For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. — Colossians 3:3 BSB

The world often celebrates those who stand in the spotlight, measuring success by visibility and recognition. But the life hidden in Christ takes a different path—one that embraces the quiet work of the Spirit, where Christ alone is magnified.

📖 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. —Ephesians 2:10

Grace is not only God’s kindness in forgiving our sins; it is also His power at work in us, shaping us for His purposes. We are not left to figure out how to serve Him by our own wisdom or effort. Rather, He is the master craftsman, skillfully fashioning us into vessels suited for His work.

Elijah, weary and worn, lay under the broom tree, swallowed by exhaustion and despair. But God’s response was not a vision, a rebuke, or an elaborate revelation—He simply sent an angel with a meal and told Elijah to arise and eat. God’s provision was already there; Elijah only needed to receive it.

“O our God . . . we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon Thee.” (2 Chron. 20:12)

It is a humbling thing to come to the end of ourselves—to admit that in our own strength, we are powerless. Yet, this admission is not defeat; it is the doorway to triumph. Too many believers linger in a state of spiritual infancy, seeing only their forgiveness in Christ but never stepping into the fullness of their life in Him. They struggle, striving against the enemy, unaware that victory has already been secured.

In the midst of Paul’s discussion on spiritual gifts, he presents a truth that surpasses all gifts, abilities, and knowledge—love. It is not an emotion, nor is it a passive sentiment. Love is active, enduring, and essential. Without it, even the most remarkable spiritual acts amount to nothing.

Too often, love is reduced to a fleeting feeling or a romantic ideal, but Paul anchors it in something far greater. Love is the very nature of God, and because of that, it is eternal. While faith and hope serve a purpose in this present age, love transcends time, remaining forever.

Luke 6 unveils Jesus' authority over all things, from the Sabbath to the human heart. He exposes the religious leaders’ legalism, calls disciples to a radical love, and defines true discipleship. The chapter culminates in the well-known parable of the two houses—one built on rock and the other on sand. In this, Jesus calls us to not merely hear His words but to live in them, anchored in His truth.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:35, 37)

Life is filled with uncertainties. One moment, everything seems stable—finances are steady, relationships are thriving, health is strong. Then, without warning, the ground beneath us shifts. A job is lost. A diagnosis comes. A relationship fractures. In those moments, the human heart naturally longs for security—something unshakable to hold onto when everything else is slipping away.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:35, 37)

We live in a world that is constantly shifting—circumstances change, people fail, and emotions rise and fall. But our life in Christ is not like that. It does not waver with passing feelings or depend on external stability. As E. Stanley Jones points out, being in Christ is as dependable as the law of gravity—only greater, for it is rooted in the very nature and character of God Himself.

📖 “I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11)

For many believers today, hiding God’s Word in our hearts has become synonymous with scripture memorization. We hear it often: Memorize verses so you can recall them when you need them. While memorizing key passages can be beneficial, is rote memorization really what the Bible emphasizes? Or does Scripture point to something deeper and more transformative?

📖 “I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11)

For many believers today, hiding God’s Word in our hearts has become synonymous with scripture memorization. We hear it often: Memorize verses so you can recall them when you need them. While memorizing key passages can be beneficial, is rote memorization really what the Bible emphasizes? Or does Scripture point to something deeper and more transformative?

Caleb had always been a man of discipline. From a young age, he learned that hard work yielded results, and if something wasn’t going right, it was up to him to fix it. This mindset served him well in his career, where he climbed the corporate ladder with sheer determination, and in his personal life, where he prided himself on being the kind of man who took responsibility. But when it came to his spiritual life, his relentless drive only left him exhausted.

📖 “A voice of one calling: In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.” — Isaiah 40:3-4

The coming of Christ is not merely about reconciliation—it is also about reconstruction. Just as John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus, so too does the Spirit prepare our hearts to be a dwelling place for God. He is not content to leave us as He found us; He reshapes and refines us so that His life can be expressed through us.

James and Sarah had always approached conversations differently. Sarah loved building connections with people, valuing deep conversations and meaningful relationships. James, on the other hand, was more reserved, preferring to keep interactions light and focused on shared experiences, faith, and topics that built unity rather than division.

On their recent trip to the Caribbean with a tour group, these differences became evident. The group consisted of thirteen travelers and a tour guide, all from different backgrounds. Over the course of the trip, nearly everyone expressed views opposite to Sarah’s. Though she tried to hold back, a few times, her comments slipped out. The reaction was swift—those individuals never spoke to them again for the remainder of the trip.

"and will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word." — Acts 6:4 BSB

A life yielded to the Spirit is a life of constant communion. When our hearts are fully given to Him, prayer is not something we schedule—it is the natural conversation of our spirit with His. Each moment becomes an invitation to abide, to bring every thought, every decision, and every circumstance into His presence. This is not about striving to pray more but about recognizing that the Spirit within us is already praying, interceding in ways beyond our understanding (Romans 8:26).

📖 "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work."
— 2 Corinthians 9:8

When we consider the connection between grace and good works, the priority is not our ability but God's. He is the one who causes His grace to overflow into our lives. His supply is never lacking, never withheld, never uncertain. It is as constant as the sunrise and as sure as the seasons.

📖 “Arise from the dead.” — Ephesians 5:14

Oswald Chambers makes a striking distinction between human initiative and spiritual initiative. Human initiative is self-driven—forcing oneself forward through sheer determination. But spiritual initiative is different; it is a response to the divine prompting of God, a call to step forward in faith and discover that His life is already at work within us.

Temptation does not always come in an obvious, external form. Sometimes, it is quiet, internal, and disguised as just a thought. When a believer faces a struggle in their thought life, it can feel as though the battle is entirely within themselves. But Scripture makes it clear that four distinct forces contribute to temptation:

Temptation is not always blatant or dramatic; often, it comes subtly, in everyday moments. In our last scenario, we examined how a believer might struggle with recognition and self-worth in the workplace. This time, let’s examine a different battle—a temptation of lust and moral compromise—to see how the world, the flesh, the devil, and sin that dwells in our members each play a role in the struggle.

By dissecting this experience, we will see that understanding the source of temptation helps us respond not with self-effort but by yielding to the life of Christ within us.

Every believer in Christ faces opposition from four distinct but interrelated forces:

1. The World – The external system that operates apart from God.

2. The Flesh – The internal living patterns of self-reliance formed before salvation.

3. The Devil – The external tempter who deceives and accuses.

4. Sin That Dwells in Our Members – The internal principle of sin at work in our mortal body.

Many struggle in their walk with Christ because they conflate these enemies or fail to recognize their unique roles. But Scripture distinguishes them clearly. By understanding their differences, we can respond appropriately, yielding to Christ’s life within instead of engaging in futile self-effort.