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Christian Living

In Bible Study, Blog, John on
October 10, 2023

The True Vine

The Christian life is hard.

This shouldn’t be a surprise to us. Jesus promised that we would have tribulation in this world (John 16:33), but knowing this doesn’t always make things easier or more bearable. It’s hard to love our neighbors when they have complete disdain for what we believe. It’s hard to count it all joy when our desperate prayers seemingly go unanswered. It’s hard to be slow to speak and slow to anger when people on social media are so hostile to our values. It’s hard to remain steadfast when the world around us appears to be dissolving into chaos and depravity.

But Jesus knew all this. He knew the Christian life would be hard for us. He knew, even two thousand years ago, even before then, what the world would become in 2023. And the wonderful thing is that Jesus did not just leave us to figure out how to live as a Christian in 2023 on our own. Instead, He has promised to be with us (Matthew 28:20b) and to abide with us, for He is the True Vine.

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In Blog, Fruit of the Spirit, Theology on
December 4, 2022

Self-Controlled and Sober-Minded

Just one more!

We all know the feeling—the feeling of wanting just one more. Just one more Netflix episode. Just one more cookie from the cookie jar. Just one more thing that we have to purchase right this minute. Of course, we all also know that it is never just “one more.” Just one more episode turns into staying up until 3 a.m. watching your favorite TV show. Just one more cookie turns into having difficulty fitting into your jeans. And just one more purchase turns into an overwhelming amount of credit card debt.

Self-control is an aspect of the fruit of the Spirit, which all Christians are called to possess (Galatians 5:22-23), but it’s a very difficult thing to actually put into practice. It’s been a struggle for human beings to control themselves ever since the Garden of Eden, and we’ll have to wrestle with our wayward desires for as long as God has us on this earth. Practicing self-control is even harder around the holidays, when indulgent foods, big sales, and movie marathons are around every corner. In times like these, we must lean into self-control more than ever before. But why? Why is self-control so important?

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In Blog, Christian Living, Theology on
July 19, 2021

Worldliness vs. Godliness

One thing I’ve noticed about many believers in this day and age is that they are beginning to look more and more like the world. They share the same beliefs. They use the same language. They champion the same causes. The one thing that used to differentiate between believers and unbelievers – the truth of God’s Word – is now being thrown away and cast aside as untruthful, untrustworthy, and unloving.

This is alarming because Christians are called to be holy and set apart (2 Peter 3:11), to not be conformed to the ways of the world (Romans 12:2). What is even more alarming is that many of these Christians don’t even realize they’re slowly slipping into worldly beliefs and convictions. We then, as believers, need to look to how the Bible characterizes both worldliness and godliness to determine what kind of life we are living and ensure we remain on the right path.

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