Category: Christian Living

We often love to shoot ourselves in the foot. Unintentionally, of course.

We often say that Bible knowledge can lead to pride so we kind of tell one another that too much study of God’s Word is counterproductive to our spiritual health. It makes a person proud, they say. It’s useless knowledge, others argue.

Then we stumble over verses like Colossians 1:9–10 and we eat our words in embarrassment. Paul told the believers in Colossae that the way to stay solid in your Christian faith is to actually become filled with knowledge in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. That’s a lot of heavy words. Putting together knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in one sentence is mind-boggling enough for our taste. But Paul is not yet done; he was just getting started. He said that knowledge should fill us, the same way that you fill a tank with water. Why?

Because having that kind of knowledge is the only way to ever walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to live a life that is pleasing to him, to bear fruit (in evangelism and in character), to be strengthened, and to develop a thankful heart. In other words, being filled with the knowledge of God is the way to thrive and flourish as a believer. Everything we ever want to become as Christians is tied to how much we know God, and that knowledge springs from our Bible readings.

Sounds too academic and too cerebral, I know, but this is God’s ordained way for us to grow. Knowing God is knowing God’s Word, the Bible. There is no escaping it. Much of our spiritual growth boils down to a lot of Bible reading and prayer. Even obedience is simply a fruit of knowing God. Either we admit that, or we continue shooting ourselves in the foot.

Christopher J.H. Wright on the The Mission of God’s People:

“Theology, it seems is all about God. It rummages around in what (mostly dead) people have thought and written about God, God’s character and actions, God’s relationship to the world, to human society, God’s involvement in the past, present and future, and the like. Mission, in happy contrast, is all about us the living, and what we believe we are supposed to be doing in the world.

“So, in mutual suspicion, theologians may not relish their theories being muddled by facts on the ground and the challenging questions thrown up by the messiness of practical mission. Practitioners of mission, in quick riposte, may not wish to see their urgent commitment to getting on with the job Christ entrusted to us delayed by indulgent navel-gazing about obscure long words ending in -ology.

“And so the dangerous result is that theology proceeds without missional input or output, while mission proceeds without theological guidance or evaluation.

“There should be no theology that that does not relate to the mission of the church – either by being generated out of the church’s mission or by inspiring and shaping it. And there should be no mission of the church carried on without deep theological roots in the soil of the Bible.

No theology without missional impact; no mission without theological foundations.”

“Love is not only expressed by words of affirmation and appreciation, it can also come in the form of a rebuke. Love is a double-sided coin.

“Love is looking in your spouse’s eyes and saying, “You mean the world to me. I wouldn’t want to go on without you.” But, love could also be a protective warning. When a friend is about to engage in adultery, the loving thing to do would be to say, “STOP! Don’t do it!”— even if it means losing your friendship over it.”

Micah Fries and Robby Gallaty, Exalting Jesus in Zephaniah, Haggai, and Malachi Commentary

We know of shock absorbers.

I first came across this word in college when the seniors ahead of me wrote in their thesis acknowledgments the names of people who were their shock absorbers. These were close friends who listened patiently as they ranted about professors and thesis advisers who gave them academic hell.

Then of course there’s the shock absorbers for cars and other vehicles.

The point of shock absorbers is to lessen impact, to make collision less painful, less damaging. A bit similar to what Jesus was saying in Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” He offers wide open arms to those who have heavy loads to carry, those who have untold griefs bursting in their chests. Continue reading He Is Our Grief Absorber

Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, faith looks up. *

Enough looking behind your shoulders. There’s no use looking back at something you can’t change. The past gives no hope, only lessons to help you make godly choices in the future.

Stop looking around trying to gauge whether or not people approve everything you do. It is an exhausting way to live and you will never please everyone anyway. Live for the audience of One instead, seeking only what is honorable to Jesus. In the end, his opinion is the only opinion that matters. You will be surprised that unlike our parents, peers, and bosses, Jesus is way, way more gracious.

So look up, Christian, look up. Look to Christ who loves you without stopping, not to the past that haunts without mercy or the people around you that you couldn’t please anyway.

*HT: Sammy Lopez