“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” – 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)
As a Christ follower and a pastor, I firmly believe the Bible is more than just a book. It is a living, breathing testimony of God’s love for us and it contains the power to transform lives. I believe that because I have found it to be true in my life. When we spend time in the Word and meditate on what we read, we find hope and guidance for the challenging times in our life.
The Psalmist pointed out “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path (Psalm 119:105 NIV). God has given us the Bible to lead us in our journey to be obedient children of God. The Bible is God’s GPS in a way. The late Charles Stanley said:
“The Bible is the very Word of God. In it, we find wisdom, comfort, and direction for our lives.” – Charles Stanley[1]
(From “Life Principles Daily Bible,” 2012)
We all experience difficult times in our life. No one is exempt. Too often we struggle to fight through those times on our own, not realizing that through prayer and study of God’s Word we can get through those times much easier. The Bible can be a source of comfort and assurance. It’s the Bible that we find instruction on how to respond to difficult times:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)
If the Bible didn’t tell you that, you may not know that it is possible. Billy Graham wrote: “The Bible is the anchor of our souls. It provides strength and stability in the midst of life’s storms.”[2]
The Apostle Paul wrote:
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. – Romans 10:17 NKJV
The Bible helps us grow in faith. As we read God’s love letters to us, we realize what a promise keeper He is and how much He deeply cares for us. I don’t know what you are going through at the moment, but look to God’s Word to get you through it. We can trust in the Bible to provide direction and peace in our lives, and as we meditate on the Word, we will find our relationship with God grow deeper as our faith grows stronger.
This blog is focused on helping all of us make the spiritual changes needed to be more like Christ. John Wesley is famous for saying we need to “move on toward perfection in love.” Anyone that truly wants to be a follower of Christ understands that we are constantly being renewed day by day to be made into the imago Dei—the image of God. But how do we do that? How do we live out God’s call to spiritual growth? There are many ways to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ, but today I wanted to highlight just five of them. They all start with the letter P to help you remember them.
Pursue God’s Presence (Psalm 105:4)
The first step in living a transformed life is to pursue God’s presence. We must seek after Him with all our hearts, minds, and souls. The Psalmist wrote: “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually” (Psalm 105:4 NRSV). We can do this through the spiritual disciplines of prayer, worship, studying God’s Word, and spending time in fellowship with other believers. As we seek God’s presence, we will find the strength and guidance we need to live a transformed life.
Famed pastor and author A.W. Tozer once wrote:
“The greatest thing that God can do for us is to reveal Himself to us. The greatest thing that we can do for God is to seek Him with all our hearts.” [i]
Practice Obedience (John 14:15)
The second point is to practice obedience. Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (NRSV). Obedience to God’s Word is a key part of living a transformed life. It’s not always easy to do what God asks of us, but when we obey, we are not only following a bunch of rules, but we are showing our love for Him and demonstrating our trust in His wisdom and goodness. As we prioritize our relationship with Christ, we discover that obedience becomes a natural outpouring of our devotion to Him.
Put Off Sin (Ephesians 4:22-24)
Next, we must put off sin. Paul wrote in Ephesians chapter 4:
“put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24 ESV). We must continually strive to put off the old ways of sin and pursue righteousness and holiness in Christ. We have been called to a new way of living that is characterized by righteousness and holiness. Those are two terms that aren’t used much these days. That new life began the moment we put our faith in Christ. That renewal comes by the Holy Spirit that now lives in you.
Yes, it is a constant struggle between the flesh and Spirit. But our acceptance and identity are rooted in Christ’s love for us. Author and pastor Timothy Keller wrote: “The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope” (The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism).
Practice Patience (James 1:4)
“Lord, help me to be more patient and do it immediately!” That’s how many of us approach transformation. We want God to just say the words and immediately we’re perfect. Spiritual growth is a process that takes time, and we need to be patient with ourselves and with God. As James 1:4 says, “And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (ESV). We must trust that God is working in us and through us, even when we can’t see the results right away.
I have said for years that when you pray for patience, God doesn’t give it to you. He gives you opportunities to exercise patience. I found a quote that pretty much says the same thing:
“Patience is a fruit of the Spirit that grows only under trial. It is useless to pray for patience. Well, we can pray for it, but we’ll get it only by enduring the trial that is designed to produce it.”[ii]
Proclaim the Gospel (Mark 16:15)
My final point is to proclaim the gospel. As followers of Christ, we are called to share the good news of salvation with others. Mark 16:15 says, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” (ESV). When we share the gospel, we not only help others to know Christ, but we also grow in our own faith and love for Him.
In my book “BIG Faith”[iii] I added a final chapter after finishing the book and not being entirely happy with it. As I reflected on other ways in which my faith was made stronger, I realized that each time I shared my God story with others, the easier it became to share it.
I heard Pastor Rick Warren say this once: “somebody told somebody that told somebody that told somebody that told you.” If you know Christ as your Savior, you need to be thankful for all the ‘somebodies’ who were willing to share their God story. “When we see God do His supernatural work of redemption our own faith swells up. We trust God all over again! When we see others drink from the well of living water, we want to drink it all again ourselves!”[iv]
Moving on to perfection in love requires that God continue His perfecting work in obedient children who pursue His presence, practice obedience, put off sin, practice patience, and proclaim the Gospel. My prayer for you is that you continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ. Amen.
I was born in 1957. That puts me toward the end of the Baby Boomer generation. Over those years, I have seen a lot of changes. Technology alone has changed so much during those years it’s enough to make your head spin. But there is one event that has changed everything and continues to bring hope and transformation to our lives: the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
As we enter into Holy Week, our attention turns to Easter Sunday. It is so much more than pastel dresses, Easter bonnets, candy, and family dinners. Easter is a celebration of the resurrection of Christ from the grave. His victory over sin and the grave gives us an eternal hope that takes our breath away.
The resurrection is not just a historical even that we commemorate once a year on Sunday. It is the foundation of our faith and the source of our hope. I invite us to explore how the resurrection changes everything and why it matters for our lives today.
Let me share with you four ways the resurrection impacts our life for the better.
Because of the resurrection, we are now empowered to live in a new way, with hope and purpose.
The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 6:4:
“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”
The resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us new life. Just as Christ was raised from the dead, we too are raised to new life through faith in him. Resurrected living doesn’t begin when we die–it begins the moment you put your faith in Jesus! This means that our old way of living has passed away and we are now empowered to live in a new way, with hope and purpose.
Author Rick Warren wrote:
“The resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate symbol of God’s power to bring life out of death, hope out of despair, and victory out of defeat. It is the foundation of our faith and the source of our hope.”[i]
Because of the resurrection we too have the hope of the resurrection to live with Christ forever.
We read in 1 Corinthians 15:20:
“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not just a one-time event. It is the first fruits of a harvest that is yet to come. Because His resurrection was a foreshadowing of things to come, we know that we too will be raised from the dead and given new bodies, just as Christ was raised from the dead and given a new body. There will be no more sickness or pain. There will be no more sorrow. This gives us hope that death is not the end, but just the beginning of a new and eternal life with Christ.
Because of the resurrection we have an intimate relationship with God who raised Jesus from the dead.
Again, we turn to the words of Paul. Colossians 2:12:
“Having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.”
In a powerful and supernatural way, God raised Jesus from the dead. It is through faith in this power that we are raised to new life and given the hope of eternal life. Our faith is not just a set of beliefs or rules, but a living and active relationship with the same God who raised Jesus from the dead. I am not a Christ follower just because the Bible says so. I’m following Christ because He rose from the dead and hundreds of witnesses testified to the fact at risk of their own lives. That isn’t the kind of story you make up! So, if Jesus is truly risen from the dead, don’t you think that the Bible is true when it says Jesus’ death reconciled us to God? It says in Romans 5:8:
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Because of the resurrection we have a living and active hope that God is faithful and will fulfill His promises to us.
In 1 Peter 1:3 it says:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
In Christ we have a living hope. It is not a hope that is wishful thinking or vague optimism, but a living and active hope that is founded on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because of the resurrection we have confidence that God is faithful and that He will fulfill all His promises to us.
In a world that is changing faster than we like, it is a blessing to know that there is hope in this life and the one hereafter.
Author Max Lucado wrote:
“The resurrection of Jesus changes everything. It gives us hope in the face of despair, meaning in the midst of meaninglessness, and the promise of eternal life in a world that is passing away.”[ii]
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most significant event in human history. It is the foundation of our faith and the source of our hope. Through the resurrection, Jesus conquered sin and death, and opened the way to eternal life for all who believe in Him. As Christians, we can live with the assurance that death has been defeated, and that our destiny is secure in Christ. We have been given new life, a new purpose, and a new hope that transcends the trials and tribulations of this world. Let us then live in light of the resurrection, and let its power transform every aspect of our lives. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV)
May we all experience the life-changing power of the resurrection, and may it continue to transform us from death to life, now and forevermore. Happy Easter!
[i] Warren, Rick. The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? Zondervan, 2002.
[ii] Lucado, Max. He Chose the Nails: What God Did to Win Your Heart. Thomas Nelson, 2000.
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