Looking at John 3:16...

  I had an opportunity to really sink into the depth of John 3:16; most people know it by heart, but can often miss the deeper meaning of the scripture.

   - "For God so loved..." (His love for us is unimaginable; it is deeper than we can conceive, yet simple to accept)

   - "...the world..." (His love was for EVERY nation; not just a select few; everyone who is willing to accept His love can receive it FREELY.)

   - '...that He gave..." (It is a FREE gift; we do not have to earn it or go through a process to get there (other than accepting the gift))

   - "...His only Son..." (Jesus was the FINAL and ULTIMATE sacrifice for the salvation of our sins)

   - " ...whoever believes in Him..." (It is not simply about believing in the existence of God: it is about believing IN Him - His grace is sufficient - His power is made perfect in our weakness. Believing IN Christ is about believing that His grace is sufficient to save you from your sins.)

   - "...will not perish..." (You will die a physical death - but you will be spiritually renewed)

   - "...but have everlasting life..." (This is the ultimate reward: life on Earth with Christ can be very rewarding...but it is nothing compared with the eternal reward given to those who faithfully live for Him.)

   I know that life on Earth can be a difficult road, but I also know that faith in Christ can keep us going. It is HIS will...HIS strength...HIS wisdom that provides us with what we need here. And, when we are faithful to Him, the rewards are eternal!

The peace that transcends understanding

   One of my favorite verses in the Bible is found in the book of Philippians - '...and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ...' (4:7 - NIV). Today I focused on the '...transcends all understanding...' part. His peace is greater than anything we can understand. Take that in for a moment: it transcends all understanding! We cannot even grasp His peace in our minds!

   This past week I was wrestling with a problem that I was dealing with that was affecting my family. It was an issue that I did not want to 'bother' God with. But my family reminded me, that when we surrender our will to God, He brings us peace. When I gave the problem to God and allowed Him to work in my life, He answered the prayer within 24 hours!

   I am not going to tell you that is going to happen to everyone every time, but if we want God to bring peace in our lives, we must surrender our will to God. He will bring us peace!

Welcome to Passion for a Godly Life!

So many in life today struggle with maintaining the passion that they have for Christ. Many simply go through the motions of the faith but serve Him with no passion. I spent 13 years in full-time ministry, but through each discouragement I sank lower and lower; in 2001, I had nothing left to encourage others.

But, through moving to a new area and realizing that it was not about my service for God, then I began to regain the passion for Him. It was when I came to the realization that it was ultimately (and always) about God working through us that it became clear to me.

The ultimate purpose of this blog is to bring encouragement to those of you who HAVE lost your passion for serving Christ. It is not a theological discussion blog; it is a place of encouragement for those who have lost their way and are trying to discover (or re-discover) their 'Passion for a Godly Life'!