Fellowship and community are incredible gifts from God. He not only offers us relationship with himself but with each other. As we rounded up inspiration for this week’s Take Five, we were struck by the ways in which we can love God and each other every day – through leadership, prayer, honesty and obedience. May these links inspire you as well!

“This year, something struck me over, and over, and over again. It’s how Paul talks to people about prayer. And it’s not that he doesn’t say he is praying for them. Actually, he says it in almost every letter. What caught my attention is that he tells people exactly what he is praying for them.” Keep reading here. 

Culture of Grace

CULTURE OF GRACE – ANDREW BELL from Trinity Grace Church on Vimeo.

“God has given us commands. Laws, if you will. And many times – just like with marriage and our country’s laws – we don’t like the way they feel. And if we don’t like the way they feel, then we think they must not be right. But the most helpful thing to remember when we don’t feel good about a command God has given us is to remember this: God’s commands are for our joy.” Finish the post here. 

“God knows each of our stories. He knows each and every ache and sorrow. He hears the deepest cries of our heart. The story of Easter is God’s response to the stories of pain that we all share.

The wonder of it all pierces my heart; God becoming man and dying for me?” Keep reading here. 

“…we’ll never lead anyone to the truth unless we learn how to become good leaders, and leaders, by definition, have followers. It’s really as simple as that. You may not consider yourself much of a leader, but I bet someone is looking to you for answers in some aspect of your life.” Finish reading here.

Read an earlier Take 5 post here

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

Kindness is the medium through which Christ’s love becomes real and tangible to others. It is practicing sympathy, identification, benevolence and a loving attitude towards others.  Because God is tender with us, we are tenderhearted to those who are in need, are weak, or can never help us. Kindness shows the world that we are a real Christian, like fragrance coming from a flower. Kindness means responding with righteousness and thoughtful consideration no matter how people treat us or whether they deserve it.

The opposite of kindness is cruelty and spitefulness

If we do not see how Jesus cares for us, we will not care for what He cares for. We will be mean and hold grudges, the opposite of His character. God created us for relationships, and when we ignore this, we fail to live our lives as witnesses for Him. We live in a world that accepts cruelty as being cool, but regardless of culture, the Christian is called to be like Jesus, and that means embracing kindness and caring.

Kindness is not always being accepting, liberal, or open-minded. These are adjectives that culture has put forth; it is important to understand that we should not accept everything; we are not called to open our minds to everything. Instead, kindness is thoughtful consideration to one another—love that encompasses empathy, compassion and goodwill action with discernment.  We are called to be kind to enemies (Luke 6:34-35), to strangers (Lev. 19:34), to family (Duet. 22:1) and to outcasts (Life of Jesus).

Kindness is not something we confront, it is something we proclaim.

The Fruit of the Spirit is Goodness

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12

Goodness is the engagement and application of love! It is God’s righteousness being exhibited in us to show our moral excellence in action. It displays integrity, honesty and compassion to others and allows us to do the right thing. Goodness takes our virtue and excellence that Christ empowers us with and models it to others in the action of love.  It is doing the right thing even when it does not feel like it.

Goodness is the display case of Christ and His love in us. This means we are transformed and renewed, as we live out the Gospel. It is the love and grace in our lives first transforming us so we can be used in the lives of others.  It comes without pretention or pride, rather in joy, manifesting the goodness and character of Christ so we are relevant, relatable, and contagious for God and Church.

The opposite of goodness is badness, cruelty, and evil.

When we are not right with God, we become the opposite of His will. We become ruthless, to the point of depravity and debauchery. When we fight against each other especially in the church, you see how hurtful and even pathetic it is in God’s eyes!

Goodness is the application of true love. Being good will help us be patient, kind, understanding and forgiving to others. It will be the fruit that helps us build each other up, build His Church, reach His community and restore relationships.

Goodness is the character trait that makes people liked and even lovable by others. It is attractive and alluring, that catches people’s attention and respect. This is the quintessential element that attracts people to you and keeps friendships healthy. It builds marriages and shows God’s love to others around us. It is virtue in action; it is being a role model and putting into practice excellence in all that we do. Goodness enables us to be liked and enjoyed, even if an enemy comes against us (Prov. 25:22). It is the taste of what is to come, the flavor of how we are to be (Psalm 34:8; 119:103). It is our expression of worship and gratitude to Christ played out in our lives, so we can enjoy Him and He can enjoy us, and so that life can be more enjoyable for all.

Are these Fruits of the Spirit – Kindness and Goodness – in you?

Ask yourself:

1. How do I exhibit kindness and goodness in my daily life?
2. What can I do to develop a more good and kind attitude?
3. What blocks kindness and goodness from being expressed in me?
4. How can I ask God for the strength to be kind as He is?
5. How can I depend on God to give me His goodness?

Read an earlier post in this series here. 

“Tweetables-

• Goodness is the application of true love. [Click to Tweet]
  
• Kindness is not always being accepting, liberal, or open-minded. [Click to Tweet]

She was new in town and famous in her own way. As an author, professor, and a leader in compassion ministries, this gifted woman was well known. But I wondered if she could use a friend. I knew from experience the loneliness of relocating, so I invited her to join me for lunch. “You don’t know me, but I would like to treat you to a meal and welcome you to our community,” I e-mailed. We had mutual acquaintances, so I must have seemed safe. She accepted.

On the way to the restaurant I made a mental list of questions and topics that would put this stranger at ease. Even though her expertise was in my ministry field, and lately I had been confused and discouraged about my own involvement in the church, I reminded myself to keep the conversation off of me.  With a quick prayer that God would lead our time, I pushed open the doors, and there she was, looking exactly like her website photo. After a cordial greeting, we were seated and had just ordered two iced herbal teas when this impressive woman looked me in the eye and took control. “Tell me about you,” she invited.

My prepared list of topics didn’t include me. I stammered through a brief synopsis of my life and she calmly nudged me deeper. I was appalled to hear my unfiltered angst seep into my babbling. I don’t know what God expects, he should have made me different, and if only I were anyone but the person I am. My temperament prevents me, my upbringing hurts me, I would choose a new path, but I fear it’s too late. I’m too old, I’m too young, I’m in the wrong setting, it’s clear God’s confused me with somebody else!

After listening for a while, she held up her hand. I shut my mouth, and looked with longing at the door. But my lunch companion nodded and smiled as if to say, “I know.”

She leaned across the table and dealt a kind but decisive blow. “I always think the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25 is especially pertinent to women.”

That one innocent statement turned my day upside down. Later, in the quiet of my empty home, I opened the Bible to Matthew 25:14: “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money”(ESV).

When the master returned, the first and second servants were each commended. “Well-done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.”

In light of my recent lament, still fresh in my mind, the third servant’s story made my heart sink. Why did he choose to dig a hole and hide the talent instead of doing what the master told him to do? Was it fear of failure? Did he compare his one talent to the fistful given to others? The servant met the master at the door not with a return on his investment, but with excuses and blame. “You wicked and slothful servant!” was the master’s outraged reply.

I stared for a moment out the window, bewildered and close to tears. Why is Jesus so hard on the one who merely played it safe? I turned back a page and read the parable again, determined to understand. Parables use language intended to shock, to blow away the fog of self-delusion from our eyes. Jesus is not saying we are judged by our performance. The rest of the Bible makes it clear we don’t earn God’s acceptance by our works. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV).

How do we invest our lives?

The parable of the talents doesn’t teach us how to be saved, but reminds us, with salvation comes the privilege and responsibility to invest the precious life we’ve been given to bring God’s love and light to the world.

Am I faithful to that trust, or do I live as if nothing matters? The word “talent” used in the parable refers to money—in the time of Jesus even one talent had enormous value, worth about twenty years worth of wages. The last servant had no good reason to complain about the master or compare his amount with the others. Neither do I.

I closed my Bible, sat in silence before God, and mentally tore up my excuses. “Whatever you ask, I will do. Wherever you lead, I will follow,” I promised.

I look back on that lunch and know God was with us at the table. He was preparing me for new adventures he had already planned, if only I would stop digging holes. “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT).

What excuses have you used, what fears block the way, what past mistakes keep you hiding your talents?

Janet writes devotionals for the Narrow Way every week. Sign up here and read more from her each week.

Righteousness, forgiveness, not being judgmental and accepting God’s love are all nearly impossible for us to accomplish without God‘s grace and transforming power in our lives. This week, we’re focusing on the changes that his love has brought to our hearts, and the salvation that only Jesus offers. We hope that this collection of media from around the web is an encouragement to you!

If you’d like, share with us a story about your relationship with God in the comments. We’d love to hear about how you are growing in your faith, or help answer any questions you may have about Jesus and his grace.

“I tried something different this time. I prayed and I asked Jesus to help me forgive. Before, I’ve kept these things from Him, not given Him access to this part of my life. Not this time. Not now. I want all of Him in all of my life.” Keep reading here. 

“We all live by some meta-narrative. We can’t help but try to make sense of our lives. We don’t just live life or experience reality, we constantly interpret it. We all believe in a salvation story.” Finish the article here.

“…the study pierced my own heart, forcing me to ask one of the toughest questions we ever have to ask ourselves, In what areas of my life am I more like the Pharisees than Jesus?” Keep reading here.

Do you need to reach out to Jesus today, or tell a friend about him? Maybe this video will help.

“C. S. Lewis’s earliest biographers, Roger Lancelyn Green and Walter Hooper, wrote that if they were going to a desert island and could take only one Lewis book, it would probably be Mere Christianity.” Keep reading here. 

Read an earlier Take 5 post here.

“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:13-14

These two verses have been my hope in this season of life lately.

Understand, the last two years of life for my family have been hard. In fact, if I look back over 17 years of marriage, the last 48 months have been the hardest ever. A little less than three years ago, we lost our home. A casualty of the burst housing bubble, we packed up and moved from our little community that we loved to a place of stark suburban sameness. For the next two years, we tried to find our footing in a new place that we hoped could be an Eden but ended up a desert.

Sometimes life simply is a desert, I’ve learned. It’s sandy and thirsty and even the most devoted of lovers of Jesus can begin to doubt His goodness.

I entered into two years of doubting the goodness of God, two years of wondering if He really has good things in store for me, and two years of resigning myself to the fact that the desert might in fact be the reality.

What I didn’t understand was that the desert is only a season. [Tweet this] God is good even when we cannot taste it. God is good even when it’s hard to see through gritty, dirt-swept eyes. God is good even when there is no water to quench the thirst.

So now, as I’m emerging from a desert season, from a season of doubt, I still find myself wondering if God is truly good like he says He is.

We moved again. For our sanity, our family and our marriage, and into a community that is closer to our people. A few months ago as I lay in our bed for the first night in this new house I began to weep.

“Why do you give me such good things, Lord?”

There is nothing I’ve done to deserve such gifts. It was there on my bed that I realized that I don’t understand God’s goodness. It was there on my bed that He gave me this Psalm.

“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:13-14

I am good. He was saying to me. I am good and I have always been good, even when you cannot see it. Wait for Me. [Tweet this]

Slowly and quietly, He’s been walking me through His goodness over the past weeks. Slowly because He knows I’m slow to trust and quietly because He knows I need time to think. But oh, so surely, He’s been showing me His goodness in small bits and in words and hugs from sisters and friends.

So I wait.

Because God is good. All the time. 

Sarah Markley is the mother of two daughters and a wife to an amazing husband of seventeen years. She’s been writing all her life but has been blogging for the last six and a half. She writes regularly for A Deeper Church and is a staff writer for {in}courage.me. Sarah loves extravagant grace, second chances and knows firsthand what it’s like living in a post-crisis marriage. She is currently working on her first book and is represented by the Don Jacobson Agency. Besides Blackflower and Co Chai tea steeped in almond milk, she loves listening to your story. She blogs nearly daily at www.sarahmarkley.com.

There are many things we can be afraid of in the world, but should we give in to that fear? Some fears are healthy, but some can cause us to limit our gifts and give in to cowardice. Fred encourages us through Biblical truth and wise counsel to give our unhealthy fears over to God. After all, we know that nothing can separate us from the love of God!

Email Subscribers listen here

Check out an earlier podcast by Fred here

During a high school youth group meeting, we did an activity that involved saying nice things about the other people in our small group. I was shocked when one of the other girls said, “Amy, you just seem like you have it all together.”

I didn’t know what to say, and I can’t remember how I responded. But I remember how surprised I was because it was so far from the truth. For one thing, I had the same insecurities and hang-ups as all the other adolescent girls in that room. But what had really thrown me far from “having it all together” was that schizophrenia had come to our home, without even bothering to knock, and settled in for a long stay.

My mom had exhibited some signs of mental illness for as long as I had been around, but when I was 14, a period of extraordinary stress pushed her symptoms to the forefront and during my teenage years, Mom cycled through hospital stays and medications, delusions and hallucinations, while the rest of us tried to understand what was happening and pretend it wasn’t happening at the same time. When my friend complimented me, I realized no one could see my pain and confusion.

I kept quiet about Mom’s illness because I didn’t understand it well enough to explain it, I knew people didn’t talk about that kind of thing, and I desperately wanted to be normal. I had never heard a sermon that mentioned mental illness. I had never heard anyone suggest that people affected by mental illness still have a place in God’s purposes.

Since then, I’ve learned some important things about mental illness. If you’re suffering because you or a loved one has a mental illness, I’d like you to know these things too:

Mental illnesses are real medical conditions…they can be treated. 

• Mental illnesses are real medical conditions, caused by biological and environmental factors, they can be treated. [Tweet this] Some treatments are up to 90% effective. As with many other medical conditions, successful treatment doesn’t necessarily mean the illness is cured, but therapy and medications can help people manage their disorders and live well.

You are not alone.

• No matter what you feel, you’re not alone. Each year, more than 25% of adults in the United States suffer from a diagnosable mental illness. [Tweet this] Mental illness is quite common. In fact, it’s about equal to the total percentage of people diagnosed with cancer each year, people with heart disease and diabetes, and everyone infected with HIV and AIDS—combined! although many people don’t talk about their experiences with mental illness, you are literally surrounded by others who can relate to your suffering.

God hasn’t abandoned you.

•  In Romans 8:35-38, the apostle Paul, who suffered tremendously, asked, “Does it mean [God] no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?” His answer: No! He went on to write that nothing, “not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.” Mental illness can feel like an attack from hell itself, but regardless of how you may feel, it cannot drive God away from you, and abandonment is not in God’s nature.

God has not broken his promises to you.

•  Despite what our culture may suggest, comfort, happiness, and perfect health are not our natural state. God has not promised them to us in this life, and he doesn’t owe us anything. In fact, humanity forfeited our claim on a perfect world in the beginning, when we chose to reject God’s rule—and we have been making this choice ever since. Jesus didn’t promise us health in this life, and in fact, he guaranteed us we would suffer: “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows” (John 16:33). Suffering is not unusual and should not surprise us. What is shocking is that despite our sorry condition, we have hope. “But take heart,” Jesus said, “because I have overcome the world.”

Mental illness is not God’s punishment.

•  We all deserve God’s punishment, and we’re all eligible for the grace he offers instead. When Jesus and his disciples saw a man who had been born with blindness (John 9), his disciples asked, “ ‘Why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?’ ” Jesus told them, “ ‘It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins…This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.’ ” God had a purpose in the man’s suffering, and it wasn’t punishment. [Tweet this]

Mental illness is not a spiritual problem.

• This didn’t happen because you failed to pray enough, you don’t have enough faith, or you don’t read your Bible enough. Mental illness generally is not a spiritual problem (although the mind certainly can affect the spirit, and vice versa). While spiritual practices like prayer and Bible reading can help facilitate and support healing, illnesses (mental and otherwise) require treatment. Besides, God does not hold himself out of reach and demand that we earn his grace or demonstrate that we’re good enough for his healing touch. Jesus asked “all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens” to come to him and “find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). He condemned legalistic religious leaders, “For you crush people with unbearable religious demands, and you never lift a finger to ease the burden” (Luke 11:46). Following Jesus may not be easy, but it’s not a religious burden. If someone is telling you your suffering would end if only you were a better Christian, that message is not from God.

God has a purpose for everyone.

•  Our world tends to marginalize people who suffer from mental illness, disabilities and other conditions. Mental illness may alter the course of a person’s life, but it doesn’t mean that person’s life is no good anymore. Psalm 139 is a beautiful reminder of our value to God, and his attention to the details of our lives. Verse 16 celebrates, “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”  God is not surprised by your suffering, and he wants to use you!

God wants to redeem your suffering.

•  Sometimes this means he’ll use that suffering to make you more like the person he wants you to be. Sometimes it means your suffering will become a way for you to show his love and grace to someone else. Maybe both. You may never realize how God uses what you have been through, but he will—especially as you welcome his work in you. Second Corinthians 4:7-11 tells us our suffering bodies (and your brain is a part of your body) are valuable to God’s work: “Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.” Our bodies are fragile and unadorned, but for Christians they carry the presence of God’s Spirit in this world, “like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.” Mental illness doesn’t change the fact that we are called to represent him in these bodies. And good news for those of us who want to see God’s power work through us: As Christ told the apostle Paul, “My power works best in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

God is a promise keeper.

• Someday we will be remade, and all illness and suffering will cease. Our bodies are temporary and subject to the forces of decay, but someday we will have new bodies (including new brains) that don’t break down. Second Corinthians 5:1-5 describes the contrast between “this earthly tent we live in” and our permanent “house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.” Verse 4 provides a captivating image of what Jesus’ followers will experience someday: “While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life.” Swallowed up by life! Can you imagine how that will feel? The vibrant, unimpeded life we all long for will be ours, and we will have no more reason for groaning.

God has never walked away from my family, and I’m proud and thankful to say that after decades of struggle, Mom is now managing her illness very well. God has graciously done his healing work in me, and I’m no longer ashamed or too confused to talk about what our family has experienced. In fact, I recently wrote a book, Troubled Minds, which shares some of our family’s story and challenges Christians to understand how they can better support people affected by mental illness.

I see evidence of God’s redemption and grace all over my family’s story—even though my mother has not been healed of her disease and we’ll go through plenty more suffering in this life. “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

If you’d like a copy of Troubled Minds, please enter here for a chance to win one of 10 copies that Trochia is giving away to our readers this week!

Amy Simpson is author of Troubled Minds: Mental Illness and the Church’s Mission (InterVarsity Press). She also serves as editor of Christianity Today’s Gifted for Leadership. You can find her at www.AmySimpsonOnline.com  and on Twitter @aresimpson.

Twenty years ago, as a teenage boy, I sat in a school gym and listened to a passionate West Texas preacher expound on various Christian beliefs. I was a Christian, but I was also a teenage boy, so while I was comfortable sitting and listening to his strong raspy voice explain the things of God, my mind also wandered to and fro. Today I can’t recall much of what he said, but I can tell you this: at one point in his sermon, he made an analogy that has stuck with me ever since, and has even been profound in shaping the way I think about the nuanced beliefs of different Christians.  In his deep Texas drawl, he said,

“Boys, Christian beliefs are like two kinds of trees. Oak trees and willow trees. Willow tree beliefs are things like styles of worship, kinds of baptism, or even predestination and free-will. Just like a willow tree, we can flex and bend in the wind, and good, God-fearin’ people can disagree about ‘em. But some beliefs are oak trees. Where they are planted by God, they must stay, never movin’ no matter how hard the wind blows. Oak tree beliefs are ones like the authority of Scripture, the divinity of Christ, salvation by grace alone, and the Holy Trinity.  Them are oak trees – and always will be.”

I’ll never forget that preacher, and I’ll never forget his words.

In this blog series entitled “Why It Matters”, we will be taking a look at some oak trees of Christianity. The goal is not to offer an exhaustive theological explanation of each oak tree tenet. There are many volumes by much more qualified authors that do that already.  Rather, the primary goal is to explore just one reason – among many – why these theological beliefs matter. After all, being able to name our theological beliefs is one thing; being able to think about them and understand why they matter is another.

The Trinity: What it Is

Did you know the word “trinity” is not found in the Bible? How is it then that we believe something that isn’t even mentioned in Scripture?  While the word Trinity is missing in Scripture, the doctrine is not. Contrary to popular belief, the Bible is not solely a book of doctrines about God. The Bible is a story. It’s a narrative that through story-like histories tells us who God is, who we are, and what we are to do about it. In that narrative we find truths, revealed and understood by the power of the Holy Spirit, that become what the Church knows and teaches about God. The Trinity is one of the most important of those beliefs.

To believe in the Trinity is to say that you believe in one God that exists, and has always existed, in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. While each is different and has varying roles, they are equal parts of the whole. God the Father does not act independently of the Son. Jesus, the Son, does not act independently of the Spirit, and the Spirit does not act independently of either Father or Son. So, when Adam and Eve encountered God the Father – when the disciples encountered Jesus – and when you have encountered the Holy Spirit – each was an encounter with the Trinity; the Father, the Son, and the Spirit in one.

The Trinitarian nature of God is seen regularly throughout Scripture. Multiple times in the Old Testament, God is plural. He is the epitome of the “royal we.” When creating men and women God says, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us.” (Genesis 1:26 NLT, emphasis added) God continues to speak of himself as a plural being in response to the Tower of Babel (“Come, let us go down…” – Gen 11:7) and through the words of his prophet Isaiah (“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’” – Isaiah 6:8).

The three persons of our one God are revealed more clearly in the New Testament. In Mark 1:9-11, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit make an appearance at Jesus’ baptism. In John 1:1-5 we are taught that Jesus is the “word made flesh” and was present with the God the Father and the Spirit as he laid the foundations of the world (Gen 1:1-2). Jesus commands his disciples to make new disciples and baptize them “in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” (Matt 28:19-20) This pattern of unified relationship continues as Jesus promises the Holy Spirit (John 14:15-20) and prays (John 17:20-23), as the apostle Paul gives Trinitarian salutations (2 Corinthians 13:14) and writes of Jesus’ divinity (Colossians 1:15-20), and Jesus’ dear friend John begins the Revelation with a greeting in the name of the Trinity (Revelation 1:4-5).

So the Trinity is God in three persons. But so what? The Trinity may be fundamental to Christian belief, but why does it matter?

The Trinity: Why it Matters

My church is currently on a “Life Group” kick. Your church may call them Cell Groups, or Small Groups, or Home Bible Studies, but whatever the name, the concept is the same. A group of people meeting regularly in someone’s home or at church to study Scripture, talk, and pray together. The goal of these small groups is the same as many of the church’s other programs: to build small communities of people in loving relationships. In fact, that’s one of the goals of local churches: worship, Bible studies, outreach teams, groups for youth, young adults, married people and seniors. Each group is designed to facilitate community and any church should stress the need for community and provide ways to build it.

Being involved in loving and serving relationships isn’t an invention of the Church. It’s at the very core of the identity of the God who created the Church.

That is why believing in the Holy Trinity matters. Our belief that God is one God in three persons is a belief that the God of the Bible exists in perfect, loving relationship. He always has, and he always will. So lovingly investing ourselves in others, and allowing them to invest in us, is not just living as God wants us to live, it’s living as God actually lives! Remember in Genesis 1:26, God tells us that we were made in his image, and in Genesis 2:18, he tells us that it’s not good for us to be alone? Put these two truths together and you get a picture of God reflected in his creation – his people bearing his likeness as they live in loving community. Scripture echoes the design for community throughout (Ecclesiastes 4:12, Proverbs 15:22, 18:22, 27:17, John 17:22-23, Acts 2:42).

You’ve heard the phrase, “do what I say, not what I do”, right? The opposite is true with God. God never asks of us that which he hasn’t already done or is not already doing.  He loved us, and tells us to love others. He forgives us, and asks us to follow suit. He exists in community – the Trinity – so he teaches us to live that way too.

God calls us into community, into relationship, not because he thinks it’s good for us, but because he has personally existed in relationship as the Holy Trinity for all eternity past, so he knows it’s good for us.

Believing in the Trinity is a belief about church, about small groups, about marriage and about family. It’s a belief that to live as God lives is the very best way to live. It’s the belief that our happiness is found by entering into a relationship with God and with others.

Why does the doctrine of the Trinity matter? Because in it we see that living in relationship – even though it is difficult and counter-cultural – is the very best way to live. God does it, so why not you?

Trinity: More to Think About

I’ve offered just one reason why the Holy Trinity matters, but there are definitely others. What do you think some of them are?  Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments.

Trinity: Read About It

Book titles for reading about the Trinity….

King’s Cross – Timothy Keller (Chpt 1)

Theology for the Community of God – Stanley J. Grenz – (Chpts 2, 3)

Holy Trinity, Perfect Community – Leonardo Boff

The Holy Trinity and the Law of Three – Cynthia Bourgeault

God For Us: The Trinity and Christian Life – Catherine M. LaCugna

The Trinity and the Kingdom: The Doctrine of God – Jurgen Moltmann

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Our lives are made up of countless decisions: what we do for a living, whom we marry, if we marry, what we do with our free time, whom we befriend, how we manage mistakes and misfortunes. Despite our best efforts, the road can often be rocky and we can find ourselves feeling lonesome and directionless in one or more areas of our lives. However, we can live in hope, knowing that God has given us a unique personality, calling, purpose and even outward appearance for his glory! This week’s Take Five celebrates this truth and gives inspiration, no matter where you are on the journey of life.

“Though work can be hard, this gift of purpose, the value of being part of a worthy cause should come with a measure of rest for our souls, the peace that comes with knowing you are smack in the middle of God’s will for your life.” Finish reading here.

How are you embracing God’s will through your work? Do you feel His pleasure when you do so?

This powerful post is directed at men, but it has a lesson for all of us, as we pursue vocation, calling and God’s plan for us:

“Every man feels within himself a wish factor. We ‘wish’ we would’ve learned the things we know now years ago when we ‘really’ needed this wisdom. We ‘wish’ we hadn’t made some of the mistakes we made in our past. We ‘wish’ we could be doing ‘then’ the things we’re finally getting around to ‘now.’ There’s a wish factor in every man.” Keep reading here. 

This is a powerful post from a well-known author about relationships and the stigma we attach to seeking them:

“If you’re looking at life satisfaction, your marital status will affect you far more than your material status, which is why I think spending just as much time and effort choosing a wife or husband as you do looking and/or preparing for a vocation is a recipe for happiness.” Finish the post here. 

How have you seen God work through your efforts in relationships?

When we talk about a full, healthy life, one that embraces our gifts, talents and callings in obedience to Christ, we can also find ourselves focusing on outward beauty as a sign of our inward health. Is focusing on beauty a danger or a help?

“As image-bearers of God, our gaze should be directed toward the source of that beauty rather than the reflection. We can treat the beautiful as idols, and thus as the endpoint of our gaze. Or we can treat beauty as an icon, the means through which our gaze is directed to God.” Keep reading the article here. 

In this video, Andy Stanley gives a powerful admonition to those of us seeking guidance in our lives, careers and relationships. For more encouragement on this topic, you can also read our series, “Roadmap to God’s Will”.

Check out an earlier Take 5 post here. 

“Lord, drive the other voices from the temple of my heart.” How often have we been distracted by voices other than God’s, that only give confusion and pull us away from his purpose for us? Listen to this poetry podcast today and use it as a prayer for your journey – we all need to be reminded that the most important voice is the still, small whisper of Christ.

Email subscribers click here to listen.

Check out an earlier podcast by Frank here.