In the face of much trouble, we must stand firm as a people who have been given the Way, Truth and Life that sets us free and grants us peace. It is getting more and more tempting for us to be swept into believing that the way to more freedom, more truth or a better life is a way that politics or culture try to prepare. This is not the truth we believe in, and it will not settle the fear or confusion we may have in our present circumstance.
All by Courtney Farley
Redemptive Relational Practice in the Church
Part of the responsibility we have as God’s co-creators is that we help our flock create the kinds of connection that God desires to have with them by modeling it for each other. If we truly believe that God’s best for us is to be fully in His presence in right relationship with Him, then we must take seriously the responsibility to unleash that presence on earth as it is in heaven through our roles as royal priests who make God known, especially to the neighbor you turn to greet.
Love Your Neighbor as Yourself
Consider the love the Father has for us. We experience God’s love in great depth not only because God has chosen to reveal Himself to us, but because He fully knows us and has chosen to love us. Love is fully realized by being known.
Remember the Sabbath
For many of us, the default rule of life demands our production and performance. I fear we have allowed ourselves to accept busyness as fruitfulness, when in reality these two things don’t go hand-in-hand all the time. There are so many good things we can do for the Lord, but “good” doesn’t always equal “fruitful.”
The Invitation to Experience God
He is quick to extend the invitation because He values the truth that God believes everyone deserves to experience Him. We must see all people as worthy of experiencing God.
The Fellowship of the Holy Spirit
To share stories, experiences and life with one another is to offer more of who God is to each other, which elevates and proclaims the way that the Spirit is at work in all of us.
Rest Assured
Rest found in God transcends all areas of life. It brings restoration and renewal to our whole self, as God created us.
Living in Light of Christ Incarnate
As we wean ourselves off the holiday season, there is a part of me that wonders what it would be like to embody year-round the excitement of the season that celebrates the birth of Jesus.
Offering a Posture of Praise
Our ability to enter into His presence with thanksgiving and praise comes only from His power within us. Often, we find that the cards we have been dealt could never warrant thanksgiving or praise.
Practical Preparation in the Armor of God
Before we begin pursuing any part of what God has called us to, it is crucial that we begin by preparing ourselves in the power and presence of God.
Sinners in Need of a Savior
We are all sinners in need of a Savior. In our fears, failures, and frustrations, let us surrender our situations to our Savior whose power is made perfect in our weakness.
Restoring Unity to the Body of Christ
The body of Christ cannot be idle in its efforts to cultivate unity. If the body of Christ is going to function to the fullest, the body must be one.
Praying through Silence
So, even if we pass through the waters, even if we walk through fire, we can find rest in knowing that God has chosen us, redeemed us, and won the battle for us.
Redemptive Resolutions
Our resolutions as Christians should resonate with sanctification. The things we desire and the habits we commit ourselves to need to be in line with the heart of God.
The Master of Money
What we do with our wealth reveals what we believe about Christ. Wealth is nothing when it is not used in love and in light of our neighbor.
Made for Ministry
God created us with these various skills in order to bring glory to Him in unique ways. So everything we do, we must do with a ministry mindset. Everything we do gives evidence for God. Everything we do gives glory to God.
Bursting the Bible Bubble
Our aim is to proclaim, with our words and deeds, the love that Christ has shown us and the life that we have been called to. How might we do this in our particular contexts?
Know, Go, Do
Knowledge has power, but only when it is put to use. If this is the case, we must ask ourselves what we are doing with the knowledge we have of Christ.
The Disciple’s Dilemma
The heart wants what it wants. This phrase is tossed around, defending the behaviors and choices of the world around us.