Read Philippians 2:1-13. work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13) The spirituality of the desert involves training exercises such as fasting, watching, and praying. Read more…
Read John 3:1-17. Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and of Spirit. (John 3:5) What is this birth by water and by Spirit without which one cannot enter the kingdom of God? Is birth by water a reference Read more…
Read Matthew 4:1-11. There are a number of traditional exercises intended to help us “crucify the flesh” or gain mastery over the passions, such as watching and praying, guarding the heart, meditating on Christ’s passion, meditating on scripture, discussing our spiritual state with others, and keeping silence. One of the Read more…
Read Galatians 5:16-25. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:24) What do you do to “crucify the flesh”? Do you have a plan or method for overcoming “passions and desires” such as lust, strife, anger, or envy? Experience amply Read more…
Read 1 Corinthians 3:1-9. And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still Read more…
Calvin identifies holiness and consecration as the goals of the Christian life, but he doesn’t say much about how to get there or the process of transformation, apart from advice to take up the cross, to have patience in suffering, and to live moderately. But of course these things are Read more…
When you hear people talk about Calvinism, you often hear of doctrines like predestination and total depravity and the sovereignty of God. When you actually read Calvin on the Christian life, the emphasis is quite different. He describes two chief goals: holiness and consecration. The Scripture system of which we Read more…
Read Psalm 8 and Philippians 4:11b-13. 0. Lord, how can I serve you in this new year? How can I act so as to glorify you? What can I do for the benefit of my neighbor? Give me some goal I can pursue, some direction, some purpose. Should I fast? Seek Read more…
Is Advent a time of mourning? Or is it a time of joy and peace? Or both? Or is it something else—a longing for completion, for perfection, for the end of conflict, for the coming of Christ’s kingdom, a longing seasoned with a dash of hope at its certainty and Read more…
Read Romans 15:4-13. Hope is an orientation of the soul, a direction of travel. It is an expectation of eventual arrival. It is motivation toward a goal, confidence in achieving it, joy and peace in the journey. Hope is building a house, planting a vineyard, raising a family. The lack Read more…