Deeper Walk

When digging into God's Word, we must delve deep—deeper than words. We need to ask God to grant us spiritual eyes when reading the Scriptures, so that we can look deeper. The words in the Bible are good, but they are just words until we look deeper into them, through them.

What were the ideas and motives behind the actions of previous saints? When we earnestly ask that question, we are genuinely honoring tradition. We are seeking to preserve more than the mere wineskin—we are seeking to preserve the wine.

The next time you feel rushed or overwhelmed, remind yourself of God's words which tell us to rest in Him. Turn off the TV, the radio, or whatever distraction is before you just now, and spend some real time in silence, waiting on the Lord.

In the book of James we find where our dependence, our source of strength, should come from. We need to be completely, solely dependent upon Him. He is our strength, our fuel.

Our kites need a string and that string is Christ. No matter how distorted our view might be, it is this string which keeps our “opening into Truth” in creative tension so we might fly where friendly breezes blow, have some semblance of up and down, and that we might cover ground not easily traversed in iron-clad arrogance.

This is the beauty of Jesus. He stands in front of each of us with life…life in all its fullness.

And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:3)

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Col. 3:17)

If we want to be agents of change and love, we must become what Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman calls "a ruthless idealist." You see the world that you want to live in and you live it out.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Leave it to a funeral to make me once again understand the beauty of salvation. Though we will not always be here on this planet, we will always live. There will be life after this short trip, and because of what Christ did with His time on earth, we are able to spend a beautiful eternity in His presence.

I don't think God only wants hotshot journalists or big-time music artists or powerful business executives “on his side.” God wants people who are willing to be daring enough to be all that He asks of them no matter where they live or what they're getting paid to do.

Maybe a role of the Church will increasingly be to help us slow down and emphasize being present in person to person interactions. To create sacred spaces where we can unplug, listen, be still and pray.

Dear Lord, please comfort my in my sadness. Remind me that You have conquered all things on this earth. Thank You for defeating sadness and giving me hope and joy.

As Christians, it is beneficial for us to be reminded of where those feelings and longings for a place to be known and loved really come from. These difficult emotions were placed there by God, prompting us to realize that He is home and, it is in fact we who are in a far country, not vice versa.

If you're attending a church where the Word of God is being accurately proclaimed, where the Bible is being taught, where the fellowship of the believers is present, where the Body of Christ is being the Church and still, somehow, you're not being fed … could it be you just haven't learned to use your own fork?

I used to get overwhelmed by the needs of other people. God has taught me that He is in control. He's the ultimate list-maker; He has a plan and purpose for every person, and it's all included in His perfect list.

With God, destruction never holds center stage. God always moves toward redemption.

The people we worship with are also a part of our story, a greater story that is timeless and runs deeper than we can know; a story that truly defines us not just for who we are or who we have been, but for who we are becoming.

Rather than presenting humanity merely as a maintainer of God's finished creation, Genesis sketches a picture of God placing Adam and Eve in the middle of His primitive garden with the task of working it, loving it, carrying creation forward.

Deep inside every breathing, eating and sleeping human being is more than a simple want for something more, but a need for the answers to the deepest and most pressing questions addressing the meaning of our existence.

Churches are meant to be our homes, where we encounter our family. You are more than a regular. You are involved.

Certainly, God has given us His world to enjoy for our pleasure. But we are caretakers, not owners. Our first question is not: what do I want from this world? but rather, what does God want to do in His world?

I wonder what my life would be like if I exercised less control and gave it over to God. I feel like some vital parts of my life have vanished and the junk is starting to pile up. I feel like I could use a good flood.

If your brain is rummaging through too many things to find the important God stuff, then it's time to clean house.

Seeking God's face sounds like an absurd quest. Who could ever be so honored to look into His face? But that's exactly what He wants us to do.

Prayers that arise from a contrived faith settle for a contrived god, a god who can't handle the truth. Laments refuse to settle. They seek God and nothing less.

When you've completely blown it, messed it up worse than ever and even when you've denied Jesus and His influence in your life … you need to know that Jesus says, “I still love you and need you.” When you experience that look instead of a look of condemnation, be ready to shed a few tears of sadness and joy.

To be someone else's best means that everything you do is for the relationship. To strive to be someone else's best means that you care so much about them that you are always there to support them, to encourage them, to understand them and to experience life with them.

Jesus seeks our response to who He is. In letting go of the idol of image, we can, free of self-consciousness and self-absorption, say as Peter did: "You are the Christ" (Mark 8).

God's design for our lives is that prayer, reading, worship and meditation be used as life expressions to grow in love and intimacy with the Father. Isn't that why we're all here anyway, to be closer to Him?

We all need to find that path; to choose mercy over deserved punishment. After all, when Jesus gave us the gift of salvation, we didn't deserve it either.

Life isn't about money, comfort, school or pleasing people. Life is about Jesus. Soon, you and I, like a mist in the wind, will vanish. Why would you want to give your whole life to anything or anyone else besides Jesus?

Perhaps having “faith like a child” really means we are intended to ask questions and dig deeper while simultaneously delighting in the processes we have only begun to understand. Maybe curiosity and delight in beauty are pleasing to God.

In the end, this is what we are supposed to do: Like Paul, we are to take every thought captive. Legalism is based on pride and personal conviction. Lordship, on the other hand, is based on love and obedience founded on Biblical conviction.

From a spiritual perspective, churches are held together with the Spirit of God. But that togetherness does not come automatically. According to the apostle Paul, we are called to be one body, but that calling implies a certain amount of human responsibility.

Though I'll continue to fight against my own personal imperfection, I'm going to really pour my energy into fighting for everything that is holy, good or has soul. I want to be defined by the things I believe in rather than the things I am against.

If the world and everything in it is God's, and if God is still interested in the ongoing creative work of upholding and directing all that is, then perhaps we can learn to laugh like He does.

One of the root problems with this “finding the next big thing” phenomena is that we are confusing want and need. Just because we want something doesn't mean we need it. And just because we want it, doesn't mean it's a good idea to get it.

How will you respond when Jesus asks, “You do not want to leave too, do you?” At the crossroads, be sure to take the narrow path; it's not popular, and it's not easy, but it is the road that leads to true and eternal life.

If you know God's given you a dream and you know that He's calling you to pursue it now, don't be afraid to take that step of faith.

God is in our lives. Recognizing God is risky business because when we do, God will call us to act on behalf of what is right.

When we try to serve ourselves and gain strictly for personal advancement, we find ourselves lacking everything. But when we give up ourselves and serve others, we find we possess everything.

We get so blinded and caught up in the Great Commission, we easily forget that the way to the fulfillment of that commission is love.

There are times where we feel held back from our full potential. We don't think we are talented enough, intelligent enough or attractive enough. We need silence and space from the world to find ourselves again.

God basks in the adoration of His people, but too often we think that requires fancy words or vertical music or small groups instead of daily generous actions offered to Him in a spirit of humility.

The remedy for the Church's sickness may not require abandoning my Christian endeavors, but it absolutely will require embracing the Savior with a more radical zeal than mere rule keeping.

Spiritual formation takes place within relationships more often than in a classroom or an auditorium. That's why parents are supposed to pass on the faith to their children. That's why Jesus called apprentices to follow Him for three years. That's why Paul asked Timothy to go on a missionary trip with him.

I think sometimes the cross is such an abstract thing for us that we never get the impact of what transpired and the power it gives us for our day-to-day lives. Think of what Christ did on the cross when He took upon Himself every sin we've committed and every sin committed against us.

We have to be able to endure those moments of feeling garbage-worthy, knowing our Creator uses every layer of paint to make the end result all the more beautiful. It just takes time.

The role models we need are people whose lives we can enter, whose houses we can sit in. We need their wholeness—their mornings, their afternoons, their evenings.