reflections on the love that changes everything
Training in godliness helps us to discern truth from lies and create habits of holiness that help us stay on track as we follow Jesus into forever. As we grow in godliness, then we can help others train in godliness. This helps them to become more like Jesus, and then they can help others, and so on, and so on. And that’s how the Kingdom of God grows.
Jesus…will give us the vision we need to complete our race with confidence, knowing that he is running the race with us all the way to the end.
Realizing the futility of relying on his own knowledge and strength, Peter came to a place of fully relying on Jesus and his knowledge and strength. That reliance on Jesus would carry Peter through all the highs and lows of the remainder of his life, and it will carry you too!
Dear friends, the way that we use our power to lead and influence is very important, but please remember that the Way of Love is not about perfection. It’s about grace. There was room in the Way of Love for Peter, who also had pride in his heart, but he gave it to Jesus and Jesus replaced it with a greater love. So there is room in the Way of Love for you too.
…our faith does not depend at all on us. Our faith depends totally on Jesus. He is the One who makes our faith amazing. For faith which amazes God is simply trust that God will do amazing things in our life.
…your fear of standing before God is likely holding you back from stepping into the opportunities that he is setting before you. And that is a tragedy because God wants to give you a rich, full, abundant life that is greater and grander than anything you could ask or imagine.
…it was the Father’s wisdom that raised Jesus from the dead to begin a new creation, one that is centered on and supported by Jesus Christ, one in which all things, even those times of suffering which we may experience, work together for our good, and one in which, at the end of time, all things will be made new, including us.
Jesus knows exactly who we are,…and he still loves us infinitely and accepts us unconditionally anyway.
We human beings are far more like sheep than we want to admit. And, like sheep, we need a shepherd.
God’s answer to the problem of evil is to come into this world, become one of us, and suffer in our place to take away all the power of evil to truly harm us or to separate us from him and his great love for us.
Farewell to Shadowlands 