Category Archives: Spiritual Development

Practical teachings from the Bible for every day living.

Posted on

Connectedness: How We Are Powerfully Joined to Jesus and to One Another

Podcast: Light on Life Season Nine Episode Eight

by

Connectedness: How We Are Powerfully Joined to Jesus and to One Another

On being joined to Jesus, Paul mentions in his Epistle to the Ephesians that Jesus Christ is the Cornerstone. The Jews had a legend based on a statement of the psalmist. According to that legend, when the Temple of Solomon was being built, the masons sent up from the quarry below a stone different in size and shape from all the rest they had sent up. Looking at it, the builders said: “There is no place for this stone. There must be some mistake.” So, they rolled it down the cliff’s edge into the valley of Kidron below the Temple area. As time went on (for the Temple was seven years in building), they were ready for the chief cornerstone. When they asked for it, they were told, “We sent it up to you long ago.” One of the workmen said: “I recall it now. There was a stone altogether different from the rest, and we thought there was no place for it and rolled it down to the valley below.” Men were sent down to the valley to find the stone. They succeeded in doing so; when the stone was brought up, it fitted perfectly into its place—the headstone of the corner.1 We are powerfully joined to Jesus and one another. Jesus is the cornerstone, but what does that mean? That’s what we are going to focus on this week’s podcast: Connectedness: How We Are Powerfully Joined to Jesus and One Another.

Listen to the Audio

Click Play to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in Stitcher Radio

#S4-049: What the Bible Says about the End of the World [Podcast]

[Tweet “The church is a closely-knit group of people joined with Jesus and to one another.”]

Posted on

Why Unity Is Essential in All Things God

Podcast: Light on Life Season Nine Episode Seven

by

Why Unity Is Essential in All Things God

On the subject of unity, Tony Evans makes the following insightful comments about the purpose of the United States of America. He says, ‘One of the great experiments regarding nationality is the American Experiment. The American Experiment is unique because of its intentionality to bring people from all walks of life, from every nation, under the banner of a single flag and to intentionally seek to bring across to these shores people from all kinds of other nations who would make up a union called the United States of America. This experiment brought people together who would pledge allegiance to a single flag even though their backgrounds were different, unique, and dissimilar. We acknowledge our differences by annotating our original heritages to our current nationality with terms like Irish American, Swedish American, Polish American, African American, or Hispanic American. The introductory phrase cites the uniqueness. The last word cites the unity. I am under the American Banner because I am uniquely based on culture, history, background, or previous location. In this experiment, there was an attempt to have a United States even though the people seeking to be unified were totally different. What the American Experiment represents from a cultural, historical, and geographical perspective to this nation, the church of Jesus Christ was meant to be for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords—people from different backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives, all pledging allegiance to the cross.’ 1 This idea of being one people in Christ, whether male or female, Jew or Gentile, rich or poor, is what the Spirit of God via the Apostle Paul tried to get over to the church of Ephesus. And in this week’s Light on Life podcast, that’s precisely what we are focusing on as we discuss ‘Why Unity Is Essential in All Things God.’

Listen to the Audio

Click Play to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in Stitcher Radio

What Is Your Testimony of Jesus?

[Tweet “It’s vital to not only look forward but to look back at where you came from — and how God brought you out and delivered you.”]

Posted on

Do People Need Miracles to Believe Jesus Is Real

Encore Podcast: Light on Life Season Nine Episode Five

by

Do People Nedd Miracles to Believe Jesus Is Real?

Here’s the question that we will look at in today’s Light on Life podcast. Do people need miracles to believe Jesus is real? The fact that people believe that Jesus does miracles is decidedly true. The percentage of adults who mostly agree or completely agree with the statement, “Even today, miracles are performed by the power of God,” sits at 82%, according to a Princeton Religion Research Center’s PRRC Emerging Trends survey.1

Listen to the Audio

Click Play to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in Stitcher Radio

Jesus Heals A Blind Man: Why You Can Have Hope

[Tweet “God is — He just plain is a miracle-working God.”]

Posted on

Why God Has Called You to Cultivate a Character that Counts

Podcast: Light on Life Season Nine Episode Three

by

Why God Has Called You to Cultivate a Character that Counts

Character that counts is a trait that everyone wants — when I say character, I mean the good variety. A Wall Street broker had fallen in love with a young lady and began dating her. He was very wealthy, and he had to be careful whom he related to. He didn’t want to relate to somebody who would damage him or only come after him for his money. So he had one of his associates hire a private detective to find out everything there was to find out about this lady. He didn’t want to make a mistake. He also didn’t want the private eye to know whom he was doing the investigation for, lest the girl finds out later and think that her love didn’t trust her. The broker got his associate to hire a private eye to check up on this lady without telling the detective who was making the assignment and paying the bill. After several weeks, the report came back on the young lady whom the broker was considering. The report said, “I have investigated this young lady, and she has a squeaky clean life. Perfect in every detail, no flaws, no known mistakes. She is on the up and up in every possible way. However, there is one little possible blip on the screen of her life. She is often seen around town in the company of a young broker whose dubious business practices and principles are well known.” You see, the problem may just be you.1 The Bible talks about character, so we will focus on why God Has Called You to Cultivate a Character that Counts — all in this week’s Light on Life.

Listen to the Audio

Click Play to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in Stitcher Radio

How to Make It Through a Bad Day

[Tweet “Good character is what the world wants. Surely, it should be what believers in Jesus want.”]

Posted on

Why It’s Vital to See Yourself as God’s High Powered Creative Workmanship

Podcast: Light on Life Season Nine Episode Two

by

Why It's Vital to See Yourself as God's High Powered Creative Workmanship

What does the word ‘workmanship’ conjure up in your thinking? Ephesians 2:10 in the King James states that followers of Jesus are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus. That statement comes on the heels of the tremendous cost of man’s redemption displayed via the grace of God. Have you ever heard of the Sydney Opera House on this theme of extraordinary grace? What was once termed Australia’s most significant “mistakes” was later hailed as its greatest—although costly—masterpiece of workmanship. This is the Sydney Opera House. The original cost estimate announced in 1957 was $7.2 million. The final cost in 1973 reached $110 million. Concerning this unique structure, the state premier of New South Wales said: “The cost has become a secondary consideration to the perfection of the achievement.” 1 The point? The creation of a masterpiece is never a cheap affair. They are costly, precious, and treasured. Why It’s Vital to See Yourself as God’s High-Powered Creative Workmanship, that’s our focus on this week’s Light on Life.

Listen to the Audio

Click Play to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in Stitcher Radio

The Jesus Guide to Forgiveness

[Tweet “When the Lord redeemed you from your ginormous mess created by Adam’s transgression, He did so in an excellent fashion.”]

Posted on

How to Locate the Essential Will of God for Your Everyday Life

Encore Podcast: Light on Life Season Nine Episode One

by

How to Locate the Essential Will of God for Your Everyday Life

Josh McDowell told this great story about finding the essential will of God for your life. An executive hirer, a “headhunter” who goes out and hires corporation executives for other firms, once told me, “When I get an executive that I’m trying to hire for someone else, I like to disarm him. I offer him a drink, take my coat off, then my vest, undo my tie, throw up my feet and talk about baseball, football, family, whatever until he’s all relaxed. Then, when I think I’ve got him relaxed, I lean over, look him square in the eye, and say, “What’s your purpose in life?” It’s amazing how top executives fall apart at that question. “Well, I was interviewing this fellow the other day, had him all disarmed, with my feet up on his desk, talking about football. Then I leaned up and said, ‘What’s your purpose in life, Bob?’ And he said, without blinking an eye, ‘To go to heaven and take as many people with me as I can.’ For the first time in my career, I was speechless.” What about you? Do you know what God’s will is for your life? Do you know how to find it? How to Locate the Essential Will of God for Your Everyday Life, that’s our focus on this week’s Light on Life.

Listen to the Audio

Click Play to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in Stitcher Radio

[Tweet “If God promotes you from little to much, it is obvious that little was not the will of God.”]

Posted on

How You Can Chart Your Course by the Vision in Your Heart

Podcast: Light on Life Season Seven Episode Fifty-Two

by

How You Can Chart Your Course by the Vision in Your Heart [Podcast]

You can chart your course and explode with the power of vision. Soon after the completion of Disney World, someone said, “Isn’t it too bad that Walt Disney didn’t live to see this?” Mike Vance, creative director of Disney Studios, replied, “He did see it—that’s why it’s here.” 1. Vision is vital.  January is the time of the year where people try to catch a new vision. They think about things like resolutions, goals, and direction for the upcoming year. During this time of the year, they make choices and adjustments. They are sensing that some things in their life need change – need improvement. So, they use the January 1st date as a trigger to do better than they did the previous year. Striving forward is a good thing but, while we are looking ahead, it’s also good to look up – to look to the Lord for vision and direction. Explosive vision is seeing things invisible. Do you have a new vision for this new year? In this week’s podcast, we look at ‘How You Can Chart Your Course by the Vision in Your Heart.’ All on this week’s Light on Life.

Listen to the Audio

Click to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in iTunes

Is Giving Jesus Everything Worth The Risk?

[Tweet “Vision is a picture of what God wants to do if we get out of the way and let Him do it.”]

Posted on

Why Celebrating Christmas Is Really About Jesus

Encore Podcast: Light on Life Season Seven Episode Fifty-One

by

Why Celebrating Christmas Is Really About Jesus

What’s celebrating Christmas really all about? This is a question that we must be mindful of during every holiday season. A MOTHER was having a gathering to celebrate the birth of her newborn son. She invited a bunch of friends over to celebrate his arrival. She welcomed her guests, and they all had a wonderful time celebrating, eating, and drinking. After a while, one of the ladies said, “Well, bring the baby out. Let us see it.” The mother went to get the baby from his crib—he was nowhere to be found. She started to panic and feel fearful. Suddenly, she remembered that the baby was still at her parents’ house, where she had left him that morning. She and the guests had been having so much fun they had forgotten what the party was about in the first place. During the Christmas season, many people get busy with celebrations and forget that the birth of Jesus Christ is the reason for the season.1

Listen to the Audio

Click Play to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in Stitcher Radio

What Is the Meaning of the Star in the Christmas Story?

[Tweet “The real Saint Nick was a miracle worker, God healed people through his ministry.”]

Posted on

Why the Name of Jesus and Gifts of the Spirit Is All God’s Grace

Podcast: Light on Life Season 8 Episode 50

by

Why the Name of Jesus and Gifts of the Spirit Is All God's Grace

In today’s podcast, we take up the Name of Jesus and its connection to God’s grace and power. The medieval theologian John Duns Scotus was visiting Rome, and the Pope took him into the Vatican treasuries. Running his hands through the silver, the Pope said, “No longer does the church have to say, ‘Silver and gold have I none.’” The theologian replied, “That’s true, but also no longer can we say, ‘In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise and walk.’” 1 That’s an impactful and telling story that illustrates what happens when money becomes the focus of one’s life. We must cling to the Name of Jesus and hold it in high esteem in our lives. There is nothing like the Name of Jesus for restraining anger, assuaging the swellings of pride, healing the wound of envy, restraining the course of wantonness, quenching the flame of lust, moderating the thirst of covetousness, and putting to flight all lasciviousness. For when I name Jesus, I set before myself the image of the Man, meek and lowly, kind of heart, sober, chaste, merciful, peerless in purity and holiness, and at the same time, the Almighty God, who heals by His example, and strengthens us by His help.2 Having access to Jesus’ Name and the power invested in it is our focus on today’s Light On Life.

Listen to the Audio

Click Play to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in Stitcher Radio

#S4-039: How to Use the Name of Jesus to Live A Miracle Life [Podcast]

[Tweet, “The Name of Jesus, can and should permeate every aspect of your spiritual life.”]

Posted on

More of Why You Should Latch on to God’s Grace

Podcast: Light on Life Season 8 Episode 49

by

More of Why You Should Latch on to God's Grace

Latching on to God’s Grace is the thought today as we continue our focus on the book of Ephesians. We began to look at the subject of grace in a previous podcast, and there is just so much that we can come to know and understand about the magnitude of God’s favor toward us. God’s grace is universal to all men. One Sunday many years ago, a particular gentleman was part of a touring party in Cairo, Egypt. We were strangers in a strange land. We were separated from the nationals by language, dress, culture, and different economic and political systems. Furthermore, we were Christians; they were Muslims. We had heard the people talk with one another all day, but not one word did we understand. That evening in a little Baptist church, we were welcomed, not as American tourists but as fellow Christians. The first song we sang was “Amazing Grace.” They sang in Arabic; we sang in English. Overriding it all was our mutual love for Christ and one another. Truly God in Christ had made of two, one new people.1 So, you see, grace connects in multiple languages. It connects but are we grasping all that grace is? So, in this podcast, we hope to add to our understanding of this vital subject: More of Why You Should Latch on to God’s Grace — that’s our focus on this week’s Light on Life.

Listen to the Audio

Click Play to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in Stitcher Radio

#045: Why is the Throne of God a Merciful Place? [Podcast]

 

Posted on

Why Grace Is a Place to Which You Can Cling

Podcast: Light on Life Season 8 Episode 48

by

Why Grace Is a Place to Which You Can Cling

We have heard about the grace of God. One of the first verses that you ever learned is ‘by grace are you saved through faith, not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. We’ve heard of it, but do we understand it. You know, it’s not so easy to grasp. Chuck Swindoll and his wife Cynthia were on vacation at Sea World with some of their children and grandchildren. These are his words about that trip. “It is always amazing to watch those brave men and women who dive in the tank with Shamu the whale and other big creatures. I thought, “That whale is so gracious not to put them into eternity with just a nudge of her nose.” You get the feeling at times that they are fed handfuls of fish just to appease them, to keep them in an excellent mood so that when the trainers get in the tank, they’ll be able to get out of the tank a little later. And I watched as they hung on to their fins and tried to get their arms around those big bodies. The subject of grace is like that—a big subject to try and get your arms around or to get a hold on.” 1 We are talking about grace today: Why Grace Is a Place to Which You Can Cling — that’s our focus on this week’s Light on Life.

Listen to the Audio

Click Play to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in Stitcher Radio

Becoming The Good Man God Wants You To Be

 

Posted on

Why You Should Thank God for Delivering You from Your Ginormous Mess

Podcast: Light on Life Season 8 Episode 47

by

Why You Should Thank God for Delivering You from Your Ginormous Mess

Every day is a new day to thank God. So, we are again approaching another Thanksgiving week and day. Don’t you love and enjoy this time of the year? We are in the book of Ephesians – in chapter two, and today we will focus and set our sights on being thankful for God’s great deliverance. Two girls one day were acting one day very badly. They were misbehaving. It was on Thanksgiving Day, and their father told them, “Girls, go to your room. You are dismissed from Thanksgiving dinner.” The girls went dejected and sad to their rooms. A few moments later, they heard their mother calling, “Girls, girls, come down to dinner, girls.” A little baffled considering what their father had said, they sheepishly walked down to the dinner table and sat down. But they noticed something. Dad was not there. So, they naturally asked, “Mother, where is Dad?” “Dad went to his room.” “But why, Mom?” “Because Dad loves you so much. He couldn’t change his standard, but he didn’t want to deny you dinner. So, Dad said he would go and pay the price so that you could come and eat the meal. So, while you enjoy the meal, remember that your dad has picked up the tab and is paying the penalty.” Brothers and sisters, when you forget to say thanks this week for everything else, don’t forget to say thanks for Jesus.1 Why You Should be Thank God for delivering you from Your Ginormous Mess — that’s our focus on this week’s Light On Life.

Listen to the Audio

Click Play to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in Stitcher Radio

How to Keep from Being Sidetracked