When we obey Christ with whole hearts
That’s when deep redemption can start
As we see His face
We’re filled up with grace
And what divides us falls apart
Tag Archives: obedience
Poem: Idle Work
StandardReflections on impending employment
The call to work
We must not shirk
Yet being busy
Can cause a tizzy
Limerick: Step by Misstep
StandardA life of perfect obedience
Is not what God wants most from us
Failure from risk
Is how we grow brisk
Relationship swallowing righteousness
Becoming a Jesus-Lover
StandardIt is a very good thing to be a follower of Jesus. But like people in the gospels, we today can end up following Jesus for many reasons: salvation, miracles, curiosity, etc.
Those are all good things. But they are not the same as actually loving Jesus for Himself. It is good to thank Him for what He does; but it is better to worship Him for who He is.
Continue readingTGR-S5E4: Abidience
StandardAs followers of Jesus, we invite you to be transformed with us on The Great Reset (Tuesdays at 1pm) as we are led by His Word to love more like Jesus.
Question: Should we be focused on obeying Jesus or abiding in Him?
Perspective: That’s the wrong question. We need to learn the obedience that springs from abiding in Him, as well as the abiding that bears fruit in obedience.
Continue readingTGR-S5E3: Shared Selah (DBS v2)
StandardAs followers of Jesus, we invite you to learn along with us on The Great Reset (Tuesdays 1 PM Pacific) as we are discipled by scripture to love more like Jesus.
Question: How can we all get better at obeying Scripture, instead of just discussing it?
Perspective: By making time to listen to, document & review what our hearts, the Holy Spirit & each other are saying about His words and ours.
Continue readingThe Right Holy
StandardWhat if we as Christians redefined our current understanding of “holiness” to match what God intended in Genesis, and Christ demonstrated in the gospels?
Continue readingReclaiming Eden, Part I: Eve’s Triumph
StandardThe serpent was clever, more clever than any wild animal GOD had made.
He spoke to the Woman: “Do I understand that God told you not to eat from any tree in the garden?”
The Woman smiled and said to the serpent, “Not at all. Actually, God did not tell me anything.”
The serpent was puzzled. “Wait, you mean you think you can eat from any tree in the garden?”
“Yes, that’s right,” she said, humming to herself as she sniffed a flower.
“This is too easy,” murmured the serpent. “Well then, have your tried the fruit from this tree here in the center? It is the best in the garden. In fact, it will make you smarter than your husband, as smart as God! You really need to experience it for yourself.”
The Woman saw that the tree was beautiful, that its fruit was good to eat, and that it would make her wise.
She half-reached an arm towards it…
Continue reading
Toward a Discipling Church
StandardVision
Continually
- Becoming, Making, and Gathering
Disciples of Jesus
Who do Better than Us
Questions
Joshua 3: Holy Shittim!
StandardQuestions:
- Why should the Israelites stay a kilometer behind the ark?
- How does God exalt Joshua? To what end?
- Where should priests keep the presence of God?
- What is the connection between “relationship” and “results”?
- What’s the secret to leading a large group on inconceivable adventures?
Read more to pursue answers in [Joshua 3]
LEAD! C.11 Discerning Direction
StandardIn Which We Hear to Obey, and Obey to Hear
Few questions are more fraught with promise and peril for the believer than “What is God’s will for my life?” While we know the textbook answers, we still long for more specific, personal guidance — and rightly so. Properly hearing God’s voice can open the door to dramatic transformation of people, relationships, and society; alas, mishearing God’s voice can result in darkest tragedy.
There is no simple answer, but there is a sure promise: if we entrust our ways to the Lord by faithfully pursuing the disciplines in submission to the Spirit, the Word, and the Body, He will ultimately lead us in a way that glorifies His name…
Memory Verse: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” — Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
Assigned Reading
-
Richard Foster: Celebration of Discipline
- 12. Guidance
-
Donald Whitney: Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life
- 12. Learning
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Eugene Peterson: A Long Obedience in the Same Direction
- 3. Providence: “God Guards You from Every Evil”
- 14. Obedience: “How He Promised God”
-
Ruth Haley Barton: Sacred Rhythms
- 7. Discernment: Recognizing and Responding to the Presence of God
LEAD! A.10 Soul’s Sanctification
StandardIn Which We Are Set Apart For Obedience to Jesus, And Suffer For It — Becoming Holy in The Process
This week we round out our discussion on salvation and conviction by focusing on sanctification, or holiness, words that include being both “set apart” and “made righteous.” The overall idea is forming God’s character in us the way we were originally created to be, before mankind was corrupted.
The process of sanctification is central to our calling as disciples and leaders, yet often poorly understood. Let us dig into God’s word to try to find out what all it involves…
Radically Happy 