Spiritual Life

Grieve. Yes! I said, grieve. It is okay to grieve the loss of your dreams, the loss of a job, or the loss of what you thought would happen. That is a normal human response. We just cannot sit in our grief. We must reach a point where we move forward into trusting the God who says he will be with us through it all.

God is all powerful and all knowing. He is everywhere and His hand controls all things in heaven and on earth. But there are still a couple of things that, blessedly, God cannot or will not do. Let's take a look at some of the amazing things our Savior will never do.

Fashion designer Coco Chanel once remarked, “gentleness doesn’t get work done unless you happen to be a hen laying eggs.”Sadly, this dismissal of gentleness is not reserved for the world. In our increasingly polarized society, Christians are also succumbing to the idea that what we really need is brute strength to get things done. Far from dismissing gentleness, the Scriptures speak of gentleness as the way the kingdom of God "gets things done."But what is gentleness? And does it accomplish things?Photo credit: ©Getty Images/OJO_Images

Nicodemus had spent his whole life endeavoring to do something to gain God’s favor, and there he finally sat in His presence, seeking answers. Nicodemus needed spiritual birth, and Jesus pointed him to that prophecy spoken in the two texts from the Old Testament.

Time is a gift. As with any gift, if we waste our time frivolously or don't use our time to do the things God wants us to do, we can force ourselves to use our Sabbath or other free time to make up for the lost time. This leaves us in a state of fatigue, which makes this out of rhythm with God.

By cultivating spiritual practices and intentionally seeking God's presence, you can notice the wonder of God at work in your life.

When the second half of the year rolls around, it may be time to dust off some of those resolutions that you wished for back in January.

It's easy to see ourselves with the wrong perspective when things are going well. But when life is crumbling around us, we cling to God. When we experience the goodness of God, we can switch our perspective from one of a saint filled with pride to one of a sinner in need of God's grace.

We believe that nothing happens by chance and that we can learn from everything God allows us to go through. As time has passed, we have been able to see that being misunderstood and even judged was allowed to happen and has been used to make us more like Jesus. God has been equipping us to be able to serve him better and to serve the church better. He allowed us to be judged and misunderstood so that we would know how it feels, be careful to assume the best of others, and not judge another member of the body of Christ.

A sense, or a gut feeling, may also be God speaking. Because Christians have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them, the Holy Spirit may use our gut to give us insight into a situation we may not know anything about otherwise. Although this is difficult to discern, the more we learn to listen to our gut, even if we're the only one who believes it, God may use it to speak to us.

We all will justify our words when it comes to cursing, cussing, speaking profanity, letting zingers go, whatever it is you call the use of words when we are angry, sad, trying to be funny, or just speaking in regular conversation. However, what seems like inconsequential words are actually sins, creating gateways for further, more dangerous sins to be committed. From Jesus to the apostles to Moses, cursing is conveyed in the Scriptures as a big deal to God and an indicator of a carnal-minded person. But how big of a sin is cursing?

In a time when less and less Christians are reading the Bible, how can we learn it well and pass on what we've learned to others? These tools aid biblical literacy in individual and church settings.

David in Psalm 18:35 wrote, “thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.” David had full recognition of the vast mercies provided by the Lord. The provisions, protection, and empowerments were full contemplations and gentle manifestations of a righteous and sovereign God. As we inspect our own lives, we can see that the Lord’s gentleness has indeed made all the difference.Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/LoveTheWind

We often hear the phrase, “God is good.” It is used in songs, sermons, and is sometimes used as a response when both good and bad things happen in our lives, for example: a person who avoids tragedy due to car trouble or a delayed flight. Other examples are good things that happen to people, like circumstances aligning perfectly for them to buy a house or replace their old car when previously things looked very bleak. In all these things, we often say, “God is good.”Still, what does this mean? According to Merriam Webster, the definition of “God" is “the being in perfect power, wisdom, and goodness who is worshipped as creator and ruler of the universe," however; isn’t he more than this? God is good in so many ways--the way he provides for us, guides us, and watches over us--but it goes even deeper than that. God's goodness is who he is, and we are created in his image, so, therefore, we share his goodness.God’s goodness shows up in our lives every single day. Although we often think of his goodness when something big happens, his goodness abounds all the time--in every hour, minute, and second of the day, in the smallest of things around us. Here are five examples of his goodness in our everyday lives.“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good.” Luke 18:19

A person can still have joy in the Lord while battling depression.

Many people recoil at the idea of God as their Father based upon their experience with their own father or authority figures. If the idea of developing an intimate relationship with an invisible God is a bit daunting for you, let me give you a few suggestions to get you started.

Mysteries call you to step out of your comfort zone and dance with your doubts and faith toward what may be something wonderful!

The mind God has given you is a treasure. So, it’s vital to take good care of your mind. If you do, you’ll be able to perceive the wonder of God’s work in your life clearly.

Though we all physically grow into adulthood, God always considers us His precious little children. Like young children, we are unable to provide for ourselves and should depend on God to meet our needs.

God is constantly bringing new learning opportunities into our lives. Opening your mind and heart to learning something new will connect you with wonder.