Religiosity

For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”  Galatians 3:26  (NLT) “What did you learn today?” I asked my daughter Lizzy, as we headed home from her first day of preschool one September afternoon long ago. My 4-year-old peered over the top of the lumpy pink backpack on her lap and flashed me a proud smile in the rearview mirror. “I learned where to hang my backpack,” she said. “And how to write the letter  A,  and what to do when my teacher rings the clean-up bell  … ” She sat up straighter, as if listing all the knowledge she’d gained affirmed her important new status as a schoolgirl. “Oh,” she added with a soft sigh. “I learned how to sit crisscross applesauce on my purple carpet square for a  loooong time  …” I nodded, trying to picture my wiggly girl sitting still for any length of time at all. “And, Mom,” Lizzy continued, “I learned something  really funny , too!” A sliver of laughter seeped through her lips...

1. You haven’t asked for the blessing. Slide 1 of 10 How many times do we get disgruntled at God because He hasn’t provided for us when we haven’t taken the time to even ask Him for what we specifically need? Sure, God knows our needs. But He wants a relationship with us in which we come to Him, in faith, and ask for what we need.  Scripture says, “ You do not have because you do not ask God ” ( James 4:2 ). And Jesus told his followers: “ Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete”  ( John 16:24 ). Start asking specifically and see what God wants to teach you about asking, trusting, and being thankful. 2. You haven’t asked in faith. Slide 2 of 10 If you’re asking God for blessings and He’s still not answering that prayer, it could be that you are not asking in faith, truly believing He will answer. Jesus told His followers: “ Whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have ...

It actually sounds a bit silly, even irreverent, to speak of only ten things we should know about Jesus. There are thousands of things to know about him, perhaps millions. Indeed, when we arrive in the new heaven and new earth we will discover that there is an infinity of truths about our Savior that it will be our joy to see, know, and savor. But for now, today, let’s consider the ten things said about him in Colossians 1:15-20. There Paul writes: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile...

The Christian life is meant to be hard. The way of Jesus is the way of the Cross. Joining in “the fellowship of His sufferings” (Philippians 3:10, NASB) means that we will all have to spend some time on Mount Olivet in the Garden of Gethsemane. We all suffer. And understanding this truth will help us as we inevitably walk through tough times. In times of suffering, our default question is usually some version of “Why? Why is God allowing me to suffer?” That’s a fair question, and as we will see in a moment, it’s okay to ask. I’ve asked that before and no doubt will again. But I have found that a better question to ask is “Could this be a midnight mountaintop moment, a season in which God wants to teach me something about himself, about me?” A Bad Trade As a pastor, I’ve walked alongside so many people experiencing the “dark night of the soul.” These dark nights may spring from a divorce or an unwelcome diagnosis from a doctor. I’ve held hands with families who have lost a love...