Archive / April, 2012

Praying for Power

Praying for Power – Colossians 1:11 Power. Wars have been fought for it, lies have been told to gain it, many have desired it. Is it ever okay for a Christian to hope for power? Well, yes. The apostle Paul even prayed that the Colossian church would be strengthened with “all power”. So, is there more to it? Of course. We’re not just talking about any power here, or the power to do anything you please like reaching your dreams, this is ultimate and divine power for a glorious ambition. Before we get into it, here is a portion of Paul’s prayer for the believers at Colossae. Colossians 1:11 ESV … May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy… Now it’s true that these words were intended by Paul for the Colossians, but they were also intended by God for […]

Knowing God’s Will

How Can You Know God’s Will for your Life? The topic of God’s will for your life is a popular one among Christians. I know that I myself, many times in the past, have wondered about it and even once considered taking a class on it. I used to think, “If only I knew what God’s will was for my life then I would really be focused on him.” I know this is a common train of thought because I’ve often heard people talk about God’s will for who they will marry, what job they should take, where they should live, even whether or not they should tell someone about the gospel. So, how can you know the will of God for your life? I think the most obvious, but most overlooked place to start is in the Bible. If God has a will for your life and mine, isn’t […]

The FOOL and the Prosperity Gospel

Opening Thoughts: What this post is not: it is not a post for calling out the men who I know preach this well known “Prosperity Gospel”, neither is it an effort to convince you to desire God over earthly things; that would be futile on my part. My hope and prayer for this commentary is that as you read the scriptures along with me that God would open your eyes to the reason you desire to be near Him. What I mean is, for what purpose do you associate yourself with Him? The Bible makes it very clear that trusting in Jesus for the wrong set of reasons is the same as not knowing Him at all. In fact, in Matthew 7 Jesus actually uses as strong of language as “Get away from Me“, in reference to people who presumed upon salvation simply for earthly blessing and supposed gifts. I’m praying that […]

Jesus Says Preach the Gospel, We Say, Send Someone Else

Opening Thoughts: What a joy it is to be in Christ! Considering what we all actually deserve (hell) and yet God through His infinite mercy and grace rescued us, adopted us and placed His Spirit in us. We should be the most joyful people on the planet. We should be the most content people in this material world and the most joyfully motivated in declaring His fame. Colossians 1:27 “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” I love that passage for a couple reasons, it talks about how we are to make known to the Gentiles (the world) the riches “this glorious mystery”. What glorious mystery? That the God of the universe, who is entirely Holy, would choose to reconcile a criminal like me, not just saving me from hell but saving me from sin itself. He does […]