First, Compassion
"Moved with compassion, Jesus..." -- Matthew 20:34, NASB In chapter nine of Mark’s Gospel, a father came to the disciples begging them to help his son. The young man had suffered with fits for years, throwing himself into fire, and harming himself. Though the disciples had cast out demons before, they could not heal the boy. When the father saw Jesus, he rushed to Him and asked Jesus to please help his boy. As soon as the son came toward Jesus, the evil spirit inside him, thr
Spiritual Amnesia
So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. -- Galatians 4:7 (NIV) According to a 2016 Bankrate.com survey, “as many as 41 million U.S. adults have already had their identity stolen.” The bad news: the victim has no proof of identity. The good news: the victim knows who he is. It could be worse. When we lose sight of who we are, we find ourselves disconnected from the awareness of our character, gifts, and calling
Add to Your Faith
Faith is not enough. Does it surprise you that I say that? According to Peter in his letter to the churches of Asia Minor, to be productive, we need to include a few other qualities in our behavior and character. “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,” and he goes on with other qualities (2 Peter 1:5, NKJV). We grow in the Lord by being diligent and dedicated to the process of adding virtue (i.e., Power) and Knowle
A Life Worth Imitating
Like a little boy who copies how his dad shaves in the morning or a daughter who picks up on her mother’s grace and intelligence while balancing work and family, our learned behavior as children of God happens the same way. Practice makes permanent as we perform the priorities of Christ. When my wife was a young girl, her father abandoned the family. Her mother, sister, and two brothers were left homeless when Carmen was about ten years of age. Extended family pitched in wher
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