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Bible Chapter: 1 Thessalonians 5

Scrabble tiles spelling out GRACE on a background of flowers

Grace Be With You!

God’s grace makes all the difference in the world. As we receive God’s amazing, limitless grace for ourselves, we are enabled to extend that grace to others. Christians, of all people, should be marked by amazing grace in the way we relate to others. 

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Praying Faithfully for Others

When people ask us to pray for them, we say “Yes” with all good intentions. But, sometimes, when life gets full, we can forget what we have promised.

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Celebrating the Faithfulness of God

Why can we have faith in God? Why can we trust God with our very lives? Because God is faithful, utterly faithful, completely trustworthy. Thus, we have confidence that the time will come when God will make right this broken world, including us. We will know the health and wholeness that God intends for us.

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Completely Dedicated to God

We want to be dedicated to God, but often find our hearts being lured in other directions. We can hold back, giving God part of ourselves but not all.

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The God of Peace

Our hearts yearn for peace, not only the cessation of conflict or inner calm, but also peace that leads to justice, flourishing, and delight. Scripture reminds us that God is the God of peace, the God who gives us the gift of full-orbed peace through Christ.

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Be Open to the Spirit and Discern Wisely, Part 5

If you want to discern God’s ways, you need to be formed in mind and heart by the Spirit of God. The more you are shaped by God’s own Spirit, the more you will be able to grasp what God is doing in your life.

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Be Open to the Spirit and Discern Wisely, Part 4

God puts people in our lives who will help us to hear God’s voice clearly as we seek to serve and please God in every part of our lives.

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Be Open to the Spirit and Discern Wisely, Part 3

The Holy Spirit who inspires us to minister in power also helps us “test everything” so that we might know what God is doing and saying. We look to the Spirit to give us gifts of discernment when we are gathered as the church and when we are deployed into the world. 

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Be Open to the Spirit and Discern Wisely, Part 2

The Bible urges us to be open to the presence and power of the Spirit. But, at the same time, we are to discern wisely what is of God and what is not.

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The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo, public domain.

Finding Joy in Work

God alone is the source of our joy, in our work as in everything else. Our joys are like a metaphorical tree, where God is both the root and trunk. All else in our lives, including our work, are like the branches, leaves, and fruit. No joy in our lives is sustainable apart from being rooted in and connected to God. [And] because God calls us to be his servants, all work serves his purpose and therefore has ultimate meaning, even when we can’t make sense of it here and now.

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Be Open to the Spirit and Discern Wisely, Part 1

The Bible urges us not to quench the work of the Holy Spirit. Instead, we should be open to what God might do and say in our lives through the Spirit’s power.

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Give Thanks in Everything

The Bible says we’re to give thanks in everything, not _for_ everything, but _in_ everything. No matter our situation, we can experience God’s presence and give thanks.

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Living Each Moment in the Presence of God

Renowned leader and author Jim Houston encourages us by his words and his example to live each day in the presence of God. Jim, at 99 years of age, finds God’s strength in his own helplessness.

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Pray Without Ceasing! Pray Without Ceasing? Really?

When the Bible tells us to “Pray without ceasing” it’s not suggesting that we should actually talk to God during every waking moment.

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Mark with his uncle Don and his mom Martha in 2013

Rejoicing, Gratitude, and Sorrow: A Personal Story

When someone we love dies, we naturally grieve. We miss that person, sometimes in an almost overwhelming way.

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