Joy is listed among the fruit of the Spirit, but sometimes we feel our joy lag. God’s Word gives us much encouragement to refuel our ever-present joy. And God’s Word gives us the chance (and privilege) to pray His Word back to Him every day should we choo.
It’s important to understand that blessings, that God’s favor, isn’t the shallow, superficial understanding many of us have of prosperity — things like money in the bank and a great marriage or career. True blessings are eternal, often far deeper that any.
God’s miracles are all around us. His wonders are prevalent. And He works on behalf of His people. Today, we have the opportunity to look to God through our Savior Jesus, and feel the warmth of His love beaming down on us from heaven. .
10 Apr
If Jesus paid the penalty for my sin, if He died to free me, do I really need to live for Him now that I’m free? Do I owe God my life?
“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:22-23).
1. If I’ve been set free, why am I a “slave of God?”
2. Is God’s gift of eternal life based on my holiness rather than simply on His sacrifice?
Church parking lots are starting to get crowded again. (Unsplash/Logan Weaver)
Easter Sunday, I pulled into the parking lot of a local parish, hopeful that I would be able to join the congregation to celebrate the joy of Easter morning. Turning into the lot, I was met by a sight that was both eerily familiar and yet utterly out of place: a parking lot filled with cars.
Not since before the pandemic started had I seen the lot so full. My heart sank. The sparsely filled lot that had greeted me each week throughout Lent had seemly been restored to its former glory in little more than a week s time. With only a few empty parking spots remaining, I knew that I would not be joining the crowd inside to celebrate.