True Power

Most people think of eternal life as beginning at the point of mortal death. Of course, our entrance into the presence of God does occur at death, and we get a new body at the resurrection. But, in many tangible ways, our eternal life actually begins when we place our faith in Christ. It could be said that in some ways, for believers, eternity is now.

The Apostle Peter describes it this way: "His (Jesus Christ's) divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." (2 Peter 1:3-4)

Much of what it means to be a believer is found in God's power and promises. We have hope of heaven because of his power and promises. We are to live with a confident expectation that God has the power to fulfill every promise he has made to us. This hope is based on faith, and confirmed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. The proof of our eternal life is God's presence in our lives today. Eternity can and should be a reality for every believer.

True Identity

Did you know that every decision in your life is based on who you think you are? In psychology, identity is the qualities, beliefs, personality, looks and/or expressions that make a person (self-identity) or group (cultural identity). The process of identity can be creative or destructive.

If you believe that you are a person of integrity, then chances are that your choices will reflect that belief. If you believe that you are worthless, than unfortunately many of your choices will probably reflect that belief as well. But what if I were to show you how you can exchange your identity, as an imperfect human, for the perfection of God, Himself? Would you be interested in learning more?

The book of Ephesians is one of my favorite books in the Bible. I mean, who doesn't love to get compliments? Well, starting with chapter 1 God shows us a beautiful reminder of who we are in Christ. It is a running description of all that we are in Christ, and all that He has done for us through Christ. In fact, chapters 1-3 all point to this eternal truth. 

True Freedom

"It's all about me."

"It's not about you." 

Which of these two statements best represents your own personal belief system? The first statement can be applied to almost everything that Western Culture embraces. It's all about my wants, my desires, my comfort, my way, my stuff, the list is almost endless. 

The second statement is the opening line to Rick Warren's book, "The Purpose Driven Life." From the opening lines of this book the gauntlet is thrown down regarding the conflict between culture and the Bible. 

But what does the Bible say about which belief system we should choose?

The Story of the Battle of Little Big Horn

A couple of weeks ago I wrote this sentence, "It is an interesting dynamic, that history is generally not only written by the winners, but by the surviving winners. They get to selectively remember not only their decisions, but in some cases they will choose to discard facts when those facts conflict with their own pathway to glory." Today I would like to amend this opinion to add the following statement, "It is an interesting dynamic, that history is not just written by the winners, but by the surviving winners who possessed the passion and resources needed to tell their story."

Today's blog demonstrates the importance of that amended sentence. 

General Armstrong Custer, whose early career showed little promise, (Custer graduated last in his West Point class of 1861), soon made up for his lack of scholastic achievement in bravery and skill in the heat of battle. He fought in the First Battle of Bull Run and Gettysburg and by the time the war had ended he had been promoted to Major General in charge of a Cavalry division. He supposedly had over 11 horses shot out from underneath him in the Civil War and unlike most generals of that era, he led his troops from the front rather than the rear. He was also known to be hot-headed and often made rash decisions during battle as well as in his civilian life. This trait would arguably end up costing him his life . . .