![Forgiveness Is When Life Begins [4Given.me]](https://i0.wp.com/4given.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/4given-original_EDITED_FOR_CROSS-e1711570192440.png?fit=792%2C400&ssl=1)
![Forgiveness Is When Life Begins [4Given.me]](https://i0.wp.com/4given.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/transparent-256x256-New-Smaller-Red-e1713712895746.png?fit=75%2C75&ssl=1)
"Things in the world"
1 John 2:15-17 might tell us not to love "the things in the world," but nowhere does it read, "shove your head in the sand" or "don't speak about the world." Let's look at the world through the lens of Scripture to discern how a Christ-follower is to live in the world without falling in love with it.
-
Life’s Archery Range: The Sure Shot vs The Missed Mark
At the Sure Shot Archery Tournament devotional in Phoenix, speaker Vin connects the concept of sin, or missing the mark, to archery, describing it as failing to align with God’s will. He reflects on personal growth from selfish goals to seeking God's targets, emphasizing the need for practice, scripture, prayer, and Jesus’ guidance to hit life's true mark. The message concludes with community outreach, particularly regarding addiction recovery, underscoring the spiritual and communal aspects of life's aim.
-
Jonesing for Jesus [VIDEO]
God is the only addiction that we should have. That's right. ... He is faithful. He gives back to us better than anything that we've surrendered to him. He ... he multiplies the blessings that he gives to us because he's got a good plan for our lives. His will for our lives is better. His will and his plan is better than our own. He's a good God. Just surrender to him, trust in him and life will be good. The thing that I run into in Celebrate Recovery is that's a huge leap of faith. People don't understand that they're already worshiping little "g" gods. They're already worshiping…
-
What does recovery look like? And why do we celebrate it?
A gentleman by the name of Geoff Brown interviewed me for his podcast Kingdom Culture Conversations and the topic of discussion for Part One & Part Two was about Celebrate Recovery. I listened to both of the 2-part episodes after it was released and thought to myself, “How many people are wondering why I gave a testimony—a deeply personal testimony—for all to hear? I mean, really, I was supposed to be promoting a Christ-focused recovery group, but instead I shared more about myself.” If you haven’t heard it, or have no clue what I’m talking about, give it a listen below. I wrote a post called You Don’t Know Me.…
-
We come to know God
How do we come to know God? We come to know God by the questions we ask and the answers we come up with. But just as every student needs a teacher, we meditate on His Word—called Scripture—and seek to find answers to things we don’t understand. There are those that might be content with answers that are incomplete or answers that simply don’t make sense. For me, I have a strong desire to be able to make sense of the fundamentals of Salvation and discipleship—key tenets of the mandate to multiply disciples—while remaining unconcerned about what size sandal Jesus wore or if there really are pearls on the gates…
-
The words we use
Recently, someone I know shared an e-newsletter from The Atlantic with me. It was titled The War Inside the Evangelical Church and referenced another more complete article that can be found HERE. Below is some of my response: Discernment for thee, but not for me Thank you so much for sharing. That was an interesting perspective. I feel sometimes that those who have discernment point their finger at those who apparently have no discernment at all—all the while not being aware that the ones they just pointed at feel the same way about them. It is a dilemma, but one I am sure has a reasonable solution with sufficient discourse…
-
Who would abandon a baby on the side of the road?
Alcoholics Anonymous (aka, Al-Anon or AA) recognizes that having a mentor is integral to success in their program. Al-Anon mentors are called sponsors—who are typically people that have successfully abstained from alcohol for an extended amount of time. They come alongside new members to advise and help them navigate through the challenges of being sober and the struggles encountered during recovery. What does this look like in practice? Sponsors will make themselves available or get someone who can be when desires for alcohol come up. They should also be an inspiration so that others would want to be more like them. Finally, they should be a pillar of strength for…
-
Not all love is created equal
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.” 1 John 2:15-16 ESV YouVersion Bible link Love is a choice. It is a decision that one consciously makes. It is acting for one option to the exclusion of another. Love is associated with desire in a way that illustrates this choice. Though the two concepts are closely intertwined (as these verses highlight) desire and…
