Category: Level: Intermediate

new earth

Dwelling On The New Earth

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One day God will create “a new heaven and a new earth” (Rev. 21:1, ESV). This New Earth is the consummation of the kingdom of God that Jesus brought to earth. This is what we now desire more than anything and the goal toward which God has been guiding his people for the entire history of humanity. It is very important to dwell on this new creation because this is the destiny that we live for every day; it is the end that makes sense out of everything we do and experience, and it gives us strength for Christformation. It is the context for our entire lives. In this life we are fighting the good fight, dying to self, practicing sacrificial love for others and living as outsiders in the world. God has been purifying us, filling us, Christforming us and making us one with him. In our next life Continue Reading →

approval blameless

Are You Aiming For A Blameless Life?

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Scripture declares that “we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13, NIV); we “eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed” (1 Cor. 1:7, NIV). Are we eagerly awaiting the return of Christ? Do we love his future appearance? Master teacher Walter Hilton (d. 1396) eloquently expresses how much he values desire for Jesus (though he was not specifically referring to his coming): Certainly, I would rather feel and have a true desire and a pure longing in my heart for my Lord Jesus, even though I should see nothing of him at all with my spiritual eye, than have without this desire all the bodily penance of all men alive, all visions or revelations of angels appearing, songs and sounds, savors or smells, burnings and delights felt by the body—in short, all the joys of Continue Reading →

empathy

Do You Show Christlike Empathy?

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Empathy is one of the most valuable qualities of a disciple of Jesus. Empathy goes to the very heart of Christianity. The supreme act of empathy was the incarnation. God chose to identify with us, put himself “in our shoes”, by becoming a human. He became what we were so we could become the full image of what he is. He did this by choosing to experience the same troubles, pain and suffering that we do. Even more, he allowed himself to be crucified to take the responsibility for our sins. If God is willing to be that empathetic for us shouldn’t we become known for our empathy for others? Empathy means training ourselves to stop our thoughts about ourselves and focus on where the other is coming from. It means being willing to consider the challenges and pain the other has faced or is facing. Or maybe just making Continue Reading →

Are You Fulfilling Your Responsibility to Admonish Others?

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Scripture instructs us to do something we do not like to do: admonish our brothers and sisters. Admonish means to warn or correct someone. Galatians 6:1 instructs us: “Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path” (NLT). Colossians 3:16 states: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom” (ESV). Paul said to the Ephesians that he “did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears” (Acts 20:31, ESV). He also told the Colossians: “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ” (Col. 1:28, ESV). (See also 1 Thess. 5:12, 14; 2 Thess. 3:15.) Considering the biblical passages about admonishing others, we need to take advantage of opportunities to Continue Reading →

anxious communication

Overcoming Anxious Communication

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To build healthy relationships it is important to examine the issue of anxiety in our communication. No matter what type of conversation we are in, it will be very helpful to make ourselves aware of any anxiety we are feeling. Signs of anxiety include stuttering, incomplete sentences, hurried speech and being at a loss for words. Anxiety is a warning light that something is out of order. Most of us feel anxiety in conversations because of insecurity about ourselves and about how others are perceiving us. When our words are influenced by anxiety we cannot be our true selves nor can we connect very well with the listener. Have you noticed that when you are speaking with someone who is insecure it is more work to communicate and more stressful for you? Their fears are veiling their true selves. Likewise, our anxiety puts extra pressure on the listener and hinders Continue Reading →