God's timing is perfect. Jesus wants us to learn to have confident patience for what He wants to show us in His timing. He wants us to have everything in His will for our lives. But everything needs to be for His purpose, not ours. Sometimes waiting makes us even more frustrated and impatient. This is when we need to be drawing toward Christ even m

Our church exists "to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ." That is our mission. "All things" means business, industry, education, media, sports, arts, leisure, government, and all the details of our lives. Ideally this means God should be recognized and trusted as supreme by every

1. Does Their Message Adhere to Sound Doctrine?2 Peter 2:1 warns, “There will be false teachers among you who will secretly bring in destructive heresies…” Don’t assume that everyone who uses Bible verses to support their points is necessarily teaching truth. Satan is a deceiver whose common practice is to confuse people with a little bit of truth

Of course, for us as believers our Day of the Lord has already come in the death and resurrection of Jesus. On that day when the sun went down at noon and the Passover festival was turned into mourning for an only Son (Amos 8:9-10), our sin was judged. God has raised up the fallen booth of David and called Jew and Gentile alike to himself (Amos 9:1

In church tradition Joseph has earned the nickname not “Shy Joseph” but “Quiet Joseph.” That is because he never speaks. That is, in the Gospels we have no record of him uttering a word. But here, while Joseph may indeed be quiet (so to speak), we see how his actions—his “prompt, simple, and unspectacular” obedient actions—speak louder than words (

In The Anointed, Giberson and Stephens reveal more of their understanding of the Bible. Consider this passage:“Christians have long been called ‘People of the Book.’ The label is especially appropriate for evangelicals. But the Book is thousands of years old, written in obscure languages, from a mysterious and incomprehensible time and

Further Reading:How to Pray: A Biblical Guide to Prayer20 Morning Prayers to Begin Each Day With Gratitude and FaithWhy Is Prayer Important?This article is part of our catalog of resources about the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Discover more of our most popular articles about the Bible account of Jesus and the Christian teaching of our salva

1. "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" by C.S. LewisThis entry should come as no surprise to anyone. Often considered one of the greatest Christian novels in existence, not to mention one of the best fantasy books of all time, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe is ripe with symbolism, commentary, and wonder. After the four Pevensie children

While eventually I moved on to easier and more accurate modern English translations (such as the NASB, the NIV, and, now, the ESV), I still have that first Bible and in fact am reading through it this year (I'm currently in 1 Kings), in honor of the KJV's quadricentennial. While some of the archaic terms (such as caul, kine, and matrix) have sent m

This statement about the One to come is the first prophecy of the Christ. As inheritors of a sin nature that opposes God, it should amaze us that God so quickly moved from His role as Creator to that of Redeemer. We expect wrath and judgment, not grace and a promise of a coming Savior. But God shatters our expectations. His love for humanity drove

1. Unfailing hope rests in God alone.“We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone” (Psalm 33:20-22 NLT).Straddling the gap between a dock and an untethered boat is unstable and uncomfortable. When we live

Is there a promise to claim?Is there a lesson to learn?Is there a blessing to enjoy?Is there a command to obey?Is there a sin to avoid?Is there a new thought to carry with me?Memorize It"Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee....I will delight myself in Thy statutes: I will not forget Thy Word." (Psalms 119:11, Psalms

To put it in a simple formula, it goes like this:I do, therefore I’m thankful (the Pharisee)I’m accepted, therefore I’m thankful (the tax collector)Now there are two expressions of thanksgiving, but they are on entirely different grounds. “I do, therefore I’m thankful” is grounded in one’s good works (religion). “I’m accepted, therefore I’m thankfu

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.—Proverbs 27:175. Even though Lazarus was dead, and there seemed to be no hope, Jesus still produced a miracle. If nothing is impossible, what is possible? Even when things seem senseless to us, we must believe God can do a miracle. "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother wo

Likewise, we can get to know Christ by spending time in His Word, going to Him in prayer, meditating upon Him, and asking Him for help. I resolve that I want to know the Lord by being in His Word every day—not just reading the words of Scripture, but meditating upon them, personalizing them, and making them part of my life. And I want to link arms

What's going to keep you from knowing Christ? What's keeping you from going deeper in His Word? There's so much to learn in the Word of God, and yet we want all these frivolous other things around us, instead of paying the price to spend time studying the Bible. What is it that keeps you from paying the price? Is it the love of things? Is it the de

And what does Christ say to him? "No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." I can imagine the see a scowl on his forehead. He says, "What do you mean by being born again—born from above—born of the Spirit? Now I am old. Can I a second time enter my mother's womb, and be born?" Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter th

1. Use your status updates as a subtle way of identifying yourself with God in front of your friends.I don’t like to use Facebook for rants or soapbox preaching. However, I do like posting verses that have spoken to me during my devotional times, quotes from other godly people, and other spiritual insights that the Lord gives me from time to time.

1. You don’t have to be perfect to pray.That’s almost funny; it’s so obvious. But you might be amazed to know how many of us shirk from praying because “I’ve sinned.” Well, duh. “He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust” (Psalm 103:14). He is under no illusions about us, friend. He who created us knew He was getting no bargain

“When I kept silent (about my sin), my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah (i.e., let this sink in).”What kind of life is this? We all know the experience to varying degrees. Hiding sin can drain us of our resources. It