Category: Level: Beginner

activational reading book knowledge

The Problem With Knowledge

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Imitation of Christ – Chapter Two – The Problem With Knowledge It is natural to want knowledge, but what good is knowledge if we aren’t surrendered to God? Someone who humbly serves God but lacks any education is higher in God’s eyes than a world-renowned scientist who doesn’t know that their own heart needs God. This is the problem with knowledge. When we know our own heart we know how lowly we are. We don’t let compliments puff us up. If we have all the knowledge in the world but don’t truly love others then is God impressed by our knowledge? He will judge our lives by our deeds not by our knowledge. Restrain your hunger for excessive knowledge because that only distracts and misleads us. Learned people are tempted to keep up an appearance of wisdom and hope they are recognized for it. Yet great knowledge is actually not Continue Reading →

heaven

Focusing On Your Eternal Destiny

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In the book of Genesis we hear of the tragic beginning of humans. How they lost their union with their Creator and lost harmonious community with fellow humans. But in the New Testament we hear a happy ending. All our prayers, and suffering, and trusting, and sacrifice finally bring us to our eternal destiny. God wins over sin and evil. After death He will give us new bodies and new souls that can receive all He has for us. And his followers will enjoy living with Him forever. This is a key foundation of spiritual theology and spiritual formation. In Revelation we learn that God restores all that was lost in the fall. The Bible begins with a Garden of Paradise that humans must leave because of their sin. But in the end, God cleanses our sin completely and permanently, and restores us to a paradise in a Garden that Continue Reading →

heaven eternal perspective

Eternal Perspective Sets You Free From This World

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An essential principle of following Jesus is learning to live with a heavenly perspective. This means living our lives, knowing that we are citizens of heaven, (Philippians 3:20), and will spend eternity in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus said, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth … Store your treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19–20 NLT). Colossians 3:2 states: “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (NIV). This eternal perspective sets you free from this world. When Jesus came, he brought the Kingdom of Heaven and his followers live in the Kingdom now! But the Kingdom is mixed with this fallen world. After Jesus comes He will sweep away all the fallenness and will fulfill the promise of a perfect Kingdom for us to dwell in, the New Earth. All the rewards we stored up in heaven will come down to the New Earth for us. Since we Continue Reading →

guilt conviction sin

Embracing Conviction Of Sin

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Conviction of sin can lead to destructive attitudes as well as constructive sorrow. Seeing our sin may lead us to self-condemnation or rejection, or to imagining that God condemns or rejects us. We may begin to hate ourselves or think we are hopeless. These are all strategies of Satan. He knows that if we reject ourselves (for any reason, not just sin) that it will create a wall between us and God. Self-rejection may be Satan’s number one strategy in every person’s life. It cuts us off from the grace and power we need for healing. Instead, we should treat ourselves the way God does: with grace and forgiveness. We do not have permission from God to contradict what God thinks about us. We are His saints and His children. His Son died in our place so that nothing could ever separate us from His love and acceptance. If He Continue Reading →

listening well

7 Tips For Listening Well & Making Someone Feel Valued

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One of the most important elements of loving people is listening well. For me, this is a skill that always has room for improvement, but it is worth the effort and discipline because often it is the one thing that tells someone I care. In other words, it is essential to Christian love and Kingdom community. How we listen is a great indicator of how much we value relationships. The challenge is that listening involves death to self and a commitment to someone else’s well-being. When I talk, I love it when I can see someone is really listening and considering what I am saying, so that is the least I can do for others when they speak. Listening well is one of the most important ways of making someone feel valued. True listening may be one of the highest of virtues, but many people are very weak in their Continue Reading →