In the early church, some believers struggled with the idea of eating meat sacrificed to false gods, so Paul encouraged Christians to support one another. In the house of a brother who does not want to eat meat, abstain. When inviting a sister in Christ who is vegetarian so she will not eat meat sacrificed to idols, do not place the temptation in f

What Happened to Simon of Cyrene after the Resurrection?Scripture makes no direct mention of Simon of Cyrene after the Resurrection. Tradition states Simon went to Egypt and shared the Gospel. After that, according to the apocryphal Acts of Simon and Judas, Simon was martyred in 100 A.D by being cut in half with a saw.Cyrenians, however, are mentio

What Is Virtue? The Merriam Webster Dictionary definition for virtue reads, “conformity to a standard of right; a particular moral excellence; a beneficial quality or power of a thing; strength or courage; a commendable quality or trait; a capacity to act.” Some Synonyms listed are: distinction, grace, merit, potency, valor, and value. So, accordin

Hospitality: Making people feel welcome, appreciated, and wanted (1 Peter 4:9 NIV)Do you recognize your gift? Do you see more than one area where you feel gifted? Are you a Sunday School teacher, an Elder or Deacon in your church, a volunteer in the church office, or do you serve on the church prayer committee? Do you pray for others? These are dif

What Does the Bible Say about Forgiveness? There are a great many Bible verses about forgiveness. Let’s look at a few that speak about people forgiving people.Proverbs 10:12 – “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.”Proverbs 17:9 – “Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.”Genesis 50:

How Can We Get Off the Path that Seems Right to Man?Psalm 139:23-24 suggests we surrender our lives to God. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. These are directions for God to lead and us to follow.The Good Shepherd leads Christians th

Why and How Should You Pray for Wisdom? Because God’s thoughts and ways are not our thoughts and ways (Isaiah 55:8-9), it’s important to pray that God will teach us how to live (Psalm 25:4-5). The godless wisdom of this world is considered foolishness in God’s sight. Proverbs 8:5 tells us to set our hearts on prudence—wise, good sense—so we will no

After Jesus slips away in the crowded streets of Jerusalem, Jewish people admonish the no-longer lame man for carrying his mat on the Sabbath. The walking man says, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk’ (John 5:8). At this point in the Gospel story, the healed man cannot tell other Jews who healed him; he doesn’t know Je

When the Stakes Are High, We Must Be Diligent to Remain Undistracted In 1 Corinthians 11:2-3, Paul wrote passionately to the believers in Corinth about this very topic: “For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent dec

1. Be Willing to Pray for Them … and Actually Do It It is kind of seen as the quintessential statement that every Christian has uttered at least once. When people say they need prayer or have opened up about a hardship in their lives, we may be quick to say, “I’ll be praying for you.”However, sometimes as much as we want to remember to pray for tha

Why Memorize Scripture? Scripture memorization sounds like one of those things we were forced to do as children, and are glad to be away from now as adults. But rather than viewing it as a chore, we should rejoice to have access to the Holy Word of God whenever we want it! Further, memorizing Bible verses isn’t something we do as a chore, or to sho

He’s also displeased with their sacrifices, which aren’t truly sacrificial at all, for they are made in comfort under the shade.And in the end, God says, “A whirlwind will sweep them away, and their sacrifices will bring them shame” (Hosea 4:19).Why Was There a Lack of Knowledge?The people lack knowledge for two reasons: one, the priests aren’t gui

What Is Vanity? There are two key definitions of the word vanity, and I will refer to dictionary.com for these definitions.1 - Excessive pride in one's appearance, qualities, abilities, achievements2 - Lack of real value; hollowness; worthlessnessWhen the Bible speaks about vanity, it is usually referring to one of these two definitions. The contex

You probably know many unbelievers in your own personal life. Each time you share the gospel or model a biblical truth, you are making the opportunity count. We are told unbelievers are blinded to the truth because of Satan and his lies.The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that di

Doing everything in love results in believers choosing righteousness and leaving behind sinfulness. Doing everything in love is not about being a doormat, rather this means that we will be more like Jesus--patient, kind, and humble.At times, doing everything in love means we may have to do hard or undesirable things for the good of others or to fur

We also see a shield used as something that hides (Exodus 27:1, Exodus 30:6, Exodus 35:15, etc.). A shield covers, this moves me to think about Psalm 91:1-2, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’”The concept of the s

A Prayer for Peace with Family MembersFather God,The conflict in my family is tearing at the most painful places. Again and again, I’ve prayed for your will to be done, but I have grown weary. Bitterness, anger, and pride seem to step in the way of reconciliation, and I no longer know what to say to this one I love so dearly.Lord, we need your shal

1. Purchase a Journal That Makes You Smile Yes, you read that right. If you want to stay consistent, it helps if you have a journal that you want to open. One of my favorite journals has one Bible verse on each page. This is a help for me because even on my hardest days when I feel unmotivated to read or journal, I have something on the page that g

7. Bethlehem was the place where lambs were raised for temple sacrificeBecause the fields surrounding Bethlehem were a short distance from the Temple, they were designated as holy pastures for raising sacrificial lambs. At Migdal Eder, the Tower of the Flock, generations of shepherds tended their lambs. According to Exodus 29:38-46, two lambs had t

“’Have faith in God,’ Jesus answered. ‘Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours’” (Mark 11