God’s discipline may seem severe, but it is ultimately a display of His righteousness for our good.In His discipline, God displays His glory, the seriousness of sin, His tender concern for us, and His commitment to mature us. God’s discipline is so perfect His own Son was matured by it:
We are usually uncomfortable with God’s judgments because we lack a revelation of the greatness of God and His name. When we esteem a person, we are naturally enraged when their name is maligned. The greater revelation we have of the greatness of God, the greater agreement we will have
This message examines what is means for human beings to be priests and how the endless human craving for beauty and fascination is a God ordained part of humanity designed to bring us into our priestly calling.
The secret to a life of prayer is not found in the word we use. It is found in an understanding of who we are speaking to. Real transformation in prayer comes as we approach God with the same confidence Jesus had.
Hebrews 11 lists some of the giants of the faith who surrendered much and suffered much for the promises of God. However, we are also told something shocking: though they endured tests, trials, and torments they did not receive the very things they suffered for.
To fully appreciate the Psalms, we should read them according to four perspectives. Not every Psalm contains all four of these perspectives, but a surprising number do and virtually every Psalm can be read from multiple perspectives. Using these perspectives helps us to recognize just how much is in each psalm.
The true study of theology is the passionate exploration of the most beautiful person in the universe. The reward for that study is more than knowledge. The reward is a greater understanding of God’s fiery love for us which fuels our love for Him.
God gives the apostle John two key phrases in Revelation 4:1 that relate to our eternal calling. This is a message on our eternal calling as priests before God to encounter the beauty of God, declare that beauty to the world, and create contexts where people can encounter God’s beauty.
The fall of man is one of the most traumatic passages in the scripture, and if we are not careful we read this passage through eyes of shame and we only see the curse and the tragedy of it all. However, in the midst of the calamity we can see a beautiful revelation of the nation of God.
We are made for passion. We are made to live with passion. It gives us abilities we did not know we had. It fills our life with purpose and meaning. Where’s your passion? Or perhaps a better question is who is your passion?
The reality is that there really are not any “normal” people. There are redeemed people doing seemingly ordinary things, but these things ultimately produce things that are glorious.
There is a sense in which Revelation 4:1 is written over the doorpost of every church. In the same way that John was taken up to show him the things that must soon take place, the church is meant to be a place on the earth where people can enter and encounter the things to come.
