I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
Be Strong and Courageous
When Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthian church, he was writing to believers experiencing intense division.
Power and politics within the church community were causing Christians to stray from Jesus’ teachings and compete with each other. Because of this, the poor suffered, people were confused, and immorality was tolerated.
So, after calling out their mistakes and showing them how to live Spirit-filled lives, Paul summarized his desire for the Corinthians with these words:
"Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong."
1 Corinthians 16:13 NLT
"Be on guard." Paul uses this phrase to remind his friends to keep watch over their lives, their community, and their choices. He knew that if they didn’t stay aware, they wouldn’t notice the lies, tricks, or deceptions the devil was using to infiltrate their community.
"Stand firm in the faith." Immorality was a major issue in the Corinthian church. But instead of addressing this problem, Corinthian Christians tolerated it. So Paul reminded them that they were one body. If one person was allowed to disrespect God, then they were all part of the problem. Their ultimate desire should be to please God, not people.
"Be courageous. Be strong." In order to resist spiritual attacks, the Corinthians needed to stand strong together. They needed to courageously use their gifts and talents to strengthen their church community and help it grow—even when it seemed counter-cultural and uncomfortable.
So what steps will you take to stand firm in what you believe with strength and courage? As you determine what choices you need to make, remember that God fights for you and His Spirit is with you.
The Only Way
It’s common in today’s culture for people to believe that all roads—various religions or belief systems—lead to God.
While this way of thinking is widely accepted, it does not agree with what Jesus says in John 14:6. Jesus says that He is the only way to God, and no one can come to the Father unless they come through Him.
Jesus also says that He is the Truth, which means that all other truths must be measured against Him. He is objective truth. In other words: Jesus is the standard by which we can judge the rest of the world’s truth claims.
Lastly, Jesus says He is the Life. This means that it’s only through Jesus that we find true and eternal life. True life comes from following Jesus’ words and His path for our life.
A true and meaningful life begins with knowing Jesus. He alone has access to the good life that God intended us to live, as well as eternity with Him in heaven.
Spend a moment thanking Jesus for revealing the true path to life and salvation, and ...
