Life Jackets or Life Boats

Watchman Nee once said about our salvation that many of us have taken the saving work of Christ as a life jacket – we are no longer sinking in our sin, but we are also still in it. In this place, we are neither living nor dying. What we should be pressing in to receive should look more like a […]

Foolish Farming

Why did Jesus call the guy who had a great harvest a fool? (Luke 12:13-21) Suppose, instead of deciding how he could use the harvest to produce a retirement income, he had started thinking about how many people he could employ, or how many poor widows he could feed? Suppose that after he got this great harvest as income, he […]

Gambling

Some people waste their lives gambling, hoping to hit a jackpot by winning against luck. If Jesus tells you the numbers to play, its no longer gambling. Its provision. He is not likely to tell you to buy a lottery ticket, but living your life without His advice at every turn is like playing the lottery or a slot machine […]

Human Designs

Perhaps you are not old enough to remember 8-track tapes. When they were invented, they were great tech advances because they were portable, compact, easy to encode clear stereo onto, and could be used in some recorders and players for all 8 tracks at once, for mixing master recordings. They were loops, so they never ended – they just kept […]

Map and Compass

If I have a map, having a compass will help me use it. If I don’t know where I am on the map, having a compass is still valuable. I could find my way somewhere simply by staying on a straight course. Having a map with no compass to offer a sense of direction would be like having a Bible […]

Two Non-Kingdom Ditches

Calvinism and Armenianism are both daughters of Roman Mythology. They argue about the destructibility of our eternal lives and our relationships with our Father. Calvinism’s argument is that we cannot become “un-saved” by sinning. Armenianism argues that if we fail to follow God’s rules, He will throw us in hell even if we have been born of Him. One is […]

Finding Balance

We want people around who always agree with us. We need people around who are balanced in their strengths: both strong and weak, both militant and healing, both wise and foolish, both speed and patience, both volume and quietness. We need someone near who is not stuck in one or the other of any of those categories, and therefore can […]

First, Peace

Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 Holman Christian Standard Bible ®©) You are not likely to receive much information or wisdom or instruction from […]

Well Governed

If you are in charge of your life, then your power, your protection, your provision and your liberties are very limited. If you are a subject of the Kingdom of God, then your power, your protection, your provision and your liberties are quite unlimited. Authority is related to power and strength. It can only influence things around it to the […]