• See Greater Things

  Jesus expects His followers to see greater things than they have already experienced. The life of Christ is full of greater graces that come with bolder faith and surrender to the Spirit’s control. Greater things could be children who surpass their parents by influencing the globe with the gospel.

• Christ in Christmas

  Christ in Christmas is like memorial in Memorial Day, mother in Mother’s Day, father in Father’s Day, labor in Labor Day, independence in Independence Day, and thanksgiving in Thanksgiving Day. However, in our attempt to not offend other religions and to become politically correct, we have diluted and desecrated the true meaning of Christmas.

  

• Profitable Patience

  Life is normally lived waiting. We wait in lines; a teenager waits for his or her next birthday; we wait for job promotions; we wait for news from the doctor; we wait for the next meal; we wait for our future spouse; we wait for a lawsuit to be settled; we wait for a meeting to conclude; we wait for those who have yet to keep their commitment.

• Personal God

  He is “our God” in the sense that He owns us. We do not own the Almighty. Our actions sometimes dictate to God. We make decisions and then ask Him to bless our mess. Or we don’t make decisions and we ask Him to bless our irresponsibility. Either way, we sometimes try to manage our Master. This is not healthy. It doesn’t work. Our role is not to change God and others so our lives will be better. Our role is to surrender to our Savior Jesus, asking Him to change us.

• Fruit of Self-Control

  Self-control is the temperate fruit that blossoms on the vine of the Spirit. It uses the gasoline of grace to govern the engine of a disciple’s activity. Proper self-control is Spirit control, since the flesh can be determined and disciplined without the horsepower of the Holy Spirit. Spirit-led self-control bows to no ego—it only surrenders to Christ. It is free from the desires and whims of the flesh. The body is a good servant, but a poor master.