Category: Interior Life

cross suffering

To Know Christ More Through Suffering

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In Philippians Paul ties our spiritual growth in with essential spiritual truths. Jesus’ resurrection was the beginning of new creation. This week we look at closer union with Jesus’ cross and resurrection. In Philippians 2:1 Paul instructs the Philippians: “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ” then please be one with each other. Paul considers Christians to be united with Christ. Then in Phil. 3:10-11 Paul talks about his spiritual growth, his desire to know Christ: “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” (NIV) Notice that Paul is expanding on his union with Christ. He wants to experience more union with Christ. Specifically, he wants to experience Jesus’ “resurrection from the dead” for himself, which has not happened for him yet. Continue Reading →

what should we be doing?

What Is The Purpose Of The Christian Life?

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What is the Christian life all about? Sometimes we find ourselves wondering “What is the purpose of the Christian life?” Who can deny that it is important to have a general idea of what discipleship and spiritual formation are all about. What are we supposed to focus our energies on in the Christian life? And what is spiritual formation according to Scripture? One place we can find this in Scripture is in Paul’s prayers for the churches. One particularly helpful prayer for spiritual growth is at Philippians 1:9-11: “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.” (NIV) The progression in this Continue Reading →

heaven

An Eternal Perspective Eliminates Regrets

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We naturally think more about the present moment than our eternal future. But if we are not ready for eternity now, then how will we be ready tomorrow? Now is the time to live with an eternal perspective. This is essential to our discipleship training. Even if we live a long life what good is it if we have not devoted ourselves to being conformed to the image of Christ? Consider how many Christians have believed for many years but show little spiritual growth. Do we want to enter heaven that way? How great that tragedy would be. “if we keep our eternal hope constantly before us then our actions will quickly harmonize with the Spirit” Death is not our enemy, but a wasted life is. True discipleship leads us to meditate on the end of our earthly life and develop an eternal perspective so that we can live an Continue Reading →

pure gold money

Rewards In Heaven Will Make Your Richer Than A Trillionaire

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It is the end of the day and you are tired. You rest for a few minutes. Your mind wanders and you realize you are thinking mostly about food and buying a new car. You haven’t really thought about your connection to God (let alone any rewards in heaven.) It would be good to get alone and pray for five minutes but that means making a little sacrifice. Do you go to pray…? The riches of the world are nothing compared to rewards in heaven. If we have a moderate share of worldly things then we have enough wealth. Any more than that nearly always produces materialism, and often anxiety. As we develop a heavenly mindset we can see better how twisted people become as they fall in love with the riches of the world. Even all the necessities of life – eating, drinking, working, finding shelter – are a Continue Reading →

sorrow for sin cry

Sorrow For Sin Produces Growth

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If we choose to have sorrow for sin when we sin we can continue to grow spiritually. Perhaps you realized you gave yourself false freedom, and you followed your destructive passions instead of a disciplined heart. Make it a practice to ask God for a holy heart, and for sorrow for sin. After Paul corrected the Corinthians he wrote: “Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you! Such earnestness, such concern to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to see me, such zeal.” I Cor. 7:11 (NLT). Don’t descend into self-rejection; look to God’s open arms and enter them with sorrow. In the future, be careful not to take unholiness too lightly. Do not laugh when you should mourn. Remember the words of James: “your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow for sin Continue Reading →