Faith Journey Blog

Heavenly Father,  I come before You with a heart full of gratitude and awe. You are the Holy One, the Creator of all, and the source of my life. I quiet my heart to focus on You and the depth of Your love. Gospel Lord, I thank You for the Gospel, the incredible good news of salvation. I thank You for the profound invitation into a new and eternal life through Your Son, Jesus Christ. I remember and believe in the miracle of His incarnation. His virgin birth, a sign of Your divine plan. I praise You for His perfect, sinless life. From His humble childhood and His quiet years as a carpenter to His public ministry, He was temperate, compassionate, and perfectly obedient to You. I remember His ministry, how He taught with authority, healed the sick, embraced the outcast, and revealed Your heart to a broken world. I confess the tragedy of His unjust condemnation and the unimaginable agony of His passion. He was mocked, beaten, and crucified, bearing the full weight of my sin, of all our ...

There's a subtle shift that can happen in our walk with God, one that's easy to miss but quietly changes everything. We start our journey in wonder and dependence, but somewhere along the way, faith can begin to feel like a job. We clock in through morning devotions, try to meet performance goals of prayer and service, and submit reports in the form of "good behavior." It's not that these practices are wrong. They're good and even necessary but without intimacy, they can become hollow rituals. Paul warns us about this in Colossians 2:16-23. He reminds the church not to get caught up in the rules, rituals, and appearances that look spiritual but can actually disconnect us from Christ Himself. Faith isn't meant to be a system to maintain, it's a relationship to abide in.

Scripture "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." (Exodus 14:14) "Blessed is the one… whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night." (Psalm 1:1--2) "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." (John 1:1,14) "Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." (Ephesians 6:11) "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." (Galatians 5:22--23)   Reflection When we talk about the Word of God, we often think first of the Bible. And rightly so as it is God's Special Revelation, His gift of truth and guidance. God also reveals Himself through creation and stillness (General Revelation), reminding us that His Word is alive and all around us. John 1 takes us even deeper: the Word is ...