It is clear from things that Jesus said that faith gives us access to benefits we cannot otherwise enjoy. Like the rest of the fruit of the Spirit, the only Source we have to the kind of faith we need if we want to change things that are not into the things that we need is the Holy Spirit. Ask Him for faith. Be prepared to then enter the particular […]
Author Archive: Douglas Thomas
Asking
The strength of “ask, seek, knock” is relationship. It is not argument. I will not gain more by being better skilled in rhetoric. I cannot even improve my relationship. All I can improve on in the situation is deciding to stand in the place He has opened for me: Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Also through Him, […]
Getting Better
We are not on a quest in life to become good. By His Spirit, Jesus makes us good (Galatians 5:22-23). The path we are on is one of learning how to let that goodness influence the ways we respond to dangers and opportunities. We are on a path of life, not to life: You reveal the path of life to me; in Your presence is abundant joy; in Your right […]
Membership
Membership at the Y means you pay your dues and get your card. You never have to show up to exercise or swim. Membership at the local Baptist congregation means you got baptized or brought a letter as evidence that you were baptized already. Walk down front and ask to join. The Presbyterians vote on whether to let you be a member or not. If you never show up for […]
Seeing or Discerning
Can you see angels? How about demons? If not, how do you discern whether ideas that come to you about how to respond to situations have come from good or evil sources? Unless you have come to be so in tune with the voice of the Shepherd that you hear all that He says and obey, you may need ways of checking ideas for validity and for Kingdom value. Instead […]
Seeking Blessing
We are more likely to ask Yahweh to bless what we invented than we are to look for what He invented and do what we can to bless it. Abraham had received promises that Sarah would bear a son to him. The idea was pretty crazy, based on their ages and the fact that she clearly could not get pregnant, or she would have before the promises came. Sarah’s idea […]
Slain Long Ago
Jesus was slain from the foundation of the earth (Revelation 13:8). If Jesus, while He was 2 years old, had been killed by Herod when he tried, His blood would still have been effective at paying for the sin of the world. Yahweh was merciful, and spared Him to a fullness of time – when He had taught people how to lead as servants; when He had prepared people to […]
Where To Go To Worship
Where should we worship this Sunday? “Sir,” the woman replied, “I see that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, yet you Jews say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus told her, “Believe Me, woman, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we […]
In the World on Purpose
For a few centuries, we have been confused about what “holy” means. Most of the people who have anything to say about the subject are offering their version of what rules it means keeping. What Yahweh means by the idea is “set apart.” The three parts of what it implies are 1) the item or person, which is 2) set apart (an action or event causes the change) and 3) […]
Obedience and the Kingdom
Entering the Kingdom is not going to heaven. It is stepping into the place of the authority of Jesus, and obeying His instruction and command in that place. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven. On that day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your […]