What is “faith” to you? The reason I ask is because we need to guard against a troubling trend. Since we live in a highly individualistic society, “faith” can degrade into a series of fuzzy beliefs that are all about us. When that happens, we discard beliefs we don’t like and only adopt those that … Continue reading If your faith demands nothing…
Author: Matthew Ruttan
With a fire hydrant, not an eye dropper
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God…” (Ephesians 2:8). Grace is one of those words we use so much we can forget what it means. A well-known definition of grace is that it is God’s unmerited favour. In other words, … Continue reading With a fire hydrant, not an eye dropper
The excuses we use to fool ourselves
R. Alan Culpepper says: “The most dangerous excuses are those with which we fool ourselves.”* Ouch. Excuses are escape hatches. We use them to somehow excuse ourselves from doing what is right. We excuse a way of thinking, or speaking, or a habit, or a decision, or whatever. As a result we compromise our integrity. … Continue reading The excuses we use to fool ourselves
Preparing who you are (for the future)
In 2 Peter 3:18, the apostle says to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” The reasons why this kind of growth is a good idea are beyond quantification. But here’s one of them. You never know what challenges you’ll face in the future. But what you DO know … Continue reading Preparing who you are (for the future)
Not determined by the enemy
Jesus said: “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:44-45). Yup, that’s a very difficult thing to do, especially when you’ve been wronged in some way. Lately I’ve noticed how our society disagrees with Jesus' words. When someone wrongs you it … Continue reading Not determined by the enemy
Your intentions, not theirs
“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done” (Proverbs 19:17). There are times when we talk ourselves out of helping others because we think they’re not deserving of our help. Or maybe we simply assume they’ll squander our generosity on something they shouldn’t. … Continue reading Your intentions, not theirs
This is for those who fail
Unfortunately, failure is frequent. We don’t like to admit it, but it’s true. I’m not saying this to make you feel bad. I’m saying it to draw your attention to something good. God can use even the failures of his people for his good purposes. As we read through the Bible, we find a cacophony of … Continue reading This is for those who fail
What Tyndale gave his life to give
William Tyndale was born in the late 1400’s. As he grew, he became passionate about God and the Bible. But it wasn’t available in English. In fact, it was illegal to translate it and to sell it. Tyndale, however, was highly motivated, despite the danger. He knew the Bible had infinite value—not because of what … Continue reading What Tyndale gave his life to give
Not just what to believe, but how
In Luke 16:14 we are told about Pharisees who “loved money” and who were “sneering at Jesus.” Jesus said: “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight” (verse 15). Shortly afterward Jesus then told the story of … Continue reading Not just what to believe, but how
“Successful” or faithful?
A university professor was at the pinnacle of his career. He had so many options and opportunities spreading out before him. But he resigned. Why? To take care of his wife who was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. I’m sure many of you already know how horrible it can be. A “friend” of his—someone who knew … Continue reading “Successful” or faithful?
