Michael Kelley

One of the reasons why we should commit ourselves to a local church is so that the faith community can help us grow in our faith.

As Christians, we do not have to wonder if God is with us. The question is just how aware we are of him, not whether or not he is there.

You are going to be doing these things on the same day every year. And these things will mark this day as one out of the ordinary.

A Christian who is secure in their faith will willingly, and joyfully, serve without recognition. Indeed, they will seek to do so and will rejoice that God sees and takes notice of what is done in secret.

Bread was, when Jesus first gave us this way to pray, the staple of life. The very basic element of every meal. And yet even this, Jesus reminds us, we cannot really provide for ourselves. And though we might have bread in our pantry today, praying for our daily bread is one of the means by which we pursue humility.

We can expect that day in and day out we will be pummeled the flaming arrows of the great enemy of God and man, the devil. These flaming arrows might take many forms, but surely at least one of them is in the form of accusation.

Salvation comes by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. There is no other way. We aren’t saved because we deserve it, because God owes us something, or because someone in our family took us to church. We are saved through faith.

Our emotions are just as broken by sin as everything else is. As the Spirit of God is making us more like Jesus, He is not only changing our behavior; He is redeeming our emotional lives as well.