In today’s devotional, we are finishing our evaluation of the criteria listed out in Philippians 4:8 to keep in step with the Spirit. Philippians 4:8 says “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Lovely - Does what you think about qualify as lovely? Would your inward desires and medit

What kind of Christian are you? Or a better question would be, what kind of Christian do outsiders consider you to be? In this week’s edition of The RAM Blog, we are exploring an idea that came to my mind within the last few weeks. I call it the 5C Christians. FYI: This idea is still pretty raw, but I would like to flush it out more for a potential video in the future. For the sake of this blog edition, I will be simply outlining what these 5Cs are. I should also note that wh

As a continuation of last week’s devotional, we are discussing what it looks like to keep in step with the Spirit. We already know the attributes of one who lives a life controlled by the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 says “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” So today, we are looking at Philippians 4:8 as a criteria by which we can decipher if our th

Today, I am trying something a little different. This is the first ever RAM Blog. Its purpose is for me to share some personal thoughts I have on the subject of Christianity, Biblical studies, and culture in general. Whether this series will continue or not is yet to be determined. What I wanted to talk about today is something that has come up in my personal Bible study. It comes from Romans 13:14 which says “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the fl

Everything in the life of a Christian comes down to a battle between two opposing forces. On one side of the arena we have the Spirit, pushing us to live a life that reflects our Savior, Jesus Christ. This Spirit from which we were sealed (Ephesians 1:13), when we put our faith in Christ, is in the process of transforming us into the image of Christ. Philippians 1:6 says “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jes

Rest is defined as a “bodily state characterized by minimal functional and metabolic activities.” Metabolic activities are those simple activities that keep your body continually going, active, and living. Rest is also characterized as a freedom from work or labor. Rest is taking time to do nothing and letting your body slow down. “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken” – Psalm 62:

Have you ever said to your children, “Sit still and be quiet?” Maybe you were at church, or you were trying to get them to listen to you. Children are easily distracted and getting them to pay attention can be frustrating. We have a heavenly Father, and as believers we are his children. We have the same problem we had as children, listening and paying attention to what our Father is trying to tell us. Psalm 38:15 “But for you, O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who

I know my Redeemer lives! That is the beginning of a song written by Samuel Medley, and oh what a truth it is! But what even is a redeemer? “A redeemer is someone entrusted with securing one’s release from oppression, harm, evil, enslavement, or some other binding obligation.” (gotquestions.org) We see a picture of a redeemer in the book of Ruth. Boaz redeemers Ruth in chapter 4, and then He takes her to be his wife where they have a son named Obed, the Father of Jesse, the F

Jesus is our anchor. An anchor is a large metal device, usually in the form of a hook, that sailors throw into the sea attached to their ship in order to hold themselves in place amidst the raging ocean. “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” - Isaiah 41:13 “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” - Colossians 1:17 Jesus holds us in place. The anchor is often seen as an immovable pie

He That is Faithful in Little… There is no job that is small, or of little significance, in the sight of God. You might have felt this in your own life; I’ve felt it lately myself. It seems like my task is insignificant and does nothing to further God’s kingdom, which is the kind of task I want to be a part of. However, someone told me that there are no “just” jobs in God’s eyes, and that changed the way I look at things. If God gives you something to sweep, sweep it for His