Made to Thrive
Do you remember what God has saved you from and what He’s brought you through? How He’s given you a fresh start, a confident hope, and future beyond the here and now?
Because of God’s amazing grace, we have been empowered to live boldly for Him.
In Paul’s letter to his friend, coworker, and traveling companion, Titus, he says this:
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age…”
Titus 2:11-12 ESV
God created a world where life could thrive, where His creations could be fruitful, where His people could reign on His behalf, and where His glory could be obvious to everyone.
But when His people chose to ignore His loving intentions and when they rebelled against His masterfully designed plan, it complicated things.
It’s only by the grace of God that salvation is even possible. And it’s only from that firm foundation that we can build our lives on Him.
God created you and knows how you tick. He loves you and knows how life was designed to work best. After all, He is the designer. That’s why He gave His people guidelines, instructions, and even warnings—to show them how to thrive.
Once your salvation is secure and you realize that you can’t do anything to earn God’s love, you then can accept His invitation to live, to thrive, and to be a part of the greatest story on earth.
You were made for it.
“Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cæsar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judæa, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituræa and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; as it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, Make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, And every mountain and hill shall be brought low; And the crooked shall be made straight, And the rough ways shall be made smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to ...
Cultivating Honest Conversations with God
Prayer is one of the most important habits we can develop. Not only does Scripture command us to pray often, but there are tremendous benefits to building a life of prayer.
Prayer connects us relationally to God. We can thank God for who He is and what He has done for us during our prayer time. We can ask Him for things that we need.
Even though we know we should pray, we often don't take the time to do it. Unless we set aside time to talk to God, it doesn’t always find a way into our daily schedules. But Paul, the writer of the letter to the Ephesians, urges Christians to build a life of prayer. He says that every occasion is a chance to talk to God.
All of our requests and needs should be given to God. However, our time praying should not only be asking God for things. We should also spend part of our time in worship—thanking God for who He is and all He has done.
Paul also encourages us to pray for other people. In fact, part of our ...