Viewing entries tagged
confession
Stress at work, problems with kids, and our mental health push us to look for peace in different ways. But the instructions for the Peace Offering in the Book of Leviticus teach us to confess, connect, and celebrate in order to experience lasting peace.
Maisie Williams has accomplished more in the first 25 years of her life than most of us could hope to in a lifetime. Knowing that, it’s surprising, perhaps, to hear her admit that she often lies “in bed at night telling myself all the things I hate about myself.” How do you deal with feelings of shame that seem to punish and condemn you?
As the pandemic wears on, there’s a part of us that will begin to call ‘normal’ things that used to feel strange. ‘Doing church’ in pajamas on the sofa may start to feel like the ultimate in Sunday morning spirituality. People who have replaced evening ministry with Netflix may find it hard to go back. Even the isolation that we all struggle with may begin to feel attractive. Meeting people can be awkward, and relationships are often messy, we’ll tell ourselves. As you feel any of those thoughts, remember why fellowship is so essential and what we miss when we don’t invest in it. Let me give four specifics.
When Christians struggle with doubts about whether they’re truly saved, they often turn to 1 John 5:13 for assurance. It points to the confidence we can have about our eternity if we’ve put our trust in Jesus. But if we want to understand that promise correctly, we need to read it alongside the tests that precede it.
Prayer is often criticized by people who don’t pray. Part of the criticism comes from unbelief and an unwillingness to see value in unseen things. But part of the criticism comes from the perception that people pray as a cop-out. Instead of doing something, they ‘pray about it.’ I think the criticism is well-founded. But the problem isn’t with prayer; it’s with a passive approach to prayer that asks God to adjust His behaviour when we’re not willing to evaluate our own. When we pray, we should ask whether our prayers have legs, in other words, whether we’re willing to do our part and examine our behaviour. Sometimes, God may ask us to be the answer to our prayers. He may also reveal actions and attitudes that are hindering our prayers. Rightly understood, prayer is active, not passive. Consider the way the Bible describes the connection between our prayers and our actions.
