is” (Tozer).
We need to redefine our personal concept of what greatness is and where it comes from. It is nothing less powerful than God’s gentleness that can make us great. And when it has done so, our own gentleness will be the strongest part of our strength.
Whatever we give is only a giving back to God — nevertheless, it is true that we are able to give of ourselves to God. And although our gifts fall short of the perfection He deserves, the wondrous truth is that God is still ready to receive them.
As we age, we know we’re getting very close to our heavenly home — and we cherish the love of a Father who waits for us there. “One sweetly solemn thought comes to me o’er and o’er: today I’m nearer to my home than e’er I’ve been before.”
The fact that our salvation is by grace does not mean the gospel requires no response. It is a message that must be responded to, and in the absence of ...
The gospel is the good news of God’s salvation. But never forget: the message is about Jesus Christ. It is in Jesus that God is offering salvation. In 2 Corinthians ...
It is from sin that God desires to save us. The gospel is not about the amelioration of social ills or earthly maladies. It’s about (a) the forgiveness of our ...
Adam and Eve were free, but they used their freedom to reject God rather than honor Him as their Maker. We must not underestimate the seriousness of their decision to ...
Adam and Eve’s creation in God’s image meant they were subject to Him in unique ways. Brought into being by God, they had God as their King. He possessed the ...
In Acts, as soon as people saw the seriousness of their sins and the joy of forgiveness that could be theirs, they wanted to be baptized immediately, even in the ...
Have you obeyed the gospel? Whatever others may have done, have you responded rightly to the glad tidings of salvation in Jesus Christ? The gospel is the best news in ...
Paul spoke of the hope provided by the gospel when he said, “If we have died with him, we will also live with him” (2 Timothy 2:11). It is no ...
There is no more important activity than self-examination. Are we, or are we not, in a right relationship with God? Do we, or do we not, have the hope of ...
Let’s look at three biblical descriptions of what happens when a person obeys the gospel, all of which point to the same experience. Each of these emphasize the deep, inward ...
We often hear people talk about having “accepted Jesus as their Lord” when a quick look at their lives makes us wonder if they even know the definition of “lord.” ...
If you haven’t already said an unalterable “No,” I hope you will give the gospel of Christ a chance to convince you of its truth. I hope the day will ...