Christianity

Humility is often an unrecognizable quality in one's self. You cannot achieve humility by trying to be humble, simply because the effort to be humble requires you to be anything but humble. Humility is the absence of pride and ego. Achieving humility is not about suppressing your pride, or hiding your ego--which is what most of us do in an effort to be humble. But merely hiding it is not true humility. This, interestingly enough, really struck home one day while I was watching the old TV series 'Gomer Plye USMC'. They portray Gomer as somewhat of an idiot, but a happy, joyful, and fun loving...

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Taking your personal spirituality to the next level requires sacrifice. Until the Christian can begin to understand the importance and proper place of making a sacrifice, he cannot move to the next level of his spiritual growth. The Bible is full of principles regarding sacrifices and the importance of sacrifices. We shall examine a few of them to get a general sense of the importance of the sacrifice. A SACRIFICE MUST COST YOU 2 Samuel 24:23-24 - All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The LORD thy God accept thee. 24 And the king said...

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Change can be both a good and bad thing. On one hand, improvement, and becoming stronger, more Christ like, more principled, and more loving is something we all should strive for. On the other, changing in the wrong direction often leads to peril and misery. We know that God doesn't change. Malachi 3:6 - For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. And then there is the following verse of warning: Proverbs 24:21 - My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with...

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Taking your spirituality to the next level requires certain ingredients. Without these, we can't achieve the level of spirituality that makes Christianity meaningful and profitable to both the Christian and the Kingdom of God. This element of spiritual growth depends on making the relationship you have with Jesus the focus. Making the relationship with Jesus your focus is not as easy as some make it to be. I recall vividly a young man who became almost arrogant in his proclamation that he would love God with all his heart and never stray from it. Unfortunately, as long as we are encased in flesh,...

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It is a common complaint among unbelievers and believers alike that they struggle to understand God and therefore to identify with Him. In some cases, it produces a feeling of disbelief and in others detachment. There is however, a solution. God provided a means by which we could, in some way, both understand Him and identify with Him. That means is faith. Faith is so much more than a measure of trust in a Being we can't see and can't touch. Faith is the medium that God chose through which He will interact with us. Faith is a gift. Faith is a miracle. Hebrews 11:3 -- Through faith we understand...

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If God would simply do miracles all the time for everyone, then there would be no question of His existence. Wouldn't everyone be a believer? However, there is a very good reason why God doesn't do miracles all the time for everyone. In fact, God does do miracles all the time for everyone. But because they are common everyday events, predictable and therefore counted upon, we have simply reduced these common everyday miracles to a natural law of science, tagged it as a postulate, a theorem, or formula. Many of the common everyday occurrences can't really be explained as to ‘why' and even often...

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The Scriptures teach us that faith is the substance of hope. It also teaches us that it is evidenced by things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. God gave us all the tools necessary to know if our decisions are based on faith or not. For many people, doubt creeps into their heart and attempts to short-circuit our confidence. Faith, however, is never the absence of doubt. It is the reliance on something that you are counting on to happen. Faith is going on despite your doubts. But too many doubts will overwhelm you....

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The disciples made a very important request of Jesus in Luke 17:5, "And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith." I heartily second the request. As I go through life I find myself increasingly insufficient for the tasks set before me. We always need God, but the further along I go, the more I realize it, and the more insufficient to the task I realize I really am. Faith is the necessary part of the Christian life that allows God access to our life. You may say, "God doesn't need permission!" And I'll agree with you, but God won't impose on your will until you submit your will to Him....

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The most famous Bible verse regarding the definition of faith is the one found in Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. The word 'hope' is the key to knowing if you have faith or not. The Bible tells us that hope is the substance, the essence, the main ingredient, of faith. We use the word 'hope' in a much weaker sense than the Bible does. For the average person, 'hope' is a wishing for a result that we do not think to be likely. Much as in when you are pulled over by a police officer for speeding and you mutter to your...

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The same problem that many people have with the Bible they also have with history. Many people find history boring, and the Bible is largely a history book. This disinterest is often due to how history is taught and the lack of associative application to one's life. History is taught with a broad spectrum. It is largely an overview-the whole encapsulated in a single book that becomes required reading. Learning of history becomes an attempt to regurgitate facts onto a test so that we can promptly forget it. The Bible is treated the same way, all too often, by Christians, pastors, and Bible teachers....

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