Spring of Life Church Podcast

Jeremiah, Abigail, and Caleb are three characters in the Old Testament that were called by God to do mighty things in the Lord’s name. There is nothing particularly special about these people that God selected. However, they are essential because they committed their lives to the way of the Lord and remained faithful despite their circumstances. Jeremiah was obedient to God’s call, even though he did not feel talented. Abigail wasted no time to follow the Lord and was confident in her identity. Caleb held onto a promise from God for 40 years during war. Along with these biblical characters, we can believe God for big things.

Jeremiah, Abigail, and Caleb are three characters in the Old Testament that were called by God to do mighty things in the Lord’s name. There is nothing particularly special about these people that God selected. However, they are essential because they committed their lives to the way of the Lord and remained faithful despite their circumstances. Jeremiah was obedient to God’s call, even though he did not feel talented. Abigail wasted no time to follow the Lord and was confident in her identity. Caleb held onto a promise from God for 40 years during war. Along with these biblical characters, we can believe God for big things.

When we find a life of freedom in Christ, it does not lead us to become more self-indulgent. True freedom means that we can surrender everything to Christ because we do not need anything from this world to makes us whole. We become a people who boast in the cross of Jesus, and if we do not boast in this, we will boast in something else. We revel at the work of grace and humble ourselves enough to help people when they fall and give generously to those in need. Seek to be a person of selfless freedom, as a servant of Christ, and by extension, all people.

What desire, no matter how much you get of it, never seems to satisfy? What things do you place in your path that always restrict life? Even if you try to tame and keep on a leash the desires that are much more like monsters, they will still devour you in the end. Christ, however, wants to lead you into an obedience of freedom that results in a new power for your life. All the rules that were once demanded of you are fulfilled in Christ, and he has redeemed you from the things that always leave you empty.

Religion can often feel like a long list of expectations, and we are unable to complete the expectations no matter how hard we try. We live in a paradoxical world where our abilities always fall short of our desires. However, this curse that rests on all of humanity has been shattered by Jesus. We do not have to fight or earn our way to God. Jesus came and brought with him a spirit of adoption that defies the demands of rules and expectations. Jesus created a new life of freedom that is defined by our inclusion into a family and not our ability to perform.

The idea of grace is not man-made. Every day, our culture teaches us that we have to earn our way to good things. If we want a relationship with God, then we have to follow all the rules and have an outstanding moral character. However, Christ came to bring us the gift of grace, undeserved goodness. The idea that we don’t have to earn our way to God is easy to forget. We want memorization and behavior modification, but Jesus Christ shows us that it is a story of freedom found in God’s presence.

We often have hopes and dreams of where we could be. While covered in blankets during the Colorado winter we may dream of the sunny, sandy beaches of southern California. We long for a promise and blessing of something better. These desires are what the people of Israel felt while in exile in Babylon. However, they found that if they lived everyday lives in everyday rhythms, they could thrive in exile and not just live. The people of Israel could seek the good of a place that saw no good in them. What does it look like to see the hope of a place that we are in when we feel like we should be somewhere else?

The question, “what am I going to do with my life?” echoes in the mind of people. For some, they choose to ignore the problem, and others take the question and run, building worlds of dreams and visions for their lives. We want to know because we have so closely tied the answer to our worth and identity. However, it is not our job to define our future. It is more likely that our plans are getting in the way of what God is doing. The Lord just asks for our faithfulness, so let's explore what God has for our future.

We were made to thrive in a family. This thought seems counterintuitive when our families look so broken. However, from the very beginning, God intended for us to build families and create communities of people formed in the image of God. This effort takes work, but family does not have to end at our flesh and blood, which is the greatest gift of all. For all those who surrender to Christ are adopted as children of God and become members of the household of God. Don’t run from family, but embrace it as God intended—intimacy with Him in relationship with others.

The necessity of friendship is scientifically proven. The better our relationships, the better our quality of life. In many cases, it improves the longevity of our lives. However, relationships don’t come easy, they take work. We must make a promise to another. We must be bound to something greater than ourselves. Relationships mean that we must show up. The God of the universe came to live in our midst, and our aim should be the same with others. Step into the goodness of Christ-centered relationships.