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faith formation

More than just one moment

March 17, 2018March 16, 2018 / MatthewRuttan / Leave a comment

One of the ideas people have is that meaningful faith is formed and shaped in one big dramatic moment. Kind of like a spiritual “Big Bang” event. And in some cases, it is. But what I’ve noticed is that most people’s faith is formed and shaped over time—and as a result of MANY factors. Here’s … Continue reading More than just one moment

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It’s not imposing, it’s loving The “Up!” Devo for November 20 To the Colossians, Paul wrote: “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Colossians 4:6). Keep that in mind for a moment. There’s a story about a man who went to India and struck up a friendship with a woman. She had never heard about Jesus. So he started telling her about him, about the love, truth, forgiveness, purpose and peace he offers—not only to people in his part of the world, but to people everywhere; it is open and equally accessible to all. As he spoke and talked about Jesus, a smile came across her face. When he had finished talking, she said, “Thank you so much. I have always loved this person you describe, and now you have told me his name.” The woman had a deep, inner longing for a personal encounter and relationship with God. And then someone helped her put the pieces together. It reminds me of what the French mathematician and theologian Blaise Pascal is reported to have said: “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made know through Jesus Christ.” Sometimes we think that talking about Jesus or our faith is somehow “imposing” on someone. But it’s not. If we are, as Paul recommended, “full of grace” and “seasoned with salt,” we may be helping them connect with the God whom they are already longing for—the One who offers love, truth, forgiveness, purpose and peace. “Thank you so much,” she said. “I have always loved this person you describe, and now you have told me his name.” Talking about Jesus isn’t imposing on someone, it’s loving someone. By Matthew Ruttan #faith #Jesus #evangelism #relationships #light #saltandlight #colossians #inspiration

The dangers of the ‘prosperity gospel’ The “Up!” Devo for November 19 Some people think that if you believe in God, your life will always prosper in a very material way. You’ll always have success, abundance, a plump bank account, a clean bill of health, clear skies, and a lack of hardship. This thinking comes in a variety of forms, sometimes called the “prosperity gospel.” But it’s un-biblical. Your faith in Jesus will definitely bring amazing things into your life—hope, strength, love, truth, salvation, forgiveness, purpose… the list goes on. But there can also be a lot of difficulty too. Just look at Jesus. He was the only perfect person to ever live. Ever. His was a life of 100% love, truth and obedience—100% of the time. And yet his life was anything but easy sailing. Just check out Luke 22:44: “And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” And then he was tortured and crucified! If you think your faith should give you a free pass, you are (a) possibly deluded, (b) buying a lie that is un-biblical, (c) mistaking God for Santa Claus, (d) setting yourself up for failure, and (e), perhaps blinding yourself to how a big, awesome God can and does work in and through every chapter of your life. How quickly we forget Jesus’ words: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:25). You can’t always have it easy. But you can always have God. And that is what true wealth is all about. By Matthew Ruttan #prosperitygospel #wealth #faith #inspiration #hardship #bible #relationshipwithGod #Jesus

Head held high in hope The “Up!” Devo for November 18 The. World. As. We. Know. It. Will. End. Did you know that? These days, we mostly hear about end-of-the-world speculation in Hollywood movies. Remember Armageddon starring Bruce Willis? Apparently, a lot of people also ask their smartphones about it. Someone asked Siri, “When will the world end?” Here’s what she said: “Whenever they start building that intergalactic bypass.” Weird! This past Sunday I interviewed one of my former professors, Dr. Brian Irwin, about end-times speculation. [You can hear it on MatthewRuttan.com starting tomorrow, Tuesday] One of the things we discussed was how it’s easy to miss the forest for the trees. When you dive into the subject, it can be easy to get so lost in all the speculative details that you miss the big picture. In the Bible, the big picture is this: Yes, the world as we know it will end, but God is going to replace it with something better. He’s going to renew and restore all things to the beauty of how they were originally intended to be. God wins. Good wins. Love wins. Truth wins. In this sense, something ends, but something new and better begins. Revelation 21:4-5 says, “’He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” And that gives us hope. Look around you. There are a lot of good things. But there are a lot of troubling things too. And one day, because of his great love, God will make everything right. Today, walk tall with your head held high in hope. You are a living reminder to the darkness that his days are numbered. By Matthew Ruttan #endtimes #armageddon #hope #revelation #faith #inspiration #Godwins #victory

Pretending to be perfect The “Up!” Devo for November 15 Today I’d like to ask you this: If you’re going through something really tough, have you talked to someone about it? Talking to someone about your situation can be hard. It can be difficult to verbalize your feelings. Or maybe you doubt if it will do any good. But one of the reasons I think many people don’t reach out is because they (a) don’t want to admit that they’re human and need help, (b) think it makes them seem weak, or (c) wonder if they’re a “bad Christian” because they don’t have it all together. But James has a very matter-of-fact way of saying things: “We all stumble in many ways” (James 3:2). Yup. ALL of us. None of us have all our ducks in a row (even if we pretend to). Even still, many people go on pretending to be perfect, acting as if stumbling is something other people do, but ever themselves. As a result, they suffer in silence. But think of all the biblical passages about encouraging one another like 1 Thessalonians 5:11, Hebrews 3:13 and 10:25, Acts 20:21, and Romans 12:8. Well, sometimes you’re giving the encouragement, and sometimes you’re getting it. “We all stumble in many ways.” Life isn’t always smooth sailing. If you’re going through something tough, talk to someone about it. You probably won’t talk to someone about your problems if you’re too busy pretending to be perfect. By Matthew Ruttan --"Up!" is published 5 days a week (Monday - Friday) and returns on November 18. #faith #inspiration #help #talkaboutit #mentalhealth #wellness #health #encouragement #perfect #perfectionism

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