1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the...
Band-Aids are magical, at least to my children they were. When my kids were little, any booboo from a fall could be cured with a band-aid. To them, the application of a band-aid cured their ailment and allowed them to move on. In many ways...
1 O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. 2 You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you. 3 When I look at the night sky and see the work of...
The “Me” series was a lot to process, bringing much conviction of my sinful bent to love myself more than God. But in the midst of all that conviction, Bill’s message on “Vanity: I Love/Hate My Body” brought an unexpected word of comfort to this...
44 Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46 And...
“With each swing of the hammer, you are serving a bigger purpose.” I heard these words from Kristen, an adult woman who moved into a Habitat for Humanity home when she was seven years old. She was encouraging the 100+ volunteers who were in the...
1 Come, everyone! Clap your hands! Shout to God with joyful praise! 2 For the Lord Most High is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth. 3 He subdues the nations before us, putting our enemies beneath our feet. 4 He chose the Promised Land as our inheritance, the...
God loved you, chose you, created you, adopted you, purchased you, redeemed you, forgave you, and sealed you. You are His. There is nothing you did to earn these spiritual blessings. They are solely rooted in His character, desire, and good pleasure. ...
“True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.” CS Lewis, Mere Christianity CS Lewis's definition of humility keeps coming back to my mind as I think through and process what we learned in the "Me" series. In some ways, it goes...
1 This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy. 2 We are writing to God’s holy people in the city of Colosse, who are faithful brothers and sisters in Christ. May God...
15 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, 16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus...
1 Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge. 2 I said to the Lord, “You are my Master! Every good thing I have comes from you.” 3 The godly people in the land are my true heroes! I take pleasure in them! 4 Troubles multiply for...
When Dan and Amy Johnson married and started attending Grace Church about five years ago, they knew that they wanted to become members and get connected. At that time, however, they had no idea the impact that community would have on their marriage and their...
I never realized how much I have in common with a proud, hard to love hunter in Greek mythology until walking through our previous series. I never would have put Narcissus and myself in the same sentence, but now I frequently do. Just like him, I...
24 I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church. 25 God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to...
1 Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. 2 Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. 3 He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. 4...
One of the great questions of the Bible is how God will bring all things back under His authority and direction without destroying everyone and everything. In the book of Ephesians, Paul will bring some light to this great question in the writing of his...
9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to...
There are some moments in life that no amount of training or fancy degrees can prepare you for; especially as a mom. There are plenty of sweet moments that melt your heart -- like the first time your baby gives you a kiss or says...
9 God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. 10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth....
28 And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame. 29 Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is...
In thinking about college, many words or concepts may come to mind. Freedom. Fun. Self-discovery. Independence. However, in light of our church’s recent teaching series, I, as a college senior, have come to associate much of my college experience with a word without these positive...
11 So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. 12 With his...
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an...
The pervasiveness of narcissism has not only integrated our culture but also the church. The lie we are predominantly dealing with is that God exists for my glory – He is most concerned about my health, my fulfillment, my family and my work....