Grow Resources

“ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” ~ 1 Peter 1:3

Hope is a common theme throughout the Bible. In the Books of 1 and 2 Peter, hope is a central theme. To understand hope in a biblical sense, we must set aside the thinking of the world. Hope is not simply “wishful thinking’” or “a desire for something better.” The world would define hope in terms of luck or fate, something that will happen if circumstances or chances are in our favor. Biblically, these things couldn’t be further from the truth.

When we read about hope in the Bible, it always begins with the sure knowledge that God is moving. From the very beginning to the very end, God has had a plan. He has planned for man to live in a relationship with Him both today and throughout eternity. Because of His great love for us and His plan for a relationship with us, God moves. He moved in the beginning to create man and give him free will. He moved to offer forgiveness and redemption when free will would lead us into sin. He has moved in the hearts of men, calling them to repentance and surrender. God moves.

When we know that God moves in the lives of men, we can then understand that God’s power is able to transform. Through history God has moved people, kings, nations, and thoughts in order to fulfill His plan. He has kept every promise and has sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to change the lives of all men. Today He has the power to change hearts, to forgive sin, and to bring us back from rebellion. Today He makes men holy and proclaims us righteous as we surrender ourselves to Him.

Biblical hope is the sure knowledge that God is moving and that He is able. Hope enables us to live in His presence, knowing that He shapes reality and belief. Hope helps us look forward to future with Him, and it also helps us see our present walk with God. Hope allows us to love lavishly, forgive freely, be sure of salvation, and serve sacrificially.

“ You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works,” ~ James 2:22

“If you don’t use it, you lose it.” I don’t know where the quote originated, but I have seen it used in a variety of situations. It describes an exercise habit and the development and maintenance of muscle. If you don’t use your muscles, it you don’t practice fitness, you lose it. In learning we can talk about knowledge that we have taken in over a period of time. Knowledge that sits too long in the brain eventually becomes forgotten. If we don’t rehearse what we know, we lose the ability to call it up on request. While there are some skills that seem to stick with us forever, most of the time, when we don’t practice an action, or rehearse information, or use what we have, we lose it.

James talks about faith in the same sort of way. Faith is meant to be active. Faith is not merely a belief in the heart or an understanding in the head. It is also the activity of the hands. Our faith must be lived out in our relationships and actions. It must shape our schedules and our work. Faith is meant to be an active, daily, part of our lifestyle.

James sometimes sounds very work oriented, but don’t think for a moment that James encourages us to believe that we are saved by some sort of works-righteousness model. James knows that salvation is a gift from God. An open invitation for all to come and follow Him. James reminds us that when we give our lives to Jesus, we give our entire selves. Our hearts, and our hands. How we lie and what we do are all shaped by the call of Jesus. The way we work and the work we do are a direct reflection of what we believe and who we belong to. Walking with Jesus is an active pursuit.

“ And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” ~ Hebrews 11:6

On my bookshelf is a book with the title, “The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses” by Vern Sheridan Poythress. It is a title that always reminds me of the Book of Hebrews in the Bible. The Book of Hebrews is a rich picture of how Jesus fulfills the Law of Moses and teaches us how to live in faith. When reading the Book of Hebrews, the reader is exposes to a wide variety of Old Testament practices and pictures. In the Book of Hebrews we see talk of priests, the Temple and Tabernacle, angels, and the sacrificial practices of the people of Israel. Using these familiar images, the writer of Hebrews helps us understand how Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s plan for man. Jesus is the great High Priest who offers the sacrifice for the forgiveness of God’s people. Jesus is also the sacrifice Himself. He is the Lamb of God, the atonement for our rebellion and the cure for our sin-sickness. Jesus inhabits the Temple and the Tabernacle, He is the presence of God living among men. He is our guide and our light through the darkness of this world. Greater than the angels and the leader that supersedes even Moses, Jesus brings a message for man and gives us a law to live by.

In the Book of Hebrews we learn about justification, the atonement of Jesus that opens a path to God. We learn about sanctification, the process of being made holy through the power of Jesus at work in our lives. In the Book of Hebrews we learn about faith. How to know God, trust His plan and power at work in our lives, and how to move with Him.

“Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ~ Matthew 16:16
Throughout the Bible, God has shown us that it is possible to be set apart for special use. One of the pictures that we find in the Bible of this “setting apart” is the practice of anointing. Genesis 31:31 gives us the first use of the Hebrew word “masiah” which is translated into English as “anoint.” The picture of anointing here refers back to Genesis 28:18-19 when Jacob, after waking from the dream of a ladder leading to heaven, pours oil on the stone he used as a pillow at Bethel. The action of anointing is simply pouring oil or ointment on an object. The meaning behind anointing takes on far more significance. It signifies something, or someone, that is set apart for special purpose, specifically set apart for God’s purpose. IN the Old Testament we see that certain altars, places of remembrance, prophets, priests, and kings were anointed. Each was meant ot show that God was at work in the world. Each was a promise that God was working out His plan in the world of men.
In the New Testament, the Hebrew word “masiah” is translated into the Greek word “christos.” Again, “christos” means “anointed.” It is in the person of Jesus that we see the ultimate expression of anointing. Jesus is the Christ, the anointed One, who has come to fulfill the plan of God by redeeming men. Jesus is the Christ, or the Messiah. He is the expected Prophet, the High Priest who sympathizes with man, and the King of Kings. Jesus is God’s plan made flesh. He is the author and perfecter of faith.
In the Book of Matthew, we have a picture of Jesus, the Christ, coming into the world and fulfilling the promises and prophecies that the Jews have known throughout their history. Matthew takes great care to show that Jesus is the faithful answer to the promises of God.

“ But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.” ~ Titus 2:1
Melvin Harper is manager of an eight-thousand-acre buckeye ranch and rice farm near Bay City, Texas. “Lord, send me cowboys who aren’t Christians,” is his daily prayer. Why? Because encouraging cowboys and youngsters to live for Christ is a kind of calling for the man who was the nation’s top bronco buster and steer rider for more than ten years. The veteran rodeo performer started attending church regularly after working with a man who wanted to learn to rope and ride. Melvin made his decision to follow Christ and soon he began teaching a class of boys. He shared his faith freely with the cowhands who came to train at the ranch. When asked about the greatest thrill of his life, Melvin told about the year when he was the only rider to stay mounted on the nation’s wildest and best bucking rodeo horse in Madison Square Garden and in Houston. “But,” said Melvin, “this kind of thrill doesn’t compare with [seeing] a boy, his parents, and a cowhand [make a decision to follow] Christ.” (AMG Bible Illustrations, Bible Illustrations Series (Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, 2000). Adapted for use.)

Teaching happens everywhere the Christian travels. We teach with words when we speak to others about Jesus. We teach with actions when we serve. We teach in the classroom, the home, and in the grocery store. Never think that you are not teaching. There is always someone watching you as you live for Jesus. The important thing is to make sure that what you teach is truth.

The life of the believer is defined by the truth of Jesus. We walk in this world as His ambassadors. WE teach the same things He taught. We live in the way He lives. As Paul encourages Titus to teach what accords with sound doctrine, Paul encourages Titus to look like Jesus. It is an encouragement that we all need to hear.

“ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” ~ 2 Timothy 5:16-17

Think of the word training and there are several pictures which may enter your mind. The boxer who spars in the ring or endlessly jabs at the bag. The marathon runner who rises early in the morning and takes to the neighborhood streets or park pathways. The weightlifter at the gym. The swimmer in the pool. There is movement, and determination, and purpose in the training. Each has a goal to achieve, a destination to reach. Training is the path that each follows to reach the goal. This is the picture that Paul wants us to see as he writes to Timothy, a young man that he trains in the faith.
For Paul, the goal of the Christian is to know Jesus. It is to live a life that is defined by the death, burial, and resurrection of the Savior. That life is dedicated to holiness, obedience, and righteousness. In writing to Timothy, Paul gives instruction about reaching the goal of being a man of God. He wants Timothy to train for righteousness. To dedicate every day to walking a path that carried him deeper and deeper into God’s will and God’s presence. IN order to do that, Paul instructs Timothy to pay attention to what God has revealed. The Scriptures help us to know Jesus so that we know our destination. The Bible teaches us what it means to look like Jesus. The Word of God trains us to listen to God. Paul wants Timothy to hear Scripture speak correction in his life. To surrender to the transformation that God promises. God calls us out of sin and into Christ. The goal is maturity, an imitation of Jesus that runs so deep we begin to see and think and feel the way that Jesus does. Our hearts become aligned with His heart.
Training is a process of growth. God invites you to grow into more than you could accomplish on your own. He sets a high standard and then walks with us to help us be what He desires for us. The life you live today is part of that training. What habits are in place today that bring you deeper into fellowship with Jesus? What practices need to be changed? Where is God leading you as He offers the training that comes with a life lived in Him?

“For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.” ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:5

Light is important. We rely on light to help show us where we are located or where we are going. Our ability to see light is an amazing thing. According to studies done by Scientists at Columbia University in 1941, the human eye can see the light of a flickering candle up to a distance of 30 miles. (48 kilometers) The human eye is an extremely sensitive organ that can see great distances. Due to the specific surface of the Earth, our vision capacity is limited to 3.1 miles, 5 kilometers. The distance at which the human eye can actually see is based on the photons, or light particles, emitted by a particular object. Thus, the furthest object that can be seen by human beings without any special equipment is the Andromeda galaxy. The distance between the Earth and the galaxy is 2.6 million light years. We are able to see it because of the thousands of photons emitted by the stars in the galaxy.

Paul talks about the church in Thessalonica as a light to the world. A place where people can see the light shining. That light comes from Jesus. He is the source of light. We are reflectors of that light. The world can tell who we are by the kind of light that pours out of us. Like bicycle reflectors, our lives are meant to flash to a world in darkness to show them what is available to them here and now. A relationship with Jesus. Just as Paul encourages the Thessalonians to shine, he writes to us as well. We are reminded that the light of Jesus reaches farther than we can imagine. It illuminates sin and reveals hope. Remember that someone you meet today needs a little light. Shine!

“ And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,” ~ Colossians 2:13

Francis of Assisi one day said to several of his followers, “Let us go to the village over the way and preach.” As they went, they met a humble pedestrian who was greatly burdened. Francis was in no hurry and listened carefully to his tale of woe.

When the village was reached, Francis talked with the shopkeepers, spent time with the farmers at their fruit and vegetable stalls, and played with the children in the streets. On the way back they met a farmer with a load of hay, and Francis spent time with him. The morning gone, the group reached the monastery from where they had set out in the early morning.

One of the followers, who was greatly disappointed, said to Francis, “Brother Francis, you said you were going to preach. The morning is spent and no sermon has been given.”

And the saintly Francis replied, “But we have been preaching all the way.” From Prairie Overcomer (Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc., 1996), 737–738.)

There was a time in our lives when we were dead because of sin. Meeting Jesus changes all of that. Surrendering to the power of the cross brings life. Life to the way we walk and talk. Life to the things we do and the motivation for doing them. Life to our purpose and our direction. Being alive means living out our days in a way that reflects Jesus to all we meet.

“ Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” ~ Philippians 4:4

Philippi should have been a place that Paul wanted to forget. Acts 16 tells the story. It was in Philippi that Paul confronted a girl who was possessed by a spirit of divination. Paul commanded the spirit to come out and then the trouble started. Paul and Silas were accused and brought before the city authorities. The authorities had them beaten in public. Rods marked the backs of these men. Pain filled the moments. Torturous. Agonizing. And then prison. A night in chains. A time of darkness when abused muscles become stiff and sore. When pain throbs through the body. After prison was the abrupt request by the town officials to leave. Paul was being kicked out. Yes, it should have been a place to forget. Yet Paul writes to this same church and tells them to rejoice…always.
Amid the confrontation, pain, and imprisonment, Acts 16 shows us a place of belief, and surrender, and hope. Lydia and her household become followers of Jesus in the first days of Paul’s ministry. Beaten and bruised, Paul and Silas find a reason to sing. A jailer become a brother. A church becomes a supporter. Philippi is a place that Paul will never forget, because Philippi is a place where God was moving and changing the lives of people.
Rejoicing is not about everything going our way. It is not about me feeling good. Rejoicing is not tied into my happiness. Rejoicing calls me to see God in this moment. It doesn’t matter what else inhabits this moment. Pain, pleasure, hurt, or hope. All that matters is God in this place, at this time. When I can see God, I can rejoice. I can open my mouth and my heart and pour out praise on the One who shapes and transforms. I can surrender into His care and His healing. I can follow in obedience the path that He sets. I can find joy in the presence of the One who never leaves me, and never forsakes me.

“ There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” ~ Ephesians 4:4–6

We live in a world of choices. Each choice requires us to make a decision. To judge between a set, or series of, options and select one. Every day we choose what to wear, what to eat, and what to do. Sometimes our choices have minimal consequences. They might reflect the mood of the moment or a current desire or hunger we are experiencing. Sometimes choices have a huge effect on who we are and where we go. In our choices we reveal our purpose, our direction, the authority we honor, and the people we desire to be.

One of my favorite quotes is found in the book, Alice in Wonderland. Alice has chosen to go down a rabbit hole. Walking through a crazy, mixed up world, she has and encounter. Lewis Carroll writes, “One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. ‘Which road do I take?’ she asked. ‘Where do you want to go?’ was his response. ‘I don’t know,’ Alice answered. ‘Then,’ said the cat, ‘it doesn’t matter.” How true! Our choices lead us somewhere, and if we don’t know where we are going, our choices can’t get us there.

As Paul writes to the church in Ephesus, he wants them to know where they are going and how to get there. So he writes about “One.” Paul knows that we will make choices every day, but will those choices lead us to the right place? Paul tells us that there is one Lord who is our authority. He has a destination in mind for us. Paul tells us that there is one faith, a true way to think about and live with God. Paul says that there is one baptism that will lead us to surrender ourselves into the power of God. Paul says that one God exists in all places and in all times. This idea of “One” draws a clear destination for people who will follow Jesus. We make every choice based on living with Jesus and being His. In choosing the “One” we choose life, surrender, and transformation.