give (173)

Ian

Maturing Change

Psalm 55:1-19, Romans 7:18-25 It’s likely you’ve heard this bad joke, but… How many psychologists (or psychiatrists or counselors) does it take to change a lightbulb? None, because the light bulb has to want to change. (yes, it’s a bad joke) The reality is that…

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Ian

Looking and Not Turning Back

Genesis 19:15–26, Deuteronomy 17:14–20, Proverbs 26:11, Mark 13:14–20 Looking back to see how far you’ve come is a good practice. One of the gifts of doing so is seeing where God had been moving when you were unaware. It is also good to see what…

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Ian

Not All Good

Lamentations 3:16–33, Job 2:11–13 James 1:9–18 Wikipedia summarizes Nathan Robinson’s take on platitudes as: “A platitude is even worse than a cliché. It’s a sanctimonious cliché, a statement that is not only old and overused but often moralistic and imperious. ... [they] have an aphoristic…

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Ian

Covenantal Bride

Ezekiel 16:7–22, 2 Corinthians 11:1–4, Revelation 19:6–9 The image of the church as the bride of Jesus was not a new concept. Israel/Judah was often compared to a wife, though, sadly, often an unfaithful wife. Despite the seeming graphic nature of this passage in Ezekiel,…

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Ian

The Duty to Pass On

1 Timothy 4:13–16, Romans 12:3–8, Acts 20:22–32 Teaching is a core function of passing on the faith. There have been plenty of stories (and continue to be) of people coming to Jesus without being taught about Jesus. The Holy Spirit moves as God wills. By…

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