Christian Living / Spiritual Growth

  • Truth and Hope

    1 Corinthians 13:6-7

    All of us have experienced betrayals in our lives wherein somebody did not keep a promise or otherwise violated our trust. When God calls us to be trusting people, He knows that many will betray us, but that does not ...Read More

  • Love and Evil

    1 Corinthians 13:5-6

    Gossip and slander are two of the most overlooked sins in our day. We are quick to condemn sexual immorality, theft, and murder, but at the same time we often relish the opportunity to hear and tell stories about what ...Read More

  • Selfless Love

    1 Corinthians 13:4-5

    Do you struggle with a short temper? Are you quick to exaggerate things and make the worst out of any and all circumstances? The antidote to these things is remembering the patience of our Creator. He did not wipe us ...Read More

  • Not Envious or Boastful

    1 Corinthians 13:4

    Envy is an easy sin to hide because we can keep our mouths shut about what we are feeling in our hearts when we see others get blessings we have been longing for. It is therefore important to be constantly ...Read More

  • The Priority of Love

    1 Corinthians 13:1-3

    Consider whether you make love a priority this day. Are you zealous to preach the gospel and defend truth because you like to win arguments, or are you motivated primarily by love for lost people? Is it more important to ...Read More

  • The Costs and Demands of Love

    Philemon 17-18

    Are you hesitating to do something that godly love compels you to do? If so, then may Philemon encourage you to stop putting it off and move forward today. Insofar as we are able, we must seek to be reconciled ...Read More

  • Paying the Cost

    Philemon 19-20

    In Philippians 2, Paul calls us to follow the example of Christ and put others ahead of ourselves. We seldom consider how our decisions and behavior will be regarded in the community of believers, but this should not be. Instead ...Read More

  • Receiving Onesimus

    Philemon 17-18

    John Calvin takes Paul’s willingness to help Onesimus be reconciled to Philemon as an example for us. The apostle, he writes, “warns us how affectionately we ought to aid a sinner who has given us proof of his repentance ...Read More

  • Onesimus’ Return

    Philemon 11-13

    Do you have relationships with other believers that would enable you to say with Paul that you would be sending away your “heart” if you were to move or otherwise lose the chance for face-to-face fellowship? God did not make ...Read More

  • Apostolic Authority

    Philemon 9-10

    Even though a Spirit-filled motivation is necessary to make a good deed truly good, sometimes we have to start acting before our motivation aligns itself with our deeds: C.S. Lewis writes in Mere Christianity: “Do not waste time bothering ...Read More

  • Epaphras and Luke

    Colossians 4:12-15

    We should never despise the work of our pastors and elders in prayer, for it is this task to which they are called (Acts 6:1–7), and it is necessary for the building up of our churches. Ordained elders ...Read More

  • Praying for the Mission

    Colossians 4:2-4

    Praying for other Christians is also a way to manifest our love for them, as true love for Paul would motivate the Colossians to intercede for the apostle. John Calvin says that “it is not in vain that the Lord ...Read More

  • No Favored Parties

    Colossians 3:25

    We can be tempted to make excuses for our behavior based on our backgrounds or conditions in which we find ourselves. But we must always remember that the Lord requires righteousness from us no matter our condition, and we must ...Read More

  • Giving Thanks

    Luke 17:11-19

    We might think that we are grateful to God for what He has done for us, but if we never work to serve others, especially His people, then we must question the authenticity of our thankfulness. James 2:14–26 ...Read More

  • Honoring God

    Romans 1:18-32

    The flippant references about God and lack of respect for authority that are rampant in our culture reflect the primal sin of not giving honor to the Creator. Unfortunately, even those of us in the church are not entirely guiltless ...Read More