Christ Lives in Me

20/07/2026

The Narrow Gate

What’s easier? Lounging on your couch or hiking up a mountain? Scarfing down a candy bar or cooking a healthy meal? Complaining about a problem or working diligently to solve it? Saving your hard-earned money or spending it all in one night?

Just because something is easy doesn’t mean it's what's best.

Jesus knew this. In fact, He often chose the harder road with purpose over an easy one with no meaning. He said:

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Though Jesus beckons the entire world, His invitation is also exclusive. Because all paths, all religions, and all good intentions do not lead to God.

Jesus isn’t implying that we can earn our own salvation by searching the hardest or climbing the highest or praying the longest to find some elusive gate. Instead, Jesus makes it clear in John 10:7, saying, “I am the gate…”

The way to the one true God, the Creator of this world and the Sustainer of your life, is through Jesus Christ—who loves you, gave His life for you, and was raised from the dead so that you could live.

You can’t earn His love or salvation, but you can accept His gift of grace and enter through the narrow gate.

Yes, it’s easier to scroll social media than to think about the deeper meaning of life. It’s easier to stay busy and distracted than to confess and repent of your sins. It’s easier to dismiss God altogether than to trust Him with your soul.

But the harder road is worth it. The narrow gate leads to life, and there is no other way than our Savior, Jesus Christ.

15/07/2026

15/07/2026

Clothe Yourself in What Matters

Imagine putting on shirts of compassion, patience, and forgiveness. That might seem ridiculous, but Colossians 3:12 tells us to “clothe ourselves” in traits that match our identity in Christ. In other words, we need to cover ourselves in actions and attitudes that result in us looking more like Jesus every day.

So, how do we do this? One way to get started is by thinking of the struggles that keep you from living more like Jesus, and then start to replace them with their opposite action.

- If you are sarcastic and cutting, choose to say something kind and encouraging instead.
- If you tend to come across as harsh, choose to do something that requires gentleness.
- If you’re holding a grudge, make the hard but important decision to extend forgiveness anyway.

As you go about doing that, choose to take part in activities that build you up spiritually. This could look like connecting with friends who will keep you accountable, memorizing Scripture that you can apply to your life, or cultivating compassion by serving in your community. The more you intentionally pursue actions that lead to humility, compassion, and kindness, the more those traits will become a natural part of your life.

And as you pursue the qualities mentioned in Colossians 3:12, the changes this produces will be most evident in the way you treat other people.

The apostle John said that we can’t claim to love Jesus if we hate each other (1 John 4:20), so a life that reflects Jesus is going to embody love. And according to 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, love is patient and kind, is not irritable, and keeps no record of being wronged. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

A life marked by God’s love is going to display the very things the apostle Paul talks about in Colossians 3:12.

So if we want to live like Jesus, then we need to receive the new life He’s given to us and accept His unconditional love. Only then can we begin to reflect His love to others by showing people compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

So today, what do you need to do in order to clothe yourself in those character traits? Make a note of one or two struggles that tend to trip you up, and make a plan to remove them from your life by replacing them with actions that draws you closer to Jesus.

14/07/2026

We drown without Christ.

09/07/2026

Jesus Christ is coming back again.
The big question is are we ready?

07/07/2026

Jesus Does The Impossible

Jesus’ statement in Matthew 19:26 is often taken out of context. Many people have taken this verse to mean that they can do anything they want in life because God can do the impossible. Often this can lead to us asking God to do something selfish.

In order to understand what Jesus is saying, we should read the preceding verses. In Matthew 19:16-22, a young man comes to Jesus asking for eternal life. Jesus tells him that he must give up all of his earthly possessions—something the young man is not willing to do. Because he failed the test, the young man failed to inherit eternal life.

Jesus says in Matthew 19:23 that it is very difficult for a rich man to enter heaven. The point is that loving Jesus requires everything we are. Our ultimate love cannot be split between Jesus and something else.

The disciples then ask, “Who can be saved?” Jesus responds in Matthew 19:26 that it is impossible for man to save himself—but it is possible with God. God can do the very thing that man cannot.

We cannot earn our salvation. We cannot work hard enough to attain it, and we can’t achieve it on our own. It is impossible. But with God all things are made possible for us to be saved. It is only through the work and power of Jesus that we have access to salvation. And through the empowerment of the Spirit, we are enabled to have faith in God.

What in your life is keeping you from faith in Jesus? Maybe it’s a relationship. Maybe it’s material possessions. Maybe it's a wrong mindset. Whatever it might be—God has the power to remove these things from your heart so that you can have faith in Jesus.

So spend some time with God today, and ask Him to search your heart. Ask Him to reveal anything within you that is keeping you from loving Jesus better. Then, do something daring—surrender those things over to God.

06/07/2026

Honoring the Poor

How different would our world, communities, and homes look if we committed to helping the hurting around us?

The writer of Proverbs, typically considered to be King Solomon, penned these words:

“If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord—and he will repay you!”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭19‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There are those who are financially or materialistically poor. Maybe they were born into a cycle of poverty, have hit hard times, or are physically or mentally sick. But there are also those—like Jesus mentioned in Matthew 5—who are poor in spirit.

Giving generously to those in need, caring for the vulnerable, and living an open-hearted life is the call of every believer.

Jesus echoed this theme in Matthew 25, explaining that good works like feeding the hungry, clothing the needy, showing hospitality to strangers, and visiting the sick or incarcerated will not go unnoticed. In fact, when we do such things, we're actually serving Jesus (Matthew 25:40).

How wonderful would it be to end poverty, stop hunger, and witness the day when the world is entirely at peace? Eventually, Jesus will make all that is wrong right, once and for all. But until then, we get to keep serving Him and loving others every chance we get.

No one can do everything, but we all can do something.

Genuine followers of Jesus will be compelled by His Spirit to love the people He’s created. And if that’s not enough, we can believe Him when He says that He rewards those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

John put it this way:

“If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When we serve God’s people out of obedience, we're really serving Him!

04/07/2026

You’ve Been Set Free

If you’ve ever been in debt (or known someone who has), you know the impact it has on a person. When you’re in debt, your money, time, or resources aren’t your own—they’re continuously being taken from you, and often with interest.

No one wants to be enslaved to a lender, and yet—every one of us has owed a debt we could never pay off.

The ancient Greek word for “sin” means “to miss the mark.” It was originally used to describe an archer’s arrow that didn’t hit the center target. In archery, it didn’t matter whether your arrow was close to the mark or far from it. If you didn’t hit the center, you lost.

In Scripture, the “mark” is the standard God asks us to aim for—but we all miss it. We miss it when we choose selfishness over humility, and anger over gentleness. We miss it when we lie, cheat, steal, slander, complain, and gossip. We miss it when we tear people down, and disobey God’s command to love others. Sin prevents us from becoming the people God created us to be.

But the good news is: Jesus saved each of us by sacrificing Himself for our mistakes. We couldn’t pay off our debt of sin in a million lifetimes, but He freed us from it in one moment.

And because He paid our debt, He wants us to live as free people.

When we pursue anything that separates us from God’s Spirit—whether through legalistic actions or lawless decisions—we act like Jesus hasn’t set us free. But when we choose to love others like Jesus loved us, it shows we value Jesus’ sacrifice and want to embrace the freedom He bought for us.

So how do we live free?

We accept that what Jesus did was enough for us, and then we commit to loving Him.

As our love for God grows, His Spirit helps us unconditionally love others. Instead of holding a grudge, the Spirit helps us forgive. Instead of hurting someone, the Spirit helps us encourage people. Instead of using people, the Spirit inspires us to humbly serve.

The more we love, the more we embrace our freedom—and because of God’s love, nothing can take our freedom away.

03/07/2026

Peace Wherever Possible

What does holy living look like?

According to the teachings in the New Testament, it’s living in accordance with God’s Word. Holiness means saying “no” to wrong actions, and seeking forgiveness when we do make mistakes. It looks like putting aside any selfish interests in order to pursue the good plans God has for the world.

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews understood that this wasn’t easy, so he encouraged his readers to “run with perseverance” while stripping off anything that might slow them down or trip them up (Hebrews 12:1-2).

The author of Hebrews then encourages his readers to be holy, to live according to God’s commands and ways. Holiness gives others a window to see God in our lives. It also gives us the opportunity to love others the way Jesus would love them. As we pursue a relationship with God, the way we interact with people should change.

The author of Hebrews describes God as the God of peace (Hebrews 13:20). If our desire is to obey God and be like Him, then we should make every effort to live in peace with everyone.

When we live with anger or bitterness toward others, we’re unable to show them the love of Jesus. A love that sets us apart and shows off God’s glory.

Living at peace with people does not mean that we have to love everyone the same way or blindly accept misconduct. But, it does mean that we make an effort wherever possible to generously seek wholeness, reconciliation, and forgiveness—actions that lead to peace.

Take a moment today to consider your relationships with others. Are your relationships marked by anger or bitterness, or are you living at peace with others? If there is someone in your life you have not forgiven, make an effort to begin to make things right. Consider how you can live a life that aligns with God’s Word, so that others can see God working within you.