My Thoughts and Reflections

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." - Romans 15:5-6 (NIV) After Jesus sent the Holy Spirit into each of his disciples at Pentecost, he expected his followers to not only spread the good news of the gospel to those in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth, but he also expected them to model the same lifestyle as he did while he was on earth. Part of that modeling included maintaining the same attitude that Jesus had, an attitude of endurance and encouragement. During Jesus' ministry, he commanded his disciples to love each other with the same love that he showed for them. Part of loving each other with the same love of Christ includes lots of encouragement. It is hard to go through the day without either needing some encouragement or seeing the need in those wh...

"I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.  They will come in and go out, and find pasture.  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." — John 10:9-10 (NIV) Jesus is the gate, but to where?  Jesus is the gate to eternal life with God!  Many times throughout Jesus' ministry, he told his followers that there is only one way to be saved, and that is through him.  Later, Jesus tells his listeners that, "I AM the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).   Today's verse is another reminder of who Jesus is and what he came to do.  He isn't like the thief who only comes to steal, kill, and destroy.  Jesus came so that we may have life and have it to the full!  So what does this mean for us? If we have entered through the gate that is Jesus Christ, if we have placed our faith in him and belie...

“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead. He’s the first crop of the harvest of those who have died. Since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came through one too. In the same way that everyone dies in Adam, so also everyone will be given life in Christ.”  - 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 (CEB) For most people, Easter has come and gone. We are now focused on the season of spring and the coming of summer. However, we are still in the season of Easter. We are in the middle of the time celebrating Jesus’ resurrection and the life he lived here on earth before his ascension. Easter hasn't come and gone, but it is still just as much Easter today as it was on Easter Sunday! On Easter Sunday, we celebrated the foundational truth that our faith is grounded in, Jesus’ resurrection from the dead! Jesus got up and walked out of his own grave! How radical is that? We base our faith on the fact that God’s Son rose from the dead! He i...

“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.”  - 1 John 3:18 (NIV1984) Happy Valentine’s Day!  The day we celebrate love.  However, do you notice the narrow and shallow view of love that is often portrayed by advertisers and big companies on Valentine’s Day?  Love is portrayed as romantic (not a bad thing by any means!) and full of romantic gestures (again, not a bad thing!).  Yes, this is one very small and important aspect of love, but is that all that love is?   In John’s first letter in the New Testament, he is writing to encourage his readers and hearers to continue hold strong to their faith and to be people of love.  Why would they need to be people of love?  They need to be people of love because we are told that “God is love” (v. 4:8).  If we want to be known as people of God, we need to be people of love!   Now, how can we be people of love?  Not only are we supposed to ha...

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in  Christ God forgave you.”  - Ephesians 4:32 (NIV) Have you found yourself, from time to time, holding onto some small grudge against someone?  I know that I have!  Whether it is between you and a friend, a family member, or some complete stranger who drives 20 mph under the speed limit or cuts you off, holding onto grudges is exactly the opposite response against an offender that God calls us to have!  Holding onto a grudge is the easy response to some wrong committed against you.  It is also poisonous to our souls! In this verse, Paul is passionately calling the Ephesian church to the ultimate “Christ-like” activity that we can do as Christians.  God is calling us to be compassionate towards others by forgiving them just like God forgave us.  God had every right to not forgive us and still has that right, but he chose to send his one and only Son, Jesus Christ, ...

“A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.”  - Proverbs 22:9 (NIV1984) As we near the season of Advent, we have already heard the calls of selfishness and greed to indulge in Black Friday sales and Cyber Monday sales in an annual attempt to get that great deal or save a few dollars here and there. We will also begin to hear the opposite call from many churches and non-profit organizations. We will hear the call for generosity and an attitude of giving to those who are living much more difficult lives than ourselves. In this proverb, we are told that a person is blessed for their generosity. I believe that we can all testify to the notion that our economic woes, the number of people living in poverty and on food stamps, and the general attitude of selfishness that pervades our culture are directly related to a lack of generosity and the prevalence of greed. Today, on the Family Life Network radio station , they ran their daily cont...

  “I thank my God always for you, because of God’s grace that was given to you in Christ Jesus.  That is, you were made rich through him in everything: in all your communication and every kind of knowledge.”  - 1 Corinthians 1:4-5 (CEB) What are you thankful to God for?  What is it that causes you to be thankful today?  We are in that season of Thanksgiving again and we get to share with each other what we are thankful for!  Paul’s source of joy was his faith in Jesus Christ.  He believed that Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection paid the penalty for his sins and that he was promised eternal life with Christ.  In this passage, he explains to the Corinthians that he is thankful for them as well.  Why?  Because they too have experienced the same thing that Paul experienced; an enrichment through Christ in everything! Have you experienced this enrichment in everything through Christ?  Has your life been changed because of your...