Category: Level: Beginner

When we first believe God does not patch up or remodel our old self; instead, he gives us a new self, made in his image, and that new self overcomes the old self as we abide in Christ. Yet, he does not wipe out our core personality and gifts, rather they are all redesigned within the image of our new self. It is a mystery as to how God preserves these parts of us yet also creates a new self in which these parts will develop. Our new self desires what is good and desires to participate in what is good. When our new self sees good it recognizes it as beautiful and so is drawn to it. Our new self is good because it reflects God and has the same human nature that Jesus has: Jesus’ human nature and our new human nature are both created in the image Continue Reading →

One of the marks of Christian maturity is an awareness of one’s destructive habits and the commitment to overcoming them. In this age we have many opportunities to develop bad habits, some of which don’t seem so bad because they just consume time. But in everything we do it is important to ask ourselves if we are abiding in Christ and walking in the Spirit. In other words, is this habit compatible with following Jesus? Is it healthy for our souls? Smartphone overuse has become a very common habit that harms our spiritual growth and interferes with our participation in the goodness of God. Addiction is a word that is probably overused so I do not know if constantly using one’s smartphone is always an addiction or just a harmful habit. But the general idea of an addiction is that it interferes with a normal healthy life. It is certainly Continue Reading →