Staff/Lifeway Christian Resources

My daughter, who loves to bake, told me how she makes her old-fashioned chocolate cake: “Flour, cocoa, butter, buttermilk, sugar, etc. Oh, and one-eighth teaspoon of salt.” Why use salt in sweet cake? Turns out, salt is necessary for the cake to taste how it should.

When our lives or our environments are in disarray, we want restoration. We like things that are complete and at peace. Thankfully, God wants that for us as well, and He is the only One who can provide it.

Before we identify our spiritual gifts and exercise them to build up the body of Christ, we should understand where spiritual gifts come from. The equipping of the saints for ministry fulfills a promise given by God in the Old Testament through the prophet Joel, who declared that one day the Spirit of God would be poured out on His people.

God cares for and values every person regardless of age, nationality, ethnicity or social status. Should followers of Jesus do the same? And if so, how should that care and sentiment look in action?

C.S. Lewis, author of “Mere Christianity” and “The Chronicles of Narnia,” was once a staunch atheist. Over time, through Christian friends and intellects as well as his research and soul-searching, Lewis began to doubt his ironclad atheism.

Because life tends to head toward decay, we are in the constant work of restoration, whether restoration of our house or car through painting and construction, restoration of our youthfulness through skin treatments, or restoration of estranged relationships through communication.

The Holy Spirit does more than help us understand Scripture, but also softens our hearts to help us apply Scripture properly.

Modern Christianity has adopted the idea of “faking fine,” meaning things will be okay if we pretend they are. But we live in a fallen, sinful world where things aren’t perfect and trials happen.

The world is full of people and ideologies longing for our allegiance. But as believers, God wants us to obey Him above all else. He rewards us with godly wisdom when we follow Him, even when it’s difficult.

None of us enjoy problems. We imagine that a life free from trouble would bring us peace and happiness. Yet, life doesn’t work that way. Problems are an inescapable part of our human experience.