Nobody wakes up one morning and decides to ruin their spiritual life.
Drift is almost never dramatic. It’s usually subtle. A compromise here. A distraction there. A small step away from God that doesn’t seem dangerous at the time.
That’s what makes it so dangerous.
After all, if anyone should have been immune to spiritual failure, wouldn’t it have been Solomon? He was the wisest man who ever lived. God had blessed him beyond measure with wisdom, wealth, influence, and opportunity.
So how did he end up drifting into idolatry?
And in today’s New Testament reading, another question emerges. How could the same crowd that welcomed Jesus with praise and palm branches be shouting, “Crucify Him!” just a few days later?
Was it really the same people? What changed? And is there a warning here for those who seem excited about spiritual things one moment and disappear the next?
Today’s readings force us to ask a sobering question:
Are we growing closer to God—or drifting farther away than we realize?
God’s Word has so much to say about parenting. In fact, the Bible is full of God’s instructions, encouragement, and truth for His own children. Today, we’ll look at 7 ways we can grow and become the parents we want to be and 10 ways we can put God’s principles to work with our children.
We will also talk about “Delighting in the Lord” from Psalm 37 and look at Mary, the mother of Jesus. There is so much confusion about her. Does she intercede for believers? Just how should a Christian view her?
Do you ever feel like evil is triumphing all around you? Do you wonder why ungodly, even openly evil people, are allowed to succeed? Where is God when evil seems to get the upper hand? Is He still in control? If so, why would He allow it to happen? How do we maintain hope and trust that He will deal with evil and the people behind it? How do we trust what He’s up to in our lives when our prayers seem unanswered and life is hard and confusing?
Discipleship is the process of growing in faith and spiritual maturity through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is a lifelong commitment to learning and growing that happens through regular prayer, Bible study, and being part of a Christian community. It includes learning to share the gospel with others and helping them grow, too, all an essential part of the Great Commission.
This year is drawing to a close and many of us are thinking about our desires and goals for 2023. By the time you read this, we may have already turned the calendar. With all the turmoil and instability over the last few years, most of us want more peace, more joy, and more confidence in the future. Are we at the mercy of the government or the economy or the culture around us if we’re to have those things? Or is it possible that the right goals and habits can play a big part? If so, what kind of goals and habits?
We’re working our way through the book of Colossians in this series of posts. In this lesson, we’ll talk about spiritual growth and the need for accountability, persuasive arguments that can pull us away from devotion to Christ, and how to be rooted and established in Him.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about prayer and Bible study and how they are “The 2 Essential Means of Christian Growth.” This week I want to talk more about how those two means work themselves out on a practical level....
I’ve noticed that most people either find prayer a natural part of their Christian life or thoroughly enjoy studying the Bible. But rarely, have I met someone who says both come easily and naturally to them. Yet, it’s the two...
Why Read through the Bible in a Year? Before you know it the New Year will be here. I hope your New Year’s plans include reading through the Bible in a year in 2017. Reading, studying, meditating on and obeying God’s...
