Colin S. Smith's Blog, page 46

Seven Encouraging Reasons to Pray

It may be in a hospital or at some other moment of crisis, but at some time most people feel that they want to pray. That is true of thousands and millions of people who would never darken the door of a church. 

Here is something that the church has to offer. Christian people have something that at some point, most people in our community and in our country will feel that they need—to pray. Christians know how to pray, or at least we should. 

But do we know why we pray? Here are seven reasons we pray which are meant to encourage you in your pursuit of Jesus Christ. 

1. Pray, because Jesus is our great high priest. 

We have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God… (Hebrews 4:14) 

If I have to engage in an important conversation, I am often grateful to have someone else with me. Is there someone who can come with me who knows the person I will be meeting better than I do? 

Remember this is how Moses felt when God sent him to speak to Pharaoh. God sent Aaron with him. Aaron was the High Priest. Who will go with us when we go into the throne room, not of Pharaoh, but of Almighty God? 

Hebrews says “we have a great high priest…” Think about this: Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he is there for us. When you pray, you ascend by faith into heavenly places, where Christ is. 

Christ is next to the Father, and when you pray, you are next to Christ. He is there for you, and when you speak, he is there with you! He is there, endorsing what you’re saying, placing his name under what you’re asking. 

You can come to the Father with Jesus beside you. He is there to support you in your prayer, to back you up in what you are saying, to agree with your prayer because it has already been his own. 

2. Pray, because Jesus knows what life is like. 

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15) 

You can’t bring anything to Jesus that will shock him. Nothing that you face is surprising to Jesus. You don’t need to hide anything from him. Think about the humanity of Jesus: He worked in a shop. He grieved. He saw darkness unleashed like no one else ever has. 

3. Pray, because God invites us to his throne of grace. 

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace… (Hebrews 4:16) 

Bunyan says, “God has more than one throne…” The throne of grace is very different from the throne of judgment. God invites you to come to the throne of grace! How often would you want to pray, if you knew you were coming before the throne of judgment? 

4. Pray, because this is how you will receive help from God. 

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need…  (Hebrews 4:16) 

Many people who call themselves Christians feel they do not receive help from God. If that’s the case, ask yourself: “Am I praying?” It is through prayer that the help of God is received—you draw near to the throne of grace. How much more could you receive from God if you prayed? 

5. Pray, because this was the practice of Jesus. 

We see this through the life of Jesus. He goes to a solitary place to pray. 

When he comes to his hour of greatest trial he prays in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-46). Scripture tells us that he prays the same thing three times. His soul is wrestling. He goes back to the Father again and again to find help and relief.  

If the Son of God did this, how much more should I do this in my own weakness? 

6. Pray, because this is how you will guard against temptation.

“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” (Matthew 26:41) 

Someone says to me, “I keep falling back into that old temptation!” My first question is, “Were you praying?” My second question is, “Were you watching?” 

It’s very easy to fall into being a “pseudo-Christian.” You think: There’s this sin that I can’t get out of, but it’s ok, because there’s grace. So, I don’t need to worry about it. 

The promise of Jesus is very clear: If you will watch and pray there is sufficient help in these things for you not to fall into temptation. Do these things and you will be able to stand. Ignore them and you will surely fall. 

7. Pray, because when you seek Christ, you will find him. 

Ask and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, it will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8) 

There will be times when you feel that nothing much is coming of your prayers. This is a promise to help you persevere. Ask and go on asking. 

Be Much in Prayer 

Andrew Gray began thinking about all those who are already in heaven, and, from their experience, what they might say to us today: 

Now I think, if Adam were going to give you counsel, it would be this: Be much in prayer. 

If Moses and Aaron and Aaron were going to give you counsel, it would be this: Be much in prayer. 

If David were going to give you counsel, it would be this: Be much in prayer. 

If the four beasts (around the throne of God) were going to give you counsel, it would be this: Be much in prayer. 

If the twenty-four elders were going to give you counsel, it would be this: Be much in prayer. 

If all the angels that are standing on the sea of glass were going to give you counsel, it would be this: Be much in prayer. 

If all the spirit of just men made perfect were going to give you counsel, it would be this: Be much in prayer. 

This article was adapted from Pastor Colin’s sermon, “An Invitation to Enroll,” from his series With Christ in the School of Prayer.



Photo Credit: Unsplash

5 Key Connections: Disagreeing, Waiting, and more…

Here are 5 Key Connections from recent Christian articles around the web, including one on the grace of waiting, another on how to disagree with spiritual leaders, and more!

The Grace of Waiting (Nicholas T. Batzig, Feeding on Christ)

Learning to wait on the Lord in times of want, frustration, hardship and trials is one of the greatest graces in this life. It takes the supernatural work of the Spirit of God to enable us to do so. It takes a deep knowledge of who God is from the Scriptures so that we are able to rely on Him.

Why We Need to be Intentional with How We Use Social Media (Blake Long, Theology & Life)

Friends, do we want to glorify God in all that we do? Then let’s be intentional about social media. Use it for His glory, not ours. Have a social media plan. Take breaks. Serve others with it. Use extreme caution when deciding to enter into the cesspool of social media arguments.

What God Promises to Those with Christian Faith (Colin Smith, Unlocking the Bible)

The gospel is more than forgiveness and heaven. It is God’s power and presence in your life today. 

How to Disagree with Your Spiritual Leaders (Jared Olivetti, Gentle Reformation)

Almost every Christian invested in their church family is going to disagree with the elders at some point. When you feel it’s necessary to address those disagreements, you could do a lot worse than following my friend’s example: seek more leadership, ask lots of questions, and propose practical solutions. Such a Christian goes a long way to obeying Hebrews 13:17, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”

When Self-Preservation Becomes Our God (Benjamin Vrbicek, For the Church)

The problem is not safety or self-preservation. The problem is when self-preservation becomes an ultimate thing, when safety becomes a god. When this happens, bad things happen. They happened to Peter on Good Friday, and they can happen to us.

10 Questions for Examining Your Life

Examining your life is essential to your growth as a Christian believer. Seeing your own sins and failings will make it possible for you to confess, repent, find forgiveness, and grow in grace. These are the steps by which we move forward in the Christian life. If you can’t see your own failings, you can’t make progress.

Self-examination is also a dangerous business. Satan will try to subvert your self-examination by pulling you down into self-condemnation and despair. So be careful. While you have one eye focused on your sin and failure, keep the other eye focused on God’s grace given to you in Jesus Christ.

God has given two gifts to help you examine yourself successfully. These are his Word and his Spirit. The Word will show you sins and failings. The Spirit will open your eyes to see them.

Self-examination, rightly pursued, will bring great benefits to your Christian life.

Three Guidelines for Self-Examination
1. Be intentional.

Set aside a specific time to examine your own life. Find a place where you can be alone. Bring your Bible, a pen, and some paper. Expect God to show you things that need to be confessed and changed. You may choose to tell a friend that you have set aside time to examine your life. You might ask them to pray for you, and commit to share what God has shown you.

2. Be specific.

Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to see what is going on in your life. Read the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17). Work through the ten questions that follow, noting what God brings to your mind.

3. Be a believer.

Bring what God shows you to him in confession as a believer. Pray, believing in the blood of Jesus Christ shed, so that the sins you are confessing should be forgiven. Pray, believing in the power of the Holy Spirit, enabling you to change. Pray, with confidence that God is gracious and loving towards you, and that he is working in your life.

10 Questions for Examining Your Life
1. First Commandment: God

You shall have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20:3)

What disappointments has God allowed in your life? How have these affected your love for him?

Pain and disappointment often reveal the degree to which we love and desire God’s gifts more than we love and desire him. Your confession will begin here.

2. Second Commandment: Worship

You shall not make for yourselves an idol. (Exodus 20:4)

In what ways would you want God to be different from who he is?

The desire for God to be different is idolatry. It shows discontent or dissatisfaction with who he is or what he does. This is sin and will be part of your confession.

3. Third Commandment: False Religion

You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. (Exodus 20:7)

In what ways do you least reflect the image and likeness of God?

Being a Christian means that you bear the name of Christ. People make judgments about Christ by what they see in those who bear his name. Use this part of your confession to ask God for growth in areas where you need to better reflect his character.

4. Fourth Commandment: Time, Work, and Rest

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. (Exodus 20:8-9)

How could you improve what you offer in your working life? How can you better order your life so that you complete your work and preserve time for God and for other relationships God has entrusted to you?

God has set a pattern for your work and rest in the way that he created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. The pattern of God’s work gives us a template for work, reminding us that God calls us to be productive and to find joy in the work that he has given us to do. Take a careful look at the vigor of your work and the balance of your life.

5. Fifth Commandment: Authority

Honor your father and your mother. (Exodus 20:12)

Who has God placed in a position of authority in your life? What are they saying to you? How are you responding?

Father and mother are the first authority figures God places in your life. Difficulty in submitting to others often indicates difficulties in submitting to God’s authority over your life. Examine yourself carefully here.

6. Sixth Commandment: Peace

You shall not murder. (Exodus 20:13)

With whom are you most angry and frustrated at this time? Is there someone with whom you are looking to get even? Are you harboring resentment in your heart?

Our Lord traced murder back to its roots in anger (Matthew 5:22). You may not be able to bring healing to every relationship, but you can guard your own heart. Confess any bitterness in your heart to God. Ask him to cleanse it from your soul.

7. Seventh Commandment: Purity

You shall not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:14)

In what ways have you given expression to lust?

Jesus traced adultery back to lust in the heart (Matthew 5:28). Lust will destroy your soul if you feed it and allow it to grow in your life. Your thoughts reveal who you are in your heart. Make an honest confession to God as you examine this area of your life.

8. Eighth Commandment: Integrity

You shall not steal. (Exodus 20:15)

How can I take less and give more?

God gives. Satan steals. The essence of stealing is that you take what God has trusted to someone else, but do not give what God has entrusted to you. Use this part of your self-examination to look at what you are taking from others and what you are giving back. Look especially at what you are receiving from God and what you are giving back to him.

9. Ninth Commandment: Truth

You shall not give false testimony. (Exodus 20:16)

What has God trusted to me?

In the ninth commandment God calls you to be a person who can be trusted. Make a list of what God has entrusted to you. Take an honest look at how you are being faithful or unfaithful with that trust. Ask God to prepare you for what he will entrust to you in the future.

10. Tenth Commandment: Contentment

You shall not covet. (Exodus 20:17)

What are the greatest desires of your heart right now? How do these relate to God’s purpose in your life?

All of our sins flow from the root problem of sin that lies in the human heart. Being a sinner, you desire the wrong things. You don’t find joy or satisfaction in the right things. That is why God gives you his Spirit to change and renew your heart. Use this final part of your self-examination to look beyond sins you have committed to sins that may be growing undetected in your heart. Ask God to cleanse your heart of wrong desires and to keep you from future sins.

Photo Credit: Unsplash
[This article is a repost of an article was originally posted in 2016]

Is it Possible to Imitate God’s Holiness?

Recently, I have been captivated by 1 Peter 1:14-16:

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’ (see also Leviticus 11:44). 

The Bible, as clear as day, calls us to be holy, imitating Christ. At first glance, I might think: Okay, I can strive to be moral, ethical, and generally good. I can do my best at that.  

But the more I’ve read about holiness the more in awe of this passage I’ve become. For, the more I learn, the more I’ve realized how active the grace of God is in our imitation of holiness.

What is Holiness?  

Paul David Tripp has a wonderful line about holiness that helped break open this topic for me. He writes, “To be holy means to be cut off, or separate, from everything else. It means to be in a class of your own, distinct from anything that has ever existed or will ever exist.”

That’s so much more than being “generally good”! And while we might use phrases like “in a class of one’s own” as a way of saying “so much better than the competition,” clearly this is not what Tripp means here. He says to be holy is to be “distinct from anything that has ever existed or will ever exist.”  

In other words, it means to be of a completely new category of being. A singularity—that is, something unique of which there is no copy. 

Does that sound like something I can do? Not in a million years. Here’s the truth: We live in a world of duplicates wherein each copy is tempted to believe they are singular, alone, cut off from others. 

Don’t believe the lie. There is only one in all of history who belongs to a separate category of being. Only one man is singular, unique, and new. His name is Jesus Christ. 

And yet the question remains, how in the world am I supposed to be holy? If holiness is above me–in a completely different category–is there any hope for me to do what the Bible commands? 

As we get to know the who of holiness, we will see the answer, praise God, is yes. 

Who is Holiness? 

I love this simple line from The Bible Project’s website: “Christ… is God’s holiness in human flesh.” Don’t move past that phrase too quickly. Consider the movement implied in what’s being said here in this allusion to John 1:14. 

Return for a moment to 1 Peter 1:14-16: “as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.” There is movement in this verse. By itself, it seems that all Peter is saying there is upward movement only: for you to move toward holiness. In other words, to do the impossible—achieve that divine category, make yourself into a new substance, be different than anything that has ever existed!  

But that is not what Peter is saying, it’s an interpretation formed out of context. Because 1 Peter 1:14-16 isn’t the whole story. In fact, the main scene of the story has already happened and if you don’t know it, you are going to miss out big time.  

John 1:14 shows us that there was a great downward movement: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Jesus Christ, the Holy One, descended into our lower category and became a copy for the sake of copies. Why did he come? 

John 1:14 continues, “and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” To show us God’s glory! To give us a sense of his holiness in a way that we could comprehend. 

Flatland 

Allow me for a moment to tell you a little about a short book I once read. It’s a fascinating story titled, Flatland, and it was written by Edwin Abbott. It’s a different kind of genre, maybe you are unfamiliar with it, called mathematical fiction. The story is all about shapes and dimensions!

You might be wondering why I’m referencing this—and others of you are wondering why in the world I ever read such a thing! Here’s why: the conflict of the story is revealed when the narrator, a square, encounters something bigger than its reality: a sphere. 

The square did not know the sphere was a sphere right away. How could it? It had no idea sphere’s existed. When it first saw it, it looked a lot like a circle. But it did things no other circle had ever done—it could appear and disappear as it passed through the 2-D plane, and as it went through it would grow and shrink. (Imagine a slicing off the top of a basketball, and then again through the middle, the diameters would be very different). 

As you can imagine, such an encounter shattered the square’s worldview. The square had never realized the sameness of everything around it until it saw something so completely new. It became captivated with the newness of the sphere. It wanted to be like the sphere!  

But as enlightened as the square was, the mere presence and revelation of the sphere could not change the square into a cube. The square was a square. It could not change.  

God’s Holiness Changes Us

There are similarities in this story to the story of Jesus Christ, with some major differences. A similarity is that as the square thought the sphere was a circle at first, so when Christ, “God’s holiness in the flesh,” came to earth it was possible for people to choose to reject him as their Lord, believing him for just another person: 

He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. (John 1:10-11) 

Many people make the mistake of seeing Jesus, our Lord, as just another human. Don’t make that mistake!  

The huge difference is that Jesus Christ came not only to reveal holiness but to change us from the inside-out so we could participate in his holiness. John 1:12 says, 

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 

What amazing grace! Jesus took on human flesh, lived a perfect life, and died on the cross as the spotless sacrifice in order to welcome us into his holiness. In Christ, we are “born of God.” Holiness is not achieved through our effort, but through believing in Christ his holiness is given to us.

Borrowing the words of The Bible Project again, God’s holiness is a command, yes, and it is also “a gift, able to heal a broken and impure world.”  

So, let’s return to our question. Is it possible to imitate God’s holiness? The answer is this: Due to Christ’s great grace, all those who are in him are separate from the world of duplicates and given the right to dwell in his holiness- to be children of God.

Photo Credit: Unsplash 

Momma, Jesus Gives What You Do Not Have

I close the bathroom door and breathe a sigh of relief. Thirty seconds of solitude feels like a dream, until knock, knock, knock. “Momma?” The little one comes looking, as thirty seconds shrinks to ten, and I can’t remember what it was like to be alone.  

I imagine the disciples felt this way after a long season of ministry (Mark 6:7-13)—poured out, spent, and ready for solitude. And this is exactly what Jesus suggests: “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while” (v. 31). 

Scripture tells us that “many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat” (v. 31). Seem familiar? Jesus’s prescription must’ve sounded just right.  

But what happens next is quite the opposite of what these tired men had expected: 

Instead of being alone, they’re swarmed by a great crowd:  

And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. (vv. 32-33)

Instead of resting, they’re catapulted into ministry:  

When [Jesus] went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. (v. 34)

And instead of taking a break to eat, they’re the ones doing the feeding:  

And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” (vv. 35-36)

Once again, sound familiar? What you desperately need is solitude, rest, and even a bit of nourishment, but instead you’re given a knock, knock on the bathroom door, a stolen Sabbath as your spouse ends up working, and a virus—another virus—when health and energy would make you parent better. Mind, soul, and body, you simply don’t have what you need.

Or what you think you need. 

A Simple, Yet Profound Truth  

But the simple yet profound truth of the Christian faith is this: Jesus gives us what we do not have. When you’re in Christ, all that is Christ’s is yours.  

And this is what the disciples discovered that mercifully tiring day by the sea when Jesus told them to give the people something to eat. His straightforward command seemed simplistic. And they ask him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” (v. 37). Jesus can’t possibly expect us to do that! We don’t have the money…  

Instead, Jesus tells them to take account of the food they possess, which isn’t much: five loaves of bread and two fish. It must’ve been ridiculous to the disciples to include such meager portions. What good would a few resources do?  

But that wasn’t the question they should’ve asked, and it isn’t what we should be asking. Our questions may sound more like these: Jesus, what good will my running on such little sleep do for my kids today? Jesus, these cancelled plans seem like a terrible idea when I’m trying to fill our time with good things. Jesus, just one more incident and I am gonna lose it with my son… 

Instead, the question we can ask is, What resources are found in Jesus?  

Receiving from Jesus 

In Matthew’s parallel account, Jesus then says to his disciples: 

“Bring [the loaves and fishes] here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. (Matthew 14:18-21, italics added) 

Matthew includes the important detail that the disciples took bread and fish from Jesus and then gave them to the people. In a 2018 sermon, Pastor Colin Smith called the disciples “runners for Jesus.” They receive from Jesus what’s found in him—unlimited satisfaction and the abundant power to share it with others. They receive from the Good Shepherd, and then they encourage the crowd to receive from him as well.

And isn’t that precisely what happens when we look to Christ in our limitations? The unlimited resources and abundant power of his Spirit are magnified through our weakness and lack. So it can’t possibly be us exercising supernatural joy, peace, patience, and self-control. Just as it couldn’t have been the disciples multiplying the food. 

Rather, Jesus gets the glory as we continually receive from him what we do not have in ourselves, and then share that abundance with others who need him too. 

And even receiving from him is all of grace, for neither the disciples nor any of us deserve to come to him. The Good Shepherd has such compassion on his lost sheep (v. 34) that he willingly lays down his life for us, becoming the sacrificial lamb and taking the punishment our sin deserves. He seeks and saves the lost, and brings us back to God (Romans 5:10).  

This is our privilege and calling, moms: to show our kids, and to show the world, that Jesus Christ is enough for us and can be enough for them. To testify to the treasured possession he is, and the abundant grace he gives. To proclaim the gospel in our weakness, that Jesus delights to save sinners who can do nothing apart from his intervening rescue and infinite help. 

Jesus Gives What You Do Not Have 

Do you need patience? Jesus has these. He is these: “He will tend his flock like a shepherd… gather the lambs in his arms… carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young” (Isaiah 40:11).

Do you need wisdom? “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5). 

Do you need strength? “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength” (Isaiah 40:28-29). 

Are you lonely? “[God] has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5). 

Are you afraid? “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Psalm 118:6). 

Are you discouraged? “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). 

Do you feel inadequate for the calling of motherhood? “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9). 

Jesus gives you what you do not have. Come, receive from him, and then give to the world what you have received: the all-satisfying, all-sustaining grace of the wonderful Savior and Good Shepherd. 

Photo Credit: Unplash

What God Promises to Those With Christian Faith

In a previous article, I showed how 2 Peter 1 teaches us what the Christian faith is. And in this article, I want to show you what God’s Word promises to those who have this Christian faith. 

What Does God Promise to Those Who Have This Faith? 



Participation in The Divine Nature 

He has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature. (2 Peter 1:4) 

What does that mean? How can you participate in the divine nature? Either you would somehow have to enter God, which the Bible never suggests happens. Or God would somehow have to enter you. The Bible clearly teaches that when a person comes to faith in Jesus Christ, God’s Spirit enters the life of that person. 

When Peter says “you may participate in the divine nature” (v.4), he is talking about our union with Christ. This is the same thing the Apostle Paul is speaking of when he says: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). 

Our Lord puts it in a picture “I am the vine you are the branches. If a man remains in me he will bear much fruit” (John 15:5). These are all different ways of talking about a shared life. 

Many of us think that we have all that God has to offer, but all we really have is forgiveness for the past, heaven for the future, and a great void in between. I want you to remember what Peter wrote: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3).  

The gospel is more than forgiveness and heaven. It is God’s power and presence in your life today. 

When we are in heaven we will see Jesus in all of his glory. We will say “I knew he was great, but not this great! And to think the he was with us all the time on earth! Why didn’t we have more faith?” 

Escape from Corruption in The World 

He has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may… escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires (2 Peter 1:4). 

What’s wrong with the world? Where does the corruption in the world come from? What would need to change if we are to have a world of freedom and justice and love and joy? 

There are many answers to these questions. Some people will tell you that the corruption in the world comes from lack of education, lack of opportunity, or lack of resources. The Apostles would not agree with that. 

Peter says the corruption in the world is caused by evil desires. That’s why you find corruption in people who have education, opportunity, and resources, as well as those who don’t.  

What evil desires are we talking about? Envy, greed, lust, pride, and laziness—to name just a few. These desires are in us, and they corrupt us. 

Do you ever find yourself overcome by moods, and you say to yourself, “Where did that come from? Why was I like that?” Do you ever find yourself looking at another person—at what they have, and their success? It eats away at you and you say, “Why is my life not like that?”  

You don’t want to be like that, but you can’t seem to help it. There’s something going on inside you. It spoils you. It corrupts you, but you can’t get free from it. 

Understand your position 

What does Peter mean when he says we can “escape” the corruption in the world? I am a Christian, but I have an ongoing battle with lust or greed or pride or envy. What do you mean escape? I struggle with evil desires all the time! 

Some of you may have seen the film, The Fugitive.[1] A doctor is framed for the murder, and sentenced to jail. While they are moving him to a penitentiary there is an accident. The bus rolls off the road, and in the chaos that follows, the character escapes. He becomes “the fugitive.” 

He hits the road with a mission: to find the truth and to establish justice. And he moves from place to place, constantly in danger of being apprehended. This man finds himself in a great struggle. He is relentlessly pursued. It seems like the whole world is against him, but he is not in chains. He is free.

That’s your position as a Christian believer. Understand your position and it will make sense of your experience: I am the fugitive. I have been released from captivity to sin and darkness by the power of Jesus Christ. I’ve escaped.

But sin and temptation are pursuing me. Satan, who once held me captive, is always after me. He is like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Satan wants to get you back in chains, but God is with you and He will protect you. Sin is your enemy, but it is no longer your master (Rom. 6:14). 

You are in for a life-long struggle against sin, but you are not in chains. You are not a captive. Instead, you have escaped! You can move and you can act! And this freedom is God’s gift to you in the gospel.

Hear God’s Promise

I want to speak to Christians who feel defeated. I want you to hear this promise: By his power, and through Jesus Christ, God’s promise to you in the Gospel is that you should escape the corruption caused by evil desires. Sin shall no longer be your master. 

You will not escape the battle with evil desires. But if you are in Christ, you have escaped their power over you. Stop telling yourself you are in chains when God has set you free. 

I thank God for this promise. A gospel that offers forgiveness but not power isn’t big enough for life. Many people have heard a gospel that is about forgiveness for the past and heaven for the future, but it says nothing about God’s power to change your life now. 

That’s why there are many who attend church and profess faith, but never grow. They remain stuck in the same failures, gripped by the same fears, trapped in the same despair. 

Peter tells us about a faith that is big enough for life. He tells us about God’s power that gives us everything we need for life and godliness. That power will come into our life through Jesus Christ who calls us by his own glory and goodness. 

And here is his promise: His Spirit will live in you, giving you new power, new desire, and new capacity, so that you will escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires!  

Sin shall no longer be your master!  

[This article was adapted from Pastor Colin’s sermon, “Everything You Need for Life.”] | Photo Credit: Unsplash

5 Key Connections from Recent Articles (5/30/19)

Here are 5 Key Connections from recent Christian articles around the web, including one discussing why God created, another on how much authority Satan has over the world, and more!

God Is at Work Worldwide–Even Here (Tim Keesee, Crossway)

I love to remind people that God is not just working on the other side of the world. We can get the mentality that, “Oh, God’s working over there but he’s no longer working over here.” And God is working in powerful ways across North Africa, or in China, or Central Asia, or other parts of the world, but he is also working right here in this country, in our context.

Why Did God Create? (Stephen Lawson, Ligonier Ministries)

God did not create because of some limitation within Himself. Instead, He created everything out of nothing in order to put His glory on display for the delight of His created beings and that they might declare His greatness. The book of Genesis records God’s extraordinary display of sovereignty in speaking creation into being—and in saving it.

Where Are We Placing Our Hopes, Moms? (Jen Oshman, ERLC)

Yes, our relentless labors on behalf of our children are good and holy work. But—and this is really important‚—all of our efforts can quickly become as strangling and stifling as every must-have baby product in Babies-R-Us, if we put our hope in them alone. Our hard work cannot be the source of our confidence as moms.

How Much Authority Does Satan Have in The World? (John Piper, desiringGod)

So, in dying for your sins, in nailing your record of debt to the cross, he disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in him. He disarmed them by nailing our record of debt to the cross, because Satan’s power is that he’s a great accuser.

If he has nothing in his court folder as he stands before the bar to accuse us, what’s he going to do? He becomes powerless in this courtroom because our record of debts has been canceled.

What is the Christian Faith? (Colin Smith, Unlocking the Bible)

Christian faith is confidence in Jesus Christ. It is confidence in his ability to bring you through every circumstance of life. I know that I will face many trials and many temptations and many circumstances of life that are too great for me. But I know that they are not too great for him. He is Lord over the darkest temptations and the strongest devils. 

The Marvelous Future for Those Who Are in Christ

When you are “in Christ,” everything that is His becomes yours. He shares what is His with you.

Christ’s sin-bearing death becomes yours.

When you die, you will not carry your sin and
guilt into your death, because he carried it into His death for you. You will
never know what it is like to die a sin-bearing death.

Christ’s risen life becomes yours.

He shares His life with you by the Holy
Spirit. When you enter into death, you will share in His resurrection life
forever and ever.

Christ’s glorious ascension will be yours also.

He ascended to the right hand of the Father.
So will you!

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive… will be caught up together with them… to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

You will see His glory, and like Moses and
Elijah you will share in His glory, if you are in Jesus Christ.

You will fully reflect the image of God.You will be delivered from the curse of evilYou will share the joy of this life with people from all
nations.You will walk with God without fear and without shame because
you have been redeemed by the sacrifice of the Holy Son of God.You will live this life under the blessing of Christ’s rule
in His kingdom that is established forever.You will love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and
strength, and you will love your neighbor as yourself.You will rejoice forever in this new life from the grave that
is yours through Jesus Christ our Lord.

No wonder Paul says that all God’s promises are “Yes” in Christ Jesus. Through Him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God (2 Corinthians 1:20).

[This audio clip comes from Pastor Colin’s sermon, “Christ Fulfills the Promise,” from his series The Plan]

How to Find and Achieve Your Purpose in Life

Graduation is a happy occasion, an important moment in life, and a big achievement. But, it is also a crucial juncture in life. When I was asked to speak at a baccalaureate service for local high school graduates, my message, quoting John Piper, was simple: 

Don’t waste it. Don’t waste your life! 

This message is important for us all. I’m sure, however, that wasting your life is not at the top of your to-do list. If you are wasting your life, you probably don’t mean to be! 

You might be wondering then—am I wasting my life? How do I know? Well, in order for something to be wasted it must be spent in such a way that it does not accomplish its intended purpose. 

Your life does have a purpose. And if you don’t want to waste your life, you need to know what your life is meant for.  

Where to Find Your Purpose 

The Bible, as God’s word spoken to you, is the place to turn to find your purpose. And I’ll make it even simpler: you can find your purpose in one short verse. 1 Corinthians 8:6 says:

For us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.  

We are made by God, and we are made for God. That’s the answer. You exist for God. Your purpose is to spend your life for God, with Jesus at the center of everything you are and do. Unfortunately, there are two ways you can fail to do this. 

Two Ways to Miss Your Purpose 



Way 1: Spend Your Life on Nothing (No God) 

I met Chris in 6th grade, and we were friends through high school and even through college. In high school and his early college years, Chris was bright, fun, creative, artistic, and well connected. But later in college, Chris became aimless, isolated, and joyless; one of the last times I talked with him he was stuck in a dead-end job that was not related to any of his talents, education, or his passions. 

Over the course of our friendship, we had a few spiritual conversations. Chris was involved in youth band at church, he went on Christian retreats, and once when we were camping he told me that he believed in some higher force or the possibility of a god, but it was clear that Chris had no faith in Jesus Christ. 

Chris’s problem was that he hadn’t come to terms with 1 Corinthians 8:5-6. He didn’t know what he existed for, or rather who he existed for. He had no passion for something greater than himself. No vision past the present. 

Maybe this describes you, too. A missing purpose, fading passion, a lack of commitment to Christ. Reader, find that passion by spending your life—and spend it for the sake of Christ! Spending it for something else leads up to the second way to miss your purpose: 

Way 2: Spend Your Life on The Wrong Things (False gods) 

If the first way to miss your purpose is to drift aimlessly with no target, no goal, no purpose, no intentionality, the second way is to be motivated, driven, passionate, and laser-focused on entirely the wrong goals. You can achieve all the wrong goals.  

You can attain the American dream, you can climb the corporate ladder, but Jesus tells us that to spend yourself for this is foolishness.  

In a brief parable, he tells us about a rich man who had so much stuff he had to build even larger barns to put it all in. He was fat and happy. Living large. But God calls this man a fool because he can’t take these riches with him when he dies. What’s more, all the wealth in the world wouldn’t prepare this man to meet God, because he spent his life serving himself. 

Money will be spent, beauty will fade, power will be limited, fame will be forgotten, and entertainment and pleasure-seeking will fail to provide the joy that you long for in life. Don’t miss your purpose in life by spending it on the wrong things!

The Way to Achieve Your Purpose

The good news is that your life has real meaning and purpose, and you’ll find it in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus, God the Son, died in the prime of his life – only 33 years old – never having sinned: not one impure thought, not one hateful word, not one white lie. A life perfectly dedicated to God.

That is a valuable life. A meaningful life. And the Bible says that Jesus laid down his own life for you and me. He sacrificed his perfect, meaningful life so that it could be applied to our imperfect and (seemingly) purposeless lives if we believe in him.  

This is what we call the gospel – the good news of Jesus. Jesus spent his life for you so that you could spend your life for him. When you trust Jesus to save you from your sins he will do so, and he will give you a new life with incredible purpose and meaning. And there is great freedom to be found in this good news.  

The measure of your life lies not in what you accomplish, or how much wealth you have accumulated, but in what Christ has accomplished, and in the riches of God’s grace. You can exist for God, through Jesus, whether you are mopping floors or marketing pharmaceuticals. In fact, the world needs both floor moppers and pharmaceutical marketers who will spend their lives to display the glory of God in Jesus Christ. 

So, how will you spend your life? I pray you will spend it for Jesus. 

Photo Credit: Unsplash

Jesus’s Encouragement to the Helpless and Hopeless

If you are a human, no doubt you have felt hopeless at
times. You’ve endured seasons in your life when everything around you seemed to
be crumbling, and you couldn’t do anything about it.

If you are human, you’ve probably felt helpless a time or
two. You may have believed that nothing you could do would make any difference
no matter how hard you tried.

If we’re not careful, these seasons of hopelessness can morph into an ongoing outlook on life; we begin to expect the worst to happen. We believe things are already decided against us—and there’s nothing we can do.

It’s almost impossible to turn on the news or swipe through
social media feeds without seeing some sort of horrible incident played out.
With so much devastation and injustice around us, it is tempting to give
up and resign ourselves to the evil around us.

But Jesus offers us hope and a fresh perspective on the
darkness in our lives. While we are finite, time-bound people, Jesus is
infinite and timeless and can see the larger picture of our lives.

Jesus Dwelt Among the Hopeless

Jesus taught a radically different approach to the corruption and brokenness of this world. He knew his followers would struggle with these very issues so he made sure to address the defeatist mindset.

If anyone had reason for pessimism, it was the first century
Jew. Oppressed by Rome with crushing taxes and an obligation to Caesar, Israel
couldn’t have what it most wanted: sovereignty. Sure, the empire allowed for a
bit of freedom in the religious arena, but their designated “king”
Herod the Great was corrupt and a Roman sympathizer.

Ditto for his sons and sister whom Rome appointed tetrarchs
of Israel after the king died. It seemed as if there were no reason for
optimism.

With this context in mind, we can better recognize the
gravity of Christ’s teachings on the subject. And though he taught these
lessons over 2000 years ago, they speak directly to the hopeless and pessimist
inside each one of us.

3 Things Jesus
Wants You to Know

If you struggle with any of these attitudes you’re not
alone. Jesus took on our form to speak directly to the problems we
face—including hopelessness. Here’s what he says:

Suffering is
temporary for those who place their faith in him.

No matter what you’re going through, Christian, God will see you through it. There is an end in sight. Sometimes relief occurs in this lifetime, but if not Jesus will bring restoration when he returns to earth. As John wrote in Revelation:

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. (21:4)

It may sound like a cop-out to say suffering will cease when
we enter heaven, but no one knew this truth better than Jesus. He endured the
cross despite unspeakable pain from the whip, the thorns, and the nails because
he understood his suffering was temporary and God would restore him.

Jesus told his disciples he had to die but that he would return to set everything right. But why wait to return? Why not restore everything to order right now, just as the Jewish people expected of their Messiah? Peter tells us why. He wrote:

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

Did you get that? God allows suffering and sin to continue
for a time as he waits for the maximum number of people to turn to him. He does
not delight in judging and condemning people, therefore he’s giving them every
opportunity to repent.

Christians can be light in the darkness.

Though things appear dim, Christians can make a difference.
God is sovereign, but he chooses to use us, leveraging our faith to carry out
his will.

When you feel helpless or overwhelmed, remember that Jesus said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you” (Luke 17:6).

Do you really believe that? This was no lesson on how trees
grow, but rather a reinforcement of something Jesus said earlier: “All
things are possible for one who believes” (Mark 9:23).

These are not just empty words! This is the power of God working through our faith to destroy the darkness in a corrupt world.

Persist despite corruption and persecution.

When faced with infidelity, child abuse, embezzlement, rape,
natural disasters, and all the rest of the horrors the world throws our way,
don’t give up. Persist in your faith. Easier said than done, right? How do we
do it? Consistent prayer.

Jesus told a parable about a widow who needed governmental
intervention to right an injustice perpetrated against her. Just one problem:
the judge was an unrighteous man.

The first-century widow had little value or leverage in society. Since the judge was immoral, he had no incentive to listen to her. There was nothing in it for him. Nevertheless, the widow came day after day to the man, pleading her case. Day after day the judge ignored her, until finally one day out of frustration he relented and gave her the justice she sought.

What’s the point? Our father is righteous, so how much more
should we approach his throne with our petitions? As Jesus said, “Will not
God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long
over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily” (Luke
18:7-8).

Jesus told this parable to his disciples so that they would
not lose heart. Once he was dead, it would be their turn to pick up his mantle
and suffer persecution. He knew things were about to get rough for his
followers, so he used this parable as a reminder that God grants the petitions
for justice of his people.

We Are All Beggars

When you feel down and out think back to Jesus’s Sermon on
the Mount in which he said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). This is an excellent reminder that we are
dependent on God for everything.

I’ve heard it said this way, “Christianity is one
beggar telling another beggar where he found bread.”[1]
Spiritually, we are all beggars, who must rely on grace from our father. Once
we embrace our spiritual poverty, it causes us to rely on him for sustenance—our
daily bread.

In doing so, God fills our spiritual bellies, giving us enough to make it through the day. So take heart when you feel hopeless or helpless. Turn to God and he will restore you.

[1] D. T. Niles, as quoted by David Black in the New York Times, May 11, 1986: https://www.nytimes.com/1986/05/11/magazine/the-callings.html

Photo Credit: Unsplash