What Is Your Will In Christ?

I find so much revealing of God's heart in the history of His word. So much about the perfection of His character shows up in so many places. Many may argue about the harsh response that He's taken against those who worshipped other gods as He's warned against or bore evil hearts and ways that made themselves eternally useless against His purpose for having given them life. Our God knows the difference since He knows the hearts and minds of every being that He's given life to. Some might blame God for the consequences of destruction and evil in the world since man- through Adam invited sin into it, but they would be in error. God's heart is clearly displayed for anyone who chooses to look for it. Reading the prophets and what God said through them in context begins to tell the truth of a heart passionate for those who love and obey Him... "Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not re...

For the last year I've been engaged in a writing project that requires me to answer a series of questions posed over the fifty two weeks of the year. My answer to the last question that I chose to answer is one that I decided to share because it's always on my heart and mind... What do you worry about? I know that worrying itself changes nothing but there are some things that cause me deep worry. And of those particular things, there are none that I have the power to change on my own, but they are instead those that I have to appeal to Christ’s mercy to intercede. I have deep worry for the souls of all of my loved ones because I know that despite all that we might find concern for in our passing through of this world, there’s only one account that will, for all time, require an answer from all of us. That response, having already been made while we journeyed here, will leave us without further opportunity to answer. Our choice, made in this current life, will leave us either pr...

"This is what the LORD says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the LORD. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land.""   Jeremiah 17:5-6 (NLT) Setting aside any potential New Year's resolutions we could make for a moment, what if we were to take a look at the underlying hope that we might be basing our lives on in the coming year. I think we do well to consider a personal resolution to get our core reliance figured out and maintain it continually if we're to have any true, underlying, undeniable, hope going forward. This because I believe that if we get that right, any righteous resolutions that we might make after, in agreement with Christ's heart and spirit, have a far better chance of succeeding and giving life to our own heart and spirit -filling our lives with the confidence, co...

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,  Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Luke 2:8-14 (NKJ) As "Christ"mas approaches it usually finds me refreshing my knowledge and understanding of what I believe that it is that we as "Christ"ians should be celebrating in our observation of the event of Christ's birth. I do this in ...

Jesus speaking: “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand."     Matthew 24:23-25 (NKJ) Over the years, this passage has brought me to consider carefully the potential of anyone to be deceived by the craftiness of the evil ones - craftiness that's been highly honed over the preceding millenia up to this point in time. To underestimate it or stand unguarded against it could leave one suffering undesirable consequence. What would it take to deceive the elect - the ones who should know to be on their guard - the ones who should know where to find the truth? Just how powerful would that kind of deception have to be? And are we in any way deceived already about anything relating to our God or about ourselves? How do we know?  I think the answers to those questions depend on a ...

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments ." Exodus 20:4-6 (NKJ) (Bold emphasis mine) I found myself pondering my unworthiness recently - a trap that I lay for myself without forethought, intention or plan. It has no profit but to remind me of God's immeasurable grace to myself and to all in spite of the depth of unworthiness to be found among every one of us - if the past trail of our lineage and history were still held against us. In my own case our God has shown me a full measure of grace to cover a wealth of shortcomings and regrets over a number of hard years. The thi...