Spirit Led Living

The contrast between old and new runs throughout Scripture like a golden thread, weaving together God's redemptive plan for humanity. Nowhere is this more powerfully illustrated than in the comparison between the old covenant established through Moses and the new covenant inaugurated through Jesus Christ. The Old Covenant: A Shadow of Things to Come Under the old covenant, the Israelites lived with a complex system of laws, rituals, and sacrifices. Every year on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would enter the Most Holy Place with the blood of animals to make atonement for the sins of the people. This annual ritual served as a constant reminder that sin required a price—and that price was blood. The tabernacle itself was filled with symbolic objects: the lampstand, the table with the bread of the presence, the golden altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant containing the golden urn of manna, Aaron's staff that budded, and the tablets bearing the Ten Commandments. Eac...

  There's something profoundly transformative about understanding who we really are. Not who the world says we are, not who our circumstances suggest we might be, but who God declares us to be. The apostle Peter gives us a stunning revelation of our true identity: "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." A royal priesthood. Let that sink in for a moment. You are royalty. You serve the living God. This isn't just poetic language or spiritual hyperbole—it's the reality of what happened when you placed your faith in Christ. The Mystery of Melchizedek To understand the depth of this calling, we need to explore one of Scripture's most mysterious figures: Melchizedek. This enigmatic priest-king appears briefly in Genesis 14, mentioned again in Psalm 110, and then becomes central to the theological argument in Hebrews 7....

  There's a profound difference between doing something  for  someone and doing something  with  them. This distinction becomes especially critical when we consider how we engage with those experiencing poverty, homelessness, or hardship. The way we approach ministry to those in need reveals not just our compassion, but our understanding of human dignity and the very heart of the Gospel. The Walmart Parking Lot: A Tale of Two Approaches Imagine encountering a family living in their car at a Walmart parking lot. A mother, father, and children clearly struggling to meet their basic needs. Your heart is moved, and you feel called to help. What happens next matters more than you might think. The first approach seems straightforward: ask what they need, go into the store, purchase everything on their list, and deliver it to them. Mission accomplished, right? You've met their needs, they're grateful, and you feel good about helping. But consider what just happened ben...