Walking with Jesus

Assurance of Salvation

 Our salvation is an act of God. Assurance flows from this fact. God does not go back on His word.

Backtiming

 Just as a disc jockey has to take steps to ensure that a program finishes with a flourish, we need to do the same to end life with well and with hope for what follows.

Believing the Gospel 

Just what is the gospel and how much should we expect it to affect our daily lives? Is it about believing at some moment in the past or about permanent inner change.

Big Surprise

 No doubt Heaven will have some surprises for us. Here are one man's suggested list of three.

Changed by Love 

 In this feature, I contend that it is impossible to experience deep mutual love and not be changed by it

Changed or Converted 

 A brief exploration of the idea that faith in Jesus not only changes our behaviour, but changes the way we want to behave. 

Christian Superstitions

Even those who have a genuine faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and who claim to have no use for superstition as such, can unconsciously pick up beliefs that are nothing more or less than exactly that.

The Church and Change

We sometimes long for something we perceive to be a pure, rather static vision of "the early church" forgetting that its early years were marked with significant change.

Confession 

Verbal confession is important in keeping relationships healthy. Just "doing something special" or "being nice" after an offence is not enough.

Confess with Your Mouth

 While what we believe and how we act are crucial to our salvation, God also expects us to speak.

Consistency

Occasional stellar performances cannot take the place of consistent diligent Christian living – all the way to the very end.

Dexter

This reflection is very personal. It is not referenced to one specific scripture passage, but comes out of my philosophical assumptions about Christ-like character.

Divine/Human Partnership

God usually chooses to work in partnership with humans to get His will done on earth. We often focus on the miracles, but they are exceptions to the rule.

Encouraging Words

God calls us to not merely refrain from discouraging people with our words, but to build each other up by speaking words of encouragement.

Faith By Hearing 

Have you ever wondered why the Bible points to hearing being more important to faith than seeing?

Faith in Life and Death 

We might well ask ourselves if our stated faith does not make a difference to the way we live, why should we expect it to make a difference after we die.

Fill It Up With Regular 

Many of us are content with the minimum we need to get by, at the least cost. That's not how it should be in our spiritual life.

First Love

Many are convinced that romantic love deteriorates over time, but we need to challenge this idea when it is applied to our love for God.

Foolish Vows

Making vows is a natural response to the threat of change or the fear of what might or might not happen, but they don't give us what we're looking for.

Forgive and Remember

Much has been said about the relationship between forgiving and forgetting, but Ron Hughes argues the benefits of forgiving and remembering.

For His Glory

Obedience glorifies God, but one can obey with a terrible attitude. What takes us behind obedience in the Christians quest to glorify God.

God's Business 

When He was just twelve, Jesus told Joseph and Mary that He "must be about His Father's business." Just what is the business God would have His children be working at?

God's Self-Portrait

Jesus gives us the best picture of God because, as a person, He reveals the personality of God in a way other pictures couldn't.

Grace 

God's pleasure is to express His good will toward people, showering them with loving-kindness and extending His favour in ways that are inconceivable to the heart of alienated humanity.

Guilt and Heaven

Have you ever felt guilty for feeling that all the blessings you have leave you hungry for more rather than really satisfying you? What we all really want, whether or not we know it, is Heaven.

Guilt and Love 

Because moving toward God is not natural to humanity, we need motivation. But what is the best motivation? In this feature, Ron Hughes compares guilt and love as spiritual motivators and finds one much better than the other.

Hearing God 

Sometimes we have so much noise into our life that we couldn't possibly hear God speaking to us. This is a challenge to make silent spaces in our lives when we intentionally listen for His voice.

How Do I Look?

It is very tempting for most of us to attempt to mislead others to think of us as better than we are.

I Give Up 

An unhealthy emphasis on the Gospel as relating only to salvation can prompt us to think that coming to believe that Jesus died for our sins is the end of the story. There is as something to give up as well as to gain.

In His Hands 

Though we find ourselves in the midst of circumstances which make little or no sense to us at the moment, we can be sure that they have meaning and significance in the plan of God.

Inner Vows

Sometimes we make promises to ourselves which we force ourselves to keep to our own hurt.

Is Nice Enough? 

Some thoughts about how Western Christians should respond to the "culture of niceness" which seems to render Christian virtues unnecessary, even offensive.

Learning from Students

Students often look at the parameters of a school assignment as a goal to shoot for rather than a minimum to be built on. Do Christians sometimes have the same attitude?

Looking Good

The moment we start comparing ourselves favourably to others, we betray the fact that we are trying to represent ourselves as being more spiritually mature than we really are.

The More Important Question

 It could be argued that many Christians live to avoid displeasing God more than they live to please Him.

Motivation, Intentionality, and Discpline

Spiritual growth only happens as we co-operate with God. Motivated, intentional and disciplined Christians see things happen in their spiritual life.

A Multifaceted Relationship

Just as in our intimate human relations, we must consider a complex mix of different aspects, so in our relationship with God we need to have breadth as well as depth.

My Refuge 

Everyone needs a safe place. In this feature, we consider some of the refuges (physical, emotional, and spiritual) we find in life and what the Bible says about them.

Natural Responses 

 Christians are supernatural persons. In a way, this means that our spiritual responses to situations we face will seem unnatural.

No Comment Christians 

When there is a significant split between what we say with our words and express with our behaviour, we tend to stop talking, because that is where we are held accountable.

A Picture of Heaven 

 Christians struggle to understand heaven. Though we find lots of Bible passages which refer to heaven, they offer little help in knowing just what it will be like. Can contemporary poetic imagery help?

Pray Aloud 

 Most prayers are offered mentally without the benefit of vocalization. This feature considers the advantages of speaking prayers aloud rather than just thinking them

Parable of the Sandboxes 

Parables were a favourite communication device of the Lord Jesus when he was here on Earth. In this one, Ron Hughes challenges us to think about Christian fellowship and joint ministry.

Show and Tell 

 Words which are not backed up by action are useless, but actions uninterpreted with words remain a mystery.

Shrink Your Ego

There is relief to be found in learning that we are not responsible for everything. We don't need to be in total control (that's God's job). Being responsible for one's own life is big enough.

Sights Unseen 

While it would be so comforting to have our eyes opened to the non-material reality which surrounds us, God calls us to live by faith instead.

Social Conformity   

New Christians, in particular, but all of us, to some degree, confuse spiritual growth with social conformity to the values and practice of the Christian community which nurtures us.

Spin  

"Spin" is a relatively new way to describe the way people express themselves to place themselves and their causes in the best light. Is there a place for it in the life of the Christian?

Struggling with Sin  

Western Christians live in days of relative ease, but capitulation and betrayal of the faith are still constant temptations. Christ calls us to struggle against these.

Talk to Yourself

Self-indulgence and self-justification allow us to take advantage of others without a twinge of conscience - except for this ability God gives us to observe both our circumstances and our attitude.

Unrequited Love 

Many of us suffer the pain of offering ourselves in love to others who don't accept the offer, let alone return it. Perhaps this is God's greatest pain, too.

Until He Comes

Christians long to see their Saviour face to face, but there is a life to be lived before that happens. What does God want us to be doing until He comes for us?

Use Your Words

Just as the ability to use words is a mark of personal and social maturity as we grow up, so using words to express ourselves for spiritual purposes shows maturity in that area.

Worth the Effort 

Even when there is no motivation to confuse or mislead, confusion and misapprehension can follow. When we recognize this we can strive to lead people toward God in the most direct way possible.