Do Couples Abandon Their Families When They Leave and Cleave?The point of leaving and cleaving is not suggesting that life becomes us two and forget you. Family will still play an important role in your life; it will just be the position of that role changing. For an unmarried person with no children, parents and siblings may be their top priority.

The Blessings Hospitality Makes PossibleSarah E Martin is a sister, aunt, daughter, and sometimes a globe trotter. She has a background in English literature, and a devotion to good tea. When she’s not writing or studying, she is attempting to learn the names of her backyard birds, or planning long, unhurried walks in her favorite places. She belie

We can have real, generous, loving conversations with all kinds of people — including people presenting as LGBTQ. For instance, Christian men can follow Jesus by having a friendly water cooler chat with the gay guys in their office. Refusing to do so — or conveniently avoiding these people — is certainly not acting like Jesus.Jesus didn’t start wit

Anderson stresses the importance of recognizing these behaviors with a new perspective: not the world’s view, but Christ’s view.What Helps Us Get Rid of Strongholds?The passage cited earlier, 2 Corinthians 10:4, tells us that there is “divine power to destroy strongholds.” The battle is God’s, and it has already been won through Jesus’ sacrifice fo

12 Prayers for Joy in the Morning 1. Joy in Safety from Psalm 16 Lord,I run to You for protection, for I need you and I delight in You. You are faithful, and even though I have no good in me, You fill me with the goodness of Your Spirit because of Jesus my Savior. You are my life, Lord. You satisfy me with the instruction of Your Word. I am immovab

When the Apostle Paul was in Thessalonica, the Bible says he “reasoned with them from the Scriptures” (Acts 17:2). When the people of Berea listened to Paul speak, they “received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). What Paul did was argue with logic as befitting first the Scriptu

RuleRelationshipWe were created for shalom. It’s symbolized in the beautiful garden which humanity was place in. This is the land of promises. It’s what the Sabbath is pointing to. It’s being home. We were created for this.We were also created to work and keep the garden. This means God gave us a purpose and something to do. Humanity was created as

Why Was Sola Gratia Revolutionary?Gospel Coalition contributor Ryan Reeves offers an infographic of the medieval view of salvation, which he says was the “majority opinion” of Luther’s day. At the time, the church taught that people entered “a state of grace” through baptism (meaning the baptism washed away sin). The Christian’s role was to maintai

A Biblical View of MarriagePonder this, those first two people. The Bible elaborates in the next chapter on how they came into being at his command — how, after God created the man and put him in the Garden of Eden, he saw it was “not good” for the man to be alone (Genesis 2:18). So he determined he would create a helper fit for the man, causing th

Jesus washes our sins away. 1 John 1:7 says, “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”We all offer filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). We cannot earn our way to heaven. We cannot spiritually scrub away our sin. Only by accepting Jesus can we enter

Why Were People Shocked When Jesus Used “I Am” to Talk about Himself?Just like the Hebrew slaves were under Pharoah’s bondage before God’s deliverance, humanity as a whole was in bondage to sin. Through Moses, God liberated His children from Egypt and gave them the law as a teaching tool, plumb line, and guardrail to set them apart, reveal His char

“For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well” (Psalm 139:13-14).We are created by God and for God. God made our physical bodies for a reason – to be used in this life to bring honor and glory to Him.“For

Feeding the Five Thousand “After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. Then J

What Are Some Famous Biblical Examples of a Chiasm?Chiastic structures are found throughout the Bible, and when we study how they affect passages, they always contribute depth and coherence.The creation narrative includes a famous chiasm in Genesis 1. As readers, we see the orderly progression of God’s work unfolding in six days. Each day is follow

Liturgical churches vary in when their people take their first communion and how they prepare for the sacrament. In the Roman Catholic church, children take their first communion at about seven years old, considered the age of reason. Religion study in classes is a prerequisite to partaking in communion, and baptism and confession are completed bef

What Makes Someone an Atheist?First, it’s helpful to understand what it means to be an atheist. An atheist is someone who does not believe in God or in any deities. This person rejects the notion that God, or any gods, created the world, the universe, time itself, or the people and creatures that inhabit this earth. It’s a lack of belief, rather th

Where Do We Start?1. PrayWe so often ignore the power of praying for others. Pray for the poor. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you others to be caring for who have needs. He will be faithful to open your eyes to those around you and lead you to ministries. Confess any areas of bitterness. Ask God for a softened heart for any ways that your heart has b

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18-19).In other words, God said to the enemy… they are priceless and not for sale! Yes, you are a pr

Now we don’t hear about what happened to these men after this encounter with Jesus, but I would argue that they experienced God’s blessing because of the good they did for the man. As the Apostle Paul tells us, when we help bring someone else’s dream to pass, it opens us up to experience the same from God. “Knowing that whatsoever good thing any ma

Who Are Some Famous Eunuchs Mentioned in Bible Stories?Eunuchs play a part in the domestic intrigues of King Xerxes and Queen Vashti. While Queen Vashti is having a banquet with royal women in the palace, Xerxes sends seven eunuchs, described as "attendants" in Ester 1:12, to bring his Queen Vashti to be eye candy at his banquet. Xerxes is angry wh