How much Bible can you accept?

 Jesus accepted the entire old testament as the Word of God. During Christ's time on earth, he also gave authority to his apostles to speak on his behalf and in that capacity they wrote letters and histories that became equal to the old testament as God's word. As Christians, we struggle to reconcile the Bible with our values, but we accept it as inspired by God.  2 Timothy 3:16-17

To See God

If you want to see what God is like, what His love looks like, Jesus says "look at me" (John 12:44-50).  This bold statement demonstrated not only that Jesus was God incarnate, but also that the very God who created us all has the same personality as Christ. God cares for the poor, the social outcast, and any who acknowledge their own weakness, just like Jesus Christ.

Don't edit your prayers

Psalms 13 shows us what a desperate man's prayer sounds like.  The psalmist questions God's care and accuses God of abandoning him. We can take great comfort in knowing that God is big enough to accept our prayers of desperation and that God calls us to talk with him frankly and honestly. Have you ever honestly called out to God and in your own words asked Him to respond?

I'm NOT a slave, or am I?

Christ taught that true freedom come from letting go of the sins or addictions that harm us. (John 8:31-41) During this discussion, Jesus' audience questioned this teaching by stating that they had not been in bondage. This was an ironic statement because the Jewish nation was, at that time, occupied by Rome. What addictions or sins do you fool yourself into believing are not harmful?

Chasing the wind

Many of us feel a certain restlessness, a seeking for something more. Solomon reflected on this theme in Ecclesiastes 1:14-17. This portion of scripture also demonstrates how meaningless our lives can seem, but in the next chapter we see the answer to this hopelessness is by remembering that there is a God who sees and ultimately controls everything (Ecc 2:24-28). Can you trust your care to this God?

A prison of your own making

One of the key principles of Christianity is that we should forgive others, because God has forgiven our great debt of sin (Matt 18:21-35). Those who practice the art of forgiving soon learn that this is actually much more fulfilling and liberating than indulging in thoughts of revenge. Who have you forgiven lately?

King of your heart?

The Bible uses terms like "thrones" or "reign" to describe control over a person. Rom 6:12-14  uses this kind of language to encourage us to avoid sin by acting like God is our personal king. Who or what do you treat like a king? Do you let something like pride, or personal achievement determine your actions?