Faith

Certainty and faith, fear and calling – the story of Saul’s transformation and encounter with Jesus has it all. The perspectives of Saul and Ananias give a great challenge for today’s church in regard to the mindsets of religion.

If we long to encounter God, or simply encounter him anew, where do we start? The story of Moses glimpsing the “back” of God offers us a key to the door of this mystery.

The final feast of Esther is a culmination of the entire story: a two-day festival devoted to the sheer joy of divine deliverance. We learn a deep truth here—that celebrations are just different on the other side of salvation.

In these final words of the New Testament’s first book we find the reaction was mixed when the disciples saw Jesus. Some doubted. Others worshiped him. Instead of scolding the skeptical, Jesus instead cast his vision for the future–a vision that’s not only comprehensive but captivating.

It should have taken them less than two weeks. Instead it took 40 years. What can we learn from Israel’s 40 years wandering in the wilderness?

The “Fruit of the Spirit” is not a moral, to-do list, but a pastoral reminder of what life lived with God’s Spirit will look like. Pray these words just as we practice these truths.