James is often referred to as a book of practical wisdom for the church; yet James starts his writing with advice that would seem very unconventional for his readers.
Jesus tells us in the gospels that his words are not just meant to teach us knowledge, God expects his word to change us. How does this transformation take place in us yet today?
The creation itself reveals the creator. We are reminded through the Psalms not to worship created things, but always to see God through the creation.
The Bible not only reveals God’s gospel message of redemption, it also gives us a perspective towards our own identity in this world; it reminds us of who we are.
Christians say that the Bible is the Word of God; but what do we mean by that and how do we understand the words of these ancient texts to be the voice of God?
Prayer changes things. The most effective prayers are not the ones which seek to change my situations and circumstances—the world and people around me; the most effective prayers are the ones that change ME.
Jonah gives us an example of both a prayer that makes room in his heart, and a prayer that shuts out room in his heart. We can learn from Jonah the ways in which our own hearts either make room for prayer, or shut out room for prayer.
What an amazing thing it is that God has made it possible for us to present with God by the indwelling of his Holy Spirit. In prayer, we can embrace the indwelling presence of God with us.
Learning to sift through all the “voices” in our world and to discern how God is speaking to us is a key task of discipleship. Prayer teaches us how to silence all the other noise in our world so that we can listen to God.
God invites us as his people to connect our hearts with his heart; a well-rounded rhythm of prayer with God helps us as disciples of Jesus to remain connected to God’s heart.