Lively Hope

Jesus described salvation as being born again of the Spirit. ‘Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.’ (Jn. 3:5) ‘You must be born again.’ (John 3:7) Jesus refers to two kinds of birth, natural andContinue reading "You Must be Born Again"

Any farmer will tell you that planting seeds gives birth to expectation. You can’t expect a harvest from seed you haven’t sown. Expectation is the soil of faith. And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground.” (Mk. 4:26) God sowed Jesus into humanity with theContinue reading "Seeds of Expectancy"

Are you a thermometer or a thermostat? How we respond to the challenges of life begins with our understanding of our new nature in Christ. Our “old man” is often a reflection of our environment. We were accustomed to only using our natural eyes and senses to evaluate the circumstances and our resources, and thenContinue reading "Are you a thermometer or a thermostat?"

In the book of Daniel we find the amazing story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. For their refusal to worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up, they were being threatened with death in a fiery furnace. The traditional interpretation of the story has Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego responding to the threat in thisContinue reading "What did they really say?"

The new birth experience not only gives life to our human spirit which was cut off from God, it also makes our spirit NEW. The word new means: “recently made, fresh, recent, unused, unworn; of a new kind, unprecedented, novel, uncommon, unheard of.” This incredible, transforming work of the Spirit happens when one’s heart believesContinue reading "The New, New You"