Wonder what Jesus looks like? We don’t know. One day we shall see Him as He is, and become like Him (1 John 3:2). (Doubt He looks like the blue-eyed, blond-haired version sold here in the States as “Jesus junk,” that is, as trinkets.) Yet, we do have some clues as to what He is like. His character shines through brighter than His physical appearance. He’s full of compassion (Matthew 9:36: σπλαγχνίζομαι = moved with compassion), which is much deeper than mere emotion. More broadly, He’s full of grace and truth. He is the living embodiment of Grace, and...

“As God, Christ is the destination to which we move; as man, the path by which we go.” - John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion , 3.2.1 (via OFI ) SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Journey: our destination + path", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2008/12/09/journey-our-destination-path/" });

A couple conversations yesterday got me thinking how Christians ought to be the happiest people on the planet. The first was an afternoon idea-ing and planning session talking about our church’s Advent series coming up the few weeks before Christmas. One theme will be JOY … and how much Joy there was when Christ came the first time, how much there shall be one day when He returns in the fullness of His glory, and the unending pleasure to be found as subjects and sons and daughters in His Kingdom. Being forgiven and right with God on the basis of nothing we have done in and of ourselves...

Yesterday I shared a bit of our story — and realize their are so many gaps I left out. Since this really isn’t about us , but rather about Christ and His worth, those gaps will have to be like the cracks in a clay pot that reveals the excellency and worth of the object inside ( 2 Cor. 4 ). Please look past us and see the beauty of God. Here are the top five lessons I (think I) have learned over this past 50 month journey and beyond. All are interconnected: People are more important that what they do. Personalizing it: I am not what I do . That is, my identity is rooted in...

"… give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." ( 1 Thess. 5:18 ) What is God’s will for my life? That has always been one of most frequent questions I’ve heard, and asked. How can I know what He wants me to do, who He designed me to be? God’s will is multi-faceted, yet He is strangely easy to please, as our caring heavenly Father. He has given some specific instructions as to what His will for us is. Trusting wholly in His Son is His direct command for all of us ( Acts 17:30; 1 John 5:13 ). Abstaining...

Or go home without it, for that matter. What am I talked about? Visa, MasterCard, American Express? Nope. You can live a whole life without those. But, you cannot live a second of your life without the Gospel. That is because we need Jesus … always. The more I talk with church leaders and people, the more I think we have largely missed the Gospel. We think of it as the starting point, or the diving board (to use my favorite home-grown analogy). We don’t just start at the Good News of Jesus and then move onto maturity in the Christian life focusing on other things. We never, ever, ever...

On Sunday I was privileged again to preach in Wilsonville at Canyon Creek Church . This time the text was  Philippians 3:1-11 , and my title: "Worthless Doing and Priceless Knowing ." Asked to give a little synopsis for the church bulletin, this is what I wrote: We have natural bent towards religion. That is, we tend to find our identity by what we do, rather than in Who God is. It is easy to think we have done so much on our own, for our "gains" are clearly seen by looking at our own religious resumes and feeble good works — especially by comparison with others. Yet, in...

C.J. Mahaney preaches: SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "The precious privilege of adopted sons and daughters before our “Abba, Father”", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2008/07/06/the-precious-privilege-of-adopted-sons-and-daughters-before-our-abba-father/" });

“God did not create us to get the cosmic, infinite joy of mutual love and glorification, but to share it. We were to join in the dance. If we center our lives on him, serving him not out of self-interest, but for the sake of who he is, for the sake of his beauty and glory, we will enter the dance and share in the joy and love he lives in. We were designed, then, not just for belief in God in some general way, nor for a vague kind of inspiration or spirituality. We were made to center our lives upon him, to make the purpose and passion of our lives knowing, serving, delighting, and resembling...

“I am His by purchase and I am His by conquest; I am His by donation and I am His by election; I am His by covenant and I am His by marriage; I am wholly His; I am peculiarly His; I am universally His; I am eternally His.” - Thomas Brooks, Heaven on Earth [HT: Of First Importance ] SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "I am His, in more ways than one", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2008/05/21/i-am-his-in-more-ways-than-one/" });