Letting Go: Discovering God's Purpose in Loss
For most of my life God has been teaching me to release my grip on everything I hold tightly. It’s a process that began when I was 13.
For most of my life God has been teaching me to release my grip on everything I hold tightly. It’s a process that began when I was 13.
The daily nourishment of grace to our souls overshadows loss. Glory illuminates darkness. All of this is good theology but it tends to stay in our heads. What practical difference does it make when I confront living changes?
It’s easy for us, living in the “civilized” 21st-century, to think that the persecution of Christians was merely a reality in ancient times. It was—but it’s as much a reality today as it was yesterday.
The Holy Spirit within us encourages us to follow God’s will over our own desires. He leads our heart according to the truth of God’s Word. Even as He’s constantly shaping and moulding our hearts through the power of His Spirit, we are to follow Him.
Building up others means to edify, encourage, and uplift them so they will be strengthened inwardly to persevere despite difficulty. Encouragement seeks to infuse difficulty with meaning. Without that sense of meaning, hope and the will to go on fades.
Instead, it will be a judgment to determine our rewards based on how well we have followed Christ. On that day, Jesus will examine and reveal our motives and the quality of our service.
Over the years, though, I've come to realize it's important to be honest with our children when they ask those hard questions that don't have straightforward answers.
Coronavirus has caused dramatic upheavals leaving the world asking questions and opening the door for deeper conversations. One man who wrestled with similar questions while living through uncertain times was C.S. Lewis.
In a confusing world filled with signs pointing us down different roads of philosophies and religions, can we be sure we've placed our feet on the right path?
Is one sin worse or greater than another? Isn't all sin the same in God's eyes? Many have asked this question, me included. To find the answer we have to consider several truths.