Christian growth is a deeply personal and spiritual choice that recognizes our unending need for Jesus not only as Savior but also as LORD over our lives. That recognition sometimes comes after losing the things that seemed to matter most and humbly acknowledging before God that we need a new life and not just a better version of the old life, which produced little of lasting value. Discipleship is not and never can be a self-improvement program, because self is actually a big part of the problem. Transforming our lives is not something we can do; because even on our best days, our sin nature opposes such transformation. As the Apostle Paul said, "For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not wish" (Rom. 7: 19). Our only hope for real change resides in Jesus' assurance that "what is impossible for man is possible for God." Becoming a Disciple of Jesus provides a year in Christian growth composed of fifty-two weekly lessons that develop both our vertical relationship with God and our horizontal relationships with others through the works of faith which God has prepared for us. Each work of faith is accomplished by our belief in the Holy Spirit's ability to transform us into instruments of God's peace and love. Over time, this truth becomes both our heart's desire and a glorious reward as we gain freedom from the negative thought patterns and behaviors that previously governed our lives. Paradoxically, admitting the things we struggled with to God unleashes His healing presence at a deep heart level. As beings created in His image, we all resemble partially completed sculptures. God, the Master Sculptor, removes our undesirable traits so we can become complete as the persons He made us to be, able to use our God-given gifts to glorify Him as shining examples of His love.
After just a year or so, my father saw several lots for sale in the small village of Timberlake, Ohio, just thirty minutes from Cleveland.
“Barack Obama,” “Hillary Clinton,” “Britney Spears,” and “Justin Timberlake” found their places somewhat to the left of the really, really good “Teresa” and ...
... Gregory Pritchard, Robert Clarke and Donald Wester of philosophy; from the religion faculty, James Timberlake, Rowena Strickland, Dan Holcomb, ...
walked over the frost-brittled grass, my long skirt swishing it dryly. I'd come to weep below the willows, to let the sound of the stream carry my lament ...
Frost, Gavin, and Yvonne Frost. The Good Witch's Bible. 7th ed. ... Gordon, Lynn D., ed. Gender and Higher Education in the Progressive Era.
Kenneth S. Todd. Reasons. to. Obey. God. Let's discuss four reasons why we should obey God. The first two deal with how we personally deal with God.
God's word is clear about the importance of godly friendships. This edition shows men how valuable those friendships are to spiritual growth.
In 2011, Thom S. Rainer published some research project results in a volume ... projecting the top challenging issue they deal with in bicultural settings ...
" Based on Pearson's 48-hour Management Buckets Workshop Experience, Mastering the Management Buckets offers detailed implementation tools, including 99 practical takeaways that a leader could implement immediately, plus nine management ...
" Based on Pearson's 48-hour Management Buckets Workshop Experience, Mastering the Management Buckets offers detailed implementation tools, including 99 practical takeaways that a leader could implement immediately, plus nine management ...