The Spiral to a Hardened Heart

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

We all know what it feels like to find that our once-tender hearts have become cold and hardened to the things of God. But a hardened heart doesn’t happen overnight. It is a downward spiral, with distinct warning signs, that can look like this: Distracted heart - Busy. Spiritual Attention Deficit ...

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Violent Peace

Monday, February 1st, 2010

A friend and I were discussing the irony and beauty of a phrase in Colossians 3:15, which reads: "And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called into one body. And be thankful." This verse hit me today - peace "ruling" in my heart. I ...

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Receiving God’s Grace In Vain

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

Have you ever considered what it means to take God's grace in vain? Paul writes: "Working together with [Christ], then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain" (2 Cor. 6:1). This phrase hit me today. To take something in vain is to do it for no ...

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Are there good reasons NOT to pray?

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

If there are, I don't know of any. But asking the question in this way helps me to see the selfishness and futility of all the excuses I can come up with to spiritually explain away my own times of prayerlessness. One of the more common reasons I have heard (and ...

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