Imagine yourself gathering with Jesus and His closest followers for dinner—not just any dinner, but the meal that will be their last before the Messiah is led away and crucified. That evening, Jesus’ final instructions to His disciples are recorded in John 14–16. He spells out what is coming: He will be leaving, but the Father will send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who will teach all things to those who believe in Him. John 15 gives a beautiful illustration of how we are to bear fruit in our lives by abiding in Jesus Christ. It begins: “I am the…
Beautiful butterflies flitted all around me, silently gliding through the air and softly landing on nearby plants and flowers. Not just a few butterflies, mind you, but more than 7,000 butterflies flying freely in a large five-story tropical conservatory. This spring I visited the Butterflies Are Blooming exhibition,[1] featuring more than 40 different species imported from the Far East and Central America. Seeing the kaleidoscope of colors, shapes, and patterns of these delicate creatures, and observing the various stages of their growth was truly breathtaking! …
Imagine yourself gathering with Jesus and His closest followers for dinner—not just any dinner, but the meal that will be their last before the Messiah is led away and crucified. That evening, Jesus’ final instructions to His disciples are recorded in John 14–16. He lays out what is coming: He will be leaving, but the Father will send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who will teach all things to those who believe in Him. John 15 gives a beautiful illustration of how we are to bear fruit in our lives by abiding in Jesus Christ. It begins: “I am the…
One of the most exciting realities of the Christian life is that when we enter into relationship with God through Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit begins a divine work to produce Christ’s character within us. In doing so, our whole outlook on life changes. His thoughts become our thoughts. His actions become our actions. His purposes become our own. We become more Christ-like. No longer living by the old sinful nature, we now live by the Spirit, and in doing so, we bear fruit. Fruit is mentioned many times in the Bible, both literally and figuratively. The concept of bearing…
Why is it the busier we get, the less time we often devote to the one relationship that matters most—God? It’s a phenomenon I call the “pace paradox.” I recently read about studies which reveal that the pace of life worldwide is now 10% faster than it was twenty years ago. Consider this . . . Researchers for this “pace of life” project studied the correlation between time, money and walking in 32 major cities around the world. They clocked how long it took pedestrians to walk 60 feet. Singapore timed the fastest at 10.55 seconds, up 30% from two…
