Looking Towards Home

What does it mean to be adopted by God?

Neil Goodman — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 22:00:25 +0000

When we read all the blessings we have received in the Bible it can seem too good to be true, were not for the fact that we can trust God and everything He says.

Being adopted by God means that we are accepted into His family, we have been given the name of Christ and have a new inheritance and the promise that God will always care for us.

As you read these Bible verses in the Christian book Letters from Home, see how much God, our Father in Heaven, loves us, how much He has given us and think about what you can do today to bring glory to God and the family you have been adopted into.

How wonderful it is to be adopted by God!

Neil Goodman — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 22:00:23 +0000

The Bible tells us that we have been adopted by God. What a great expression of God’s love for us it is that, even though He knows all our faults and all the things we have and will ever do wrong, He personally chose us to be a part of His family.

As you read this excerpt from the Christian book Letters from Home, marvel in the love that our Father must have for us and consider the wonderful truth that, as we are children of God, the only begotten Son of God Himself, Jesus, has accepted us as His very own siblings.

Hurt No More! A Journey of Healing from Abuse

Neil Goodman — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 22:00:26 +0000

This is the first in a series of posts intended to highlight the lives and work of our fellow Christians, our brothers and sisters, and what they are doing around the world.

Kelly Ann Evers is the founder of several charities providing support and assistance to victims of domestic violence and abuse in 82 countries around the world. A survivor of domestic abuse herself, Kelly has recently written a book sharing her experiences and which illustrates how others can follow the same steps toward complete emotional, physical and spiritual healing.

Kelly has kindly allowed me to interview her for the first in this series of posts intended to help us to get to know God’s global family better.

We should get to know our family better, for they are the Body of Christ itself!

Share your story with our global Christian family

Neil Goodman — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 22:00:24 +0000

We all like to receive news from our family, how they are feeling and what they are doing. This is especially the case if we do not live near to them. The Bible tells us that, as Christians, we are all sons and daughters of God, adopted into the same family.

We are all the brothers and sisters of each other, with God Himself as our Heavenly Father.

I have been thinking about the possible directions Looking Towards Home could take and, instead of focussing solely on my own thoughts and experiences, how about if this website shared more about the lives of other people in God’s family?

You can share your story here and these posts, which I’ll call Our Global Family, can be your part of Looking Towards Home, where you can let your family know what you are doing, how you are feeling, what needs you have and what has made you happy, sad, frustrated or exhilarated.

So, let’s reach out to each other. Let’s find out what our family is doing all around the world. Tell me your story and I’ll publish it and share it here.

We have been chosen by God – thank You, Father!

Neil Goodman — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 22:00:40 +0000

A wonderful truth in the Bible is that we are chosen by God to be a part of His family. Our Father has displayed his infinite love for us by providing a way that we can be saved from our sins and the separation from Him that these cause.

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ paved the way for a universal salvation – an offer of salvation that is available to everyone. But this salvation is conditional on the fact that we must first accept His offer of being saved.

Our Father in His foreknowledge knows exactly how each of us would respond and actively chose those who accepted His offer and elected them to salvation.

As you read this excerpt from the Christian book Letters from Home, consider how wonderful it is that the Almighty Creator and Redeemer of the universe loves us so much that He chose us to become His sons and daughters and enter His family.

God is the greatest Gift. Why don’t more people accept You?

Neil Goodman — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 22:00:29 +0000

In the previous excerpt from the Christian book Letters from Home we saw the many gifts the Holy Spirit gives us. Of all the gifts that God lavishes on us, the Gift of Himself is the greatest Gift of all.

Through our belief in the sacrifice of God’s only Son, the Father gives us His Holy Spirit to live with us, to teach, guide and empower us. This blessing of the Holy Trinity, God’s Gift to us, transforms our life, but there are many people who do not care about God and will not accept His Gift. Why is this?

The Holy Spirit: 8 Bible questions answered

Neil Goodman — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 22:00:32 +0000

The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. Through the Holy Spirit God created the heavens and the earth and through the presence of the Spirit in our hearts and lives God continues to work in the world today.

It is the Holy Spirit who leads us to Christ and salvation.

It is the Holy Spirit who sanctifies us and makes us ever holier and useful to God.

It is the Holy Spirit who seals our redemption and gives us the guarantee that we are children of God.

Here we review the questions we have answered so far in our study of the Holy Spirit.

What are the gifts of the Spirit?

Neil Goodman — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 22:00:11 +0000

The gifts of the Spirit are given by God for us to use in our service towards our brothers and sisters and greater mankind.

The Bible tells us that all the children of God make up the Body of Christ on earth. This is an important concept to understand because it is through us that God wants to work to achieve His goals.

Everyone is unique in their abilities and what they are able to do well. As you read this excerpt from Letters from Home ask God for these good gifts and ask yourself what you are already good at doing and what you are able to do for God to build up His church.

What is the best way to study the Bible and apply it in my life?

Neil Goodman — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 22:01:29 +0000

The best way to study the Bible and apply it to our lives is to listen to our Teacher – the Holy Spirit within us.

The Holy Spirit inspired the Bible and God has promised that the Author Himself will explain it to us One on one. The Holy Spirit within us teaches us the truth and transforms our Bible Study into an exciting exploration that is forever new.

Through the Holy Spirit in our lives we are taught the truth and we are able to produce good works for God. The good works we are to aim for are the fruit of the Spirit and this fruit is love, joy, peace, patience and everything that is good.

In this excerpt from the Christian book Letters from Home, read how our Father explains the best way to study the Scriptures and apply them to our lives to produce good fruit for the glory of God.

What does it mean to live a Spirit-filled life?

Neil Goodman — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 22:05:05 +0000

When you became a Christian the Holy Spirit came into your life and filled you. This is a basic truth because the Bible says that if we do not have the Spirit, then we do not belong to Christ.

It is the Spirit of Christ that seals our redemption and gives us the guarantee that we belong to Him. However, we can also have special and separate ‘fillings’ of the Holy Spirit in order to accomplish special tasks and live in a powerful way.

By being continually filled with the Holy Spirit we can live a life under the control of the Spirit, which empowers us to live as Christ has directed us.

As you read this excerpt from the Christian book Letters from Home, be encouraged by the power available to live a godly and Spirit-filled life.