Our Good Is For God’s Glory

Our Good is For God's Glory Bible
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.-John 1:14

In our world, when someone seeks to exalt themselves, they are usually doing it at the expense of pushing others down. But God is not like this. He’s not like kids on a playground.

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Why Good Works Still Matter

9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.-1 Corinthians 15:9-10

In some evangelical circles, it can feel like you are saying a naughty word when you mention “good works.” I understand, however, why Christians start fidgeting whenever these two words combine. Because of legalism, poor teaching, and unbiblical emphasis on works in the equation of salvation, the alarm bells begin to go crazy inside of many Christians when they hear someone explain that our actions really do matter.

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His Supremacy and Our Satisfaction

Gods glory and our good
I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign Lord. -Ezekiel 36:32

(Note: The names and minor details of this story have been changed to protect people’s identities.)

Jose was a drug addict. Although much older now and obviously a different man, his rough, tattooed exterior and muscular build allowed for an easy visual of his former life of crime. By his own admission, he had lived a crazy existence full of violence, quick pleasures, and self-centeredness. Eventually his rebellious ways brought him to jail. It was there God found him. The prison chaplain led Jose to accept Christ and he never looked back. He even went to seminary and began a career in counseling other men who had fallen into the same traps he had.

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50 Easy Ways to Waste Your Life

easy ways to waste your life bible
1 Corinthians 10:31

When I was 19-years-old, a deep fear came over me that I might waste my life. I had just spent the last four years of high school goofing off, living wild, partying with friends, and basically ignoring God. In our senior class yearbook, I was voted with the best laugh. That was my legacy thus far. Thankfully, however, God was not laughing with me or ignoring me.

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What Does It Mean to Rejoice Always?

what does it mean to rejoice in the Lord always?
Philippians 4:4-7

If we’re being honest, in times of trial, to “rejoice always” as we are commanded seems utterly ridiculous.

Certainly the Lord does not mean we should pretend to be joyful when we are really not. Does he? It doesn’t seem authentic to even seek happiness when trials, temptations, and tragedies are present, let alone to actually be happy in times like these.

So what does Philippians 4:4-7 mean when we are told to “Rejoice in the Lord always”?

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Zacchaeus’s Conversion Is All Of Us

the conversion of zacchaeus
Luke 19:1-10

Everyone is unique, thus Jesus draws us to himself uniquely. While each of has an individual story of straying and  thus God will reach out to us in individual ways, there are often many common themes all of us experience on the road to reunification with God. One such story that depicts the path nearly every conversion is that of Zacchaeus. 

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Christianity 101 (Part 3): Living Like Jesus

Christianity 101 living like Jesus
Philippians 2:1-13

Imagine you woke up one morning and you were in the middle of the ocean on ship with other crew members. No one knows how you all got there. No one knows what you all are supposed to be doing. You are all just there . . . on ship . . . with no coordinates . . . no mission . . . in the middle of a the vast ocean.

To make matters worse, no one on the ship really knows anything about sailing, navigating, or fishing. All the equipment for survival and a successful mission are present on the ship, it’s just that no one really knows how to use any of this.

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