Growing in the Lord & Walking in the Spirit

There are so many views & opinions on what Christians should do with Halloween. Simplifying the two sides, one Christian side will argue that the point of Halloween is dressing up and wearing funny costumes and getting candy out of it. The second side will argue that participating in any Halloween activities is interacting with the devil (Satan) and demonic activity. Both sides have valid points. Both sides seem to have a biblical worldview to back up their answers. But there seems to be some missing pieces in the puzzle. I asked some of my friends & some of you to explain what you believed on this issue, and I received some variety of answers. I don’t know why this came as a surprise to me, but many people including my friends were of the mindset that if we Christians have the right intentions and still dress modestly, that there is nothing wrong with trick-or-treating in the honor of Halloween. Some people explained that it could be viewed in the same light as fantasy- there ...

Most Christians have heard a time or two before that we are supposed to give our all and our best to God. This can be rooted in verses like Colossians 3:17 or 1 Corinthians 10:31, which command us to do everything as if we are doing it solely for the Lord. This would imply that we are doing above and beyond the expectations of humans. The holy God that we serve is worth more than the results that we give to fellow fallen human beings. And I do not disagree. But, always striving to do the best that we know how to will get dangerous. With the mindset that everything we do needs to be at a level that is inhumane will lead to high expectations of self and always follow with self-disappointment. This also often leads to perfectionism. This perfectionism, striving that everything will be perfect, leads many to shut down and miss opportunities to serve because they are scared that it will not meet their own expectations or the expectations of others. On the other hand, there are those who un...

 “They will know we our Christians by our love.” (John 13:35). Man, the Word of God, the Bible, has powerful messages. This one always stands out to me. We, as Christians, want to reflect Christ from when he was on earth as well as honor God from where He reigns in heaven right now. But we also want to live our lives according to the directions in Scripture through everything we do. Yet so many people like to twist the scripture. Some do it on purpose (false teachers) and some don’t realize that they are being swayed against something that goes against the intended meaning of the Bible (2 Timothy 3:6). Protestant and Catholic Christians are at each other’s throats about whether we should worship Mary. Christian’s pit against each other for political issues. So many Christians have different views on how worship should be conducted. Sadly, the list of issues goes on and on. I agree, I think that if we see someone who is living in sin or misinterpreting something that should be addre...