spiritual growth – A Thimble-full of Theology for Daily Living

Garden of the Gods: The Garden of Israel

Humanity spiritual growth
/ By Randall Johnson

What does God want for His nation, Israel? What does He want for all His people, for that matter? Exactly what He wanted in the beginning. 24:1 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless

Can a believer change his core beliefs?

Question: The other night I had a conversation with some people that dwelled around true belief and insincere intentions. One party was of the opinion that a person’s core beliefs, whatever those are,

Should I do Schoolwork on Sunday?

Question: The commandment to keep the Sabbath day holy has more of a legal sound to it than the other commandments. Since Jesus abolished the law (in the sense that we don’t have to make x number of

Is there Scriptural support for accountability groups?

Question: I just started an accountability group, and I was wondering if you could tell me where to look in the bible for information on proper accountability. Answer: It’s pretty hard to find a place

Do I have to go to church more than once on Sunday?

Question: I believe that Sunday is the day of the Lord and because of that we have services on this day to worship Him, but I don’t believe it is required to go to all the services offered at church,

Hindrances to Spiritual Growth

Question: What things can keep a new believer from spiritual growth? Answer: Just as any living thing needs nurture, new believers need spiritual nurture. This includes a body of believers who accept and

Joseph Reveals Himself – Genesis 45

It is proper for us to see Joseph as a type of Christ. Wiersbe aptly remarks: Reconciliation was possible only because Joseph had suffered and triumphed, and it’s a beautiful picture of what the

Judah Interlude – Genesis 38

The NIV Truth and Grace Study Bible has a great introduction to this passage: “If the first chapter of Genesis 37–50 set the stage for the Joseph story, the next chapter seems like a complete

Flee These Things and Pursue These Things – 1 Timothy 6:11-16

Paul is giving us another category, or more terminology, for our spiritual growth, when he instructs Timothy. Fleeing and pursuing. We may say this is another aspect of the paradox of spiritual growth. But

Set the Believers an Example – 1 Timothy 4:11-16

We have been talking about the paradox of spiritual growth. A fascinating part of that paradox is the role modeling plays. When you spend a lot of time with someone, you almost imperceptibly become

Train Yourself for Godliness – 1 Timothy 4:6-10

Growth in the Christian life has a paradoxical aspect to it. All spiritual growth, as also our salvation, comes from God. He causes us to grow, even as He draws us to Christ. But just as we have

Before I Was Afflicted – Psalm 119:65-72

It has been said, “We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.” So, you’ll either

Full of the Spirit – Ephesians 5:15-21

There are actually two kinds of filling of the Spirit (see my article). One is a temporary empowerment by the Spirit that is never actually commanded or asked for, but that the Spirit gives sovereignly

A New Wardrobe – Ephesians 4:17-24

Years ago my wife and I learned that there is a color palette of seasonable colors with clothes that fits each person based on their complexion and coloring. Spring colors are light and warm (yellows and

Parental Guidance – 2 Corinthians 12:11-21

The Motion Picture Association relates that the film rating system was created in 1968 to provide parents with the information needed to determine if a film is appropriate for their children. The rating

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