blueSpirit

Biblical Obedience: Love + Trust + Action by Rick Warren "If you love me, you will obey what I command." John 14:15 "God wants us to see obedience to him as a relationship of love. And out of love comes trust." In the middle of all the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, let's pause and think back to the first Christmas. Have you ever stopped to put yourself in Joseph's shoes? Here was a..

God Made You and You Belong to Him by Rick Warren And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior." Luke 1:46-47 "If you're going to trust somebody with your life, who better to trust than your Maker?" When it comes to planning, many Christians act like atheists. They realized Jesus saved them, but they don't really trust him. They think they can plan their li..

How to connect with people "A sweet friendship refreshes the soul." Proverbs 27:9 One of the deepest needs we have in life is the need to be understood. We all desperately need to feel that somebody can feel what we're feeling and understand what we're thinking. We all need people who connect with us. A study by the California Department of Health Mental found that if you're disconnected from o..

Renew your faith at Christmas But the angel said to them, "... I bring you good news of greatjoy that will be for all the people." Luke 2:10 Knowing that Christmastime is God's chosen time teaches us that Christmas is the time for us to renew our faith. We need not fear God because of the Good News of Christ's arrival; it is a Good News meant to "bring great joy to all people." (Luke 2:10) What..

The Harvest Principle: Expect God to Respond "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!" (Matthew 7:11) If you're saying, "God, I'm looking to You as the only source of my supply; and when I have a need, I'm going to plant a seed," then you can expect God to send a harvest. God ..

The Four Laws of God’s Blessing "I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you . . . and you will be a blessing to others" (Genesis 12:2). The Bible teaches that we should use our blessings to bless others: Our blessings should flow to others The Bible teaches us that we are blessed not just so that we can feel good, not just so we can be happy and comfortable, but so that we will ble..

Developing Self-Control "Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control" (Proverbs 25:28). Self-control brings with it the good feeling of competency. Like a finely tuned precision automobile, your life stays on course with the slightest touch of steering. The results of self-control are confidence and an inner sense of security. Self-control and self-discipline are als..

Healing Choices: Do You Want to be Healed? "When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, 'Do you want to get well?'" (John 5:6). Long ago and far away I was diagnosed with clinical depression and began the hard work of deep, lasting, Jesus-led recovery. One day Jesus asked me, "Do you want to be healed?" I was reading in the Apostl..