True Spirituality

The “Kingdom of God,” as Jesus puts it, is about grasping what real life is all about and learning that the only way to gain it is by giving yourself away. “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds” (John 12:24). This is the normal expectation

So how do we interact with God’s Word in a way that is relationally focused? How do we balance limiting the world’s messages and seductions, but not become isolated, out of touch, religious weirdos? Well, let’s get practical. What does your mental diet look like? What are you putting in your mind? What do you think is the ratio between the amount o

Under the right circumstances, we can also become the authors of evil in the lives of others if we are not careful. Evil has an amazing ability to latch on to even innocent parties, when our hurt and wounds cry out for “payback” and justice.

THINK—What hit home with you in this chapter? REFLECT—Who comes to mind when you think of someone who has honored you and been devoted to you? How do you feel about them? UNDERSTAND—What person or situation are you aware of that would qualify as a real need? Who is hurting who needs help? SURRENDER—You may not be the one to meet the need that you l

THINK—What did God say to you through this chapter? REFLECT—What new insight did you get about how transformation occurs? UNDERSTAND—Can you think of an experience where your “thinking changed” in a way that led to a change in a relationship or behavior? SURRENDER—Ask God to renew your thinking about His commands—moving from restrictions to guardra

Jesus is calling us to respond to the evil aimed at us in the same way that He did. Look at the two verbs in the passage above in Matthew 5:44—love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you, so that you will be “sons of the Most High.” “Sons of the Most High” translates a Hebrew expression that denotes likeness. In other words, when we love ou

Texas hold ’em demonstrates better than anything I know of what it means to surrender your life to Christ. The drama doesn’t really get started and the action doesn’t really begin until you say to God, “I’m all in!” It’s when you take the chips of your family, your future, your money, your gifts, your dreams, and all your possessions and you push t

THINK—What person came to your mind? REFLECT—What emotions followed when this person came to your mind? UNDERSTAND—In what ways have you sought to resolve this wound in the past? What’s been helpful, or not helpful? SURRENDER—Ask God to help you be willing to follow His commands in Romans 12:14–21 concerning this person. TAKE ACTION—Identify one tr

Metamorphosis is that process of transformation that happens from the inside out.