Ten were rescued, cleansed, and given a brand-new beginning, yet only one ran toward his rescuer with a thankful heart. Only one connected with Christ, and his gratitude kept the bond strong.“Jesus said to the man, ‘Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.’”It does the same for us. When we say “Thank You,” we are really saying to Him, “I realize

In Christianity, God in His mercy reconciles human beings to himself through the work of Jesus Christ.Even within Christianity we can fall into the trap of believing that rituals, high ethical standards, and right practice help us earn our way into God’s presence. Yet all that is required is faith. Hebrews 11:6 reminds us: “And without faith it is

1. Choose to Listen to God’s Words, and Learn from Them In Moses' instructions to the people of Israel before they crossed over the Jordan and into the Promised Land, he commanded the elders of Israel to read the law every seven years: “Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the foreigners residing in your towns—so they can listen and lea

Second Samuel 24:16 shows us where God stays His hand after He sent judgment. God sends pestilence after King David numbered the people. David knew that this was wrong and repented. God gave David a choice of three punishments. There could be seven years of famine, he could flee from his enemies for three months or three days of pestilence. David c

Stay with me here.It was late. And if any of you can remember those late-night classes in college, you may be able to relate. He'd probably come from a hard day's work. Perhaps he was a fisherman or worked at the famous ports of the town—or had another job. Paul was droning on and on and on, and Eutychus just simply couldn't stay awake for one more

The last method, moral, deals with the ethical lessons that come from the Bible, sometimes hidden within the text. For example, it is mentioned how some believe the command in the book of Leviticus to not eat specific animals is because you could also ingest their bad habits as well.How Do We Practice This?There are ways to determine what might be

1. A Prayer for My Unborn Daughter Dear God,Thank you for this baby girl — not yet born, but known and wonderfully designed by You. In Your divine providence, You already have plans for this little girl. I pray You will put a hedge of protection around her in the womb. I pray for the special day You have ordained for her to be born. I ask you to ea

When Did We Start Using Amen to End Prayers, and Why?The Bible gave us our start with including Amen inside passages and concluding prayers, oaths, and affirmations. The Old Testament’s use of the word is likened to the phrase, “so be it,” and it serves as a confirmation of events and words of the Lord as truth. The practice continued in the New Te

The Career Beginner If you are in this stage, then you are just starting out in your career. Maybe you have just finished your education and are ready to take on the world. There is usually lots of optimism in this stage as you are about to embark on what you hope to be a successful career journey.The Career ChangerIf you are in this stage, you hav

Generosity Leads to a Better Life Researchers have determined that the most generous people are generally the least stressed out. They are also the most self-controlled individuals and generally spend the least number of days in the hospital. They are the most committed to showing up at work, and consider this: the data suggests that the most gener

We are wise to listen to them when they tell us how they held on, how they persevered, and what they placed their hopes on. Paul writes in Romans 8:18 NIV, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Even now, across the globe, Christians in places hostile to the gospel can teach us h

Set Yourself in a Place to Hear from God“I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected” (Habakkuk 2:1).For some people, the prospect of actually hearing God’s voice is a bit flaky. They may have had some bad experience in the past with someone claiming supern

What Are the Core Beliefs of Christianity? The whole narrative of the Bible is centered around the relationship that God has with humanity, beginning with Genesis, culminating in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and ending with a glimpse into eternity. This relationship is the center of the Christian faith. While there are some th

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35).Paul“...we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. We

As a rabbi, Jesus used a teaching tool called a Remez, in which the rabbi quoted a part of scripture, allowing his disciples to recall the rest of that book or passage, therefore applying its significance.So, as Jesus said the words from Psalm 22:1, He wanted His disciples to recall verses such as:But I am a worm and not a man. I am scorned and des

The gospel writers loved to juxtapose examples of faith alongside examples of how not to respond. As you read this story, don’t only notice Mary and her devotion, also notice those on the sidelines and those responding to this act of love. Their response can give us insight into the bent of our own twisted hearts.2. We will always smash lesser love

God’s Path Is a Greater Calling Gideon lived during a time of terrible oppression for the people of Israel. He found his identity between a rock and a hard place. So did everyone else at the time. Their entire culture was defined by this oppression and so as individuals, the oppression bled into their personal identities as well. The writer of Judg

Only after the previous generation had died off would the next generation be given the opportunity to finally enter the Promised Land as they settled on the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan River (Numbers 26:64-65).In Numbers 26, a second numbering of God’s people begins the history of the second generation. This group, led by Joshua, would hold

So it wasn’t one unanimous decision?The canon was not fixed by an instantaneous decision, but through a process over the course of many years. On one hand, this could be seen as a weakness of the Bible. If the books were supposed to be divinely inspired, why did it take the church so long to confirm them? On the other hand, it points to the meticul

4. The Weak-Faith FollowersFor the disciples in the storm-tossed boat, it was their lack of faith in who Jesus was. The storm that came upon their boat made them question the character of Jesus (Mark 4:37-38). Did He care that they could drown? Was He compassionate? They witnessed miracles and heard His teaching. They followed Him and watched His l