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

As Christians, it is Biblical to expect persecution for our belief in Jesus Christ. In Matthew, our Savior gives us a clear picture of this ideology, and in the letter to Timothy, Paul reaffirms it. Matthew 24:9: “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake.” 2 Timothy 3:12: “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” The price for salvation has been paid, but

Communication is a super important part of any Christians walk with God and their fellow Christians. The definition of communication is the process of exchanging information, ideas, thoughts and feelings from one person or group to another. I believe that in every action we can take, there is a way to do it best, well, and righteously. We are to glorify God with everything we do, according to Colossians. Some great Bible verses explaining the importance of correct speech are:

Who is someone that you would want to meet face to face? Is it a sports athlete, a movie star, a business guru, or some other person that would make you excited to meet? If we get excited and even intimidated by meeting people we admire, imagine how we will feel when we see God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, face to face! 1 Corinthians 13:12 “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully

I know I had said that I was done talking about peace, but I'm not done talking about peace! There is at least one more lesson that I think we can draw on peace, so here it is. The lesson about peace today is that as Godly men, it is important for us to try and find a wife that brings us peace or is a peaceful person. Being peaceful is something specific and special to wives that I think is overlooked a lot of times in the Bible. “Your beauty should not come from outward ador

Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Last week we looked at being kind to others, and that kindness is shown in our speech and in our actions. This week we will discuss what it means to be tenderhearted and forgiving. Having a heart that is tender means a heart that is full of compassion and quick to be merciful to others. Christ is the perfect example of this. Often, we see the phrase, “He had compassion

Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” God’s Word has much to say about our relationship to other believers and to those who do not know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. In this devotional let us look at what it means to be “kind to one another.” What ways can we be kind or show kindness in our lives? There are two ways we can demonstrate kindness: speech, whether spoken or written, and actions. In

Psalm 117 says “Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!” What an amazing Savior we have! So often we are carried away by the business of life, consumed with the attractions of this world, and nullified by the effects of sin in our own lives. Yet, we must make the conscious choice to turn our attention and adoration to Christ. Isaiah 26:3-4 says “You keep

Productivity is essential for the christian life. We aren’t made to sit around all day spending our time on nothing of value. God wants us to be working, building, creating, and ultimately imitating His character. God gave us values of creativity, artistic abilities, physical strength, mental strength, and all these things are meant to be used. Whether that’s at a 9-5 job, DIY projects, building a ministry, investing in your church, or anything else, God wants us to work like

I believe this will be my last devotional wrapping up peace. So far I have addressed the need for peace in our lives and the reason we should be peacemakers. Today you will hear about the enemy of our peace and how we can fight back. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” - 1 Peter 5:8 Being devoured doesn’t sound very peaceful to me. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come t

Many Christians likely remember the song Man of Sorrows. The lyrics go like this: Man of sorrows what a name for the Son of God, who came ruined sinners to reclaim: Hallelujah, what a Savior! This phrase Man of Sorrows is seen in the prophecy of Jesus’ death on the cross in Isaiah 53:3-6 which reads: “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he