In the parable of the sower, Jesus describes a sower who sows some seed—which, he says, is a metaphor for the word of God.  Ideally, the seed lands on receptive soil. Luke 8:15 spells it out: “the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain … Continue reading Make me receptive soil

In the previous devotional I shared some words about the Parable of the Sower in Luke 8. A sower sows some seed—which, Jesus indicates, is a metaphor for the word of God. Ideally, the seed lands on receptive soil.  But there are a few situations which don’t work out. One is where the seed “fell … Continue reading When God is steering the ship

The Parable of the Sower is one of Jesus’ most famous parables.  A sower sows some seed—which, Jesus indicates, is a metaphor for the word of God. Ideally, the seed lands on receptive soil. That’s what you and I should want for everyone.  But there are a few situations which don’t work out. One is … Continue reading Roots, testing and falling away

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). Let … Continue reading The new self

In Colossians 2:6-7, Paul encouraged his readers like this: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him…” One of the reasons he wrote these words to them was because they were straying off course. They were devaluing Jesus. As a … Continue reading Cannot be thrown down

We’ve been talking about Colossians 3:15. That’s where Paul told his readers to “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…” One of the ways we welcome and cooperate with that rule is to imitate Jesus. Paul gave some great wisdom about how to do that in verses 12-17. Not only did he tell … Continue reading Not only what you do, but what you don’t do

In yesterday’s devotional we talked about Colossians 3:15: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…” I encouraged us to think through what this means.  First, in the Bible your “heart” often refers to your place of deepest convictions and commitments; this includes not just feelings but thoughts. Second, the “peace of Christ” is … Continue reading Training for the reign of Christ’s peace

We use a lot of metaphorical language in our faith. As a result, some things can be confusing.  “Inviting Jesus into your heart.”“Washed in the blood of the Lamb.” These are all good, biblical ideas, but they can also be confusing if you don’t know the theological backstory. Here’s another example: “Let the peace of … Continue reading Let the peace of Christ rule

When a picture has been “photo shopped” that means it has been manipulated. Some sort of program has been used to change the image. Are there times when we are tempted to photo shop Jesus?  I’m not referring to physical pictures. I’m referring to the parts of Jesus we like, and the parts we would … Continue reading Photo-shopped Jesus?

There are times when we struggle with our faith. Perhaps we have an unanswered question. Perhaps we’ve experienced something that makes us doubt. Whatever it is, it can make us feel…  Stuck. When that happens you should definitely pray, learn and talk to others.  But there’s something else, and it’s today’s focus: don’t stop moving. … Continue reading Unless you go forward