Christian Living / Spiritual Growth

  • The Armor of God

    Ephesians 6:10–13

    John Calvin comments, “There will be no danger which may not be successfully met by the power of God; nor will any who, with [the armor of God], fight against Satan, fail in the day of battle.” Daily we are ...Read More

  • Leading by Example

    Ephesians 6:9

    President Dwight D. Eisenhower once observed that “leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” Good leaders do not lead by maintaining uncertain, ever-changing standards or by demeaning ...Read More

  • Serving Earthly Masters

    Ephesians 6:5–8

    Tomorrow we will discuss in greater detail the proper roles of servants and masters. We note today, however, with Matthew Henry that “service, performed with conscience, and from a regard for God, though it may be to unrighteous masters, will ...Read More

  • What We Learned in Christ

    Ephesians 4:23-24

    Taking off our old selves — our Adamic natures that love rebellion — and putting on Christ is really a single act. We cannot live in Adam and in Christ at the same time, which means that we cannot refuse to give ...Read More

  • Leaving Childhood Behind

    Ephesians 4:14

    The church’s greatest advancements in understanding doctrine have come when great heresies have threatened the church. The Arian controversy helped believers delimit the canon’s teaching on the Trinity. Crises over justification and the authority of Scripture led to ...Read More

  • Privileges and Responsibility

    Ephesians 4:1

    Living in a manner worthy of our calling is not following a legalistic checklist of do’s and don’ts. Instead, it is a gratitude-inspired pursuit of God-given growth in personal holiness. Even though this is our duty, it should ...Read More

  • The Fullness of Christ’s Love

    Ephesians 3:17b-19

    If earthly families cannot be unified without the understanding and pursuit of love, how can we possibly think that true love for other believers is optional in the promotion of Christian unity? We are called to meditate on the depth ...Read More

  • Christ in Our Hearts

    Ephesians 3:16-17a

    Christ does not wait for us to be perfect before He takes up residence within us, and for that we can rejoice. Yet it is possible to grieve His Spirit by our sin (Eph. 4:30), and so we must ...Read More

  • Bowing the Knee

    Ephesians 3:14-15

    God was rarely referred to as “Father” under the old covenant, so we should be glad to live in the new covenant era when the fatherhood of God is made plain to everyone in Christ. Still, when we approach our ...Read More

  • Suffering and Glory

    Ephesians 3:13

    We are not discouraged when we suffer, not because we deny our hurt and pain, but because we know that suffering for Jesus proves our faith — the path to ultimate glory. Each time we endure scorn or injury for being ...Read More

  • The Purpose of God’s Grace

    Ephesians 3:8-9

    That the riches of Christ are unsearchable points us to the doctrine of God’s incomprehensibility. While we can know the Lord truly, we can never know Him fully, for our finite minds cannot grasp the totality of His infinite ...Read More

  • Paul’s Stewardship

    Ephesians 3:2

    Greatness in the kingdom of God is not measured by how many people serve us but in how we serve others. Yet using our gifts to benefit others is not always easy, and we need divine grace to sustain us ...Read More

  • Imprisoned for Christ

    Ephesians 3:1

    We do not often stop to consider just how offensive the message of the cross is to unconverted hearts. Which sinner could possibly imagine that the omnipotent Creator would save His people through the weakness and ignoble death of the ...Read More

  • The Church Universal

    Hebrews 12:18-24

    Our great God has united us to Christ by His Spirit and has given us fellowship with every believer throughout the world. Praying regularly for the church in other places is a great way to evidence this fellowship and help ...Read More

  • The Church is Holy

    1 Corinthians 1:2

    Through the blood of Christ, God sees His church as holy, although He is by no means ignorant of the sin that persists in our lives. Yet this declaration of holiness gives us confidence that we can make real progress ...Read More