This is a critical reminder for Christians today. Whenever our world discusses religion, they will praise the merits of “faith” and laud people who possess it (think Oprah Winfrey). But notice the world never praises the merits of the object of that faith. It doesn’t matter what you believe in (after all, all religions are the same), what matters i

Thirdly, look at each person’s name and remind yourself that just as you are a fallen sinner in need of Jesus’s saving grace, that person needs Him daily as well. They may seem to have everything together on the outside, but they could be crippled by comparison and the opinions of others just as much as the rest of us. The same practice can be appl

Second, when Paul writes that Christ “did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped” (Philippians 2:6), he cannot mean that Christ gave up equality with God or that he ceased being fully God. Since he is fully God, he cannot cease to be fully God. God is eternal, self-existent, immortal, and immutable, and thus he cannot cease to exist as G

1. Ravens Supply Food for Elijah (1 Kings 17:2-6) After the prophet Elijah courageously told evil King Ahab, who ruled the northern kingdom from 874-853 BC, that there will be “no dew or rain during the next few years,” God told Elijah to hide at the brook of Cherith across the Jordan. It is there God provided nourishment for Elijah in the most uni

1. Get Accountability in Your LifeJust having a one-hour weekly phone call with someone who will hold you accountable can change everything. You can address the mistakes you’re making and how to resolve them. You can talk about how to overcome any addiction in your life and ensure you honestly check in about those issues each week. You can talk abo

1. Don’t ignore the silenceSome of the biggest moves God has made in my life have come after a period of spiritual dryness… when it seemed like God was doing nothing in my life. Stay very close to God and watch for Him to eventually display His power. He will in the fullness of time.2. Confront known sin in your lifeThis wasn’t the problem of silen

One of the five loves mentioned stands in stark contrast to the other four: loving the appearing of Jesus Christ.When we live in anticipation of seeing Jesus and hearing Him say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: enter into the joy of your Lord," we can endure suffering. Why?  Because such a focus helps us realize that the worst thing tha

take up his cross;cheerfully receive, and patiently bear, every affliction and evil, however shameful and painful it may be, which is appointed for him, and he is called unto; which is his peculiar cross, as every Christian has his own; to which he should quietly submit, and carry, with an entire resignation to the will of God, in imitation of his

Bible Study Tips for the Book of Acts1. Highlight These Three Themes in Different Colors:The Holy SpiritPrayerWitnessThe purpose of highlighting these themes is to see how prevalent and powerful each of the themes are throughout the book. When you see the connection between these three themes and the events of Acts, you will see them in a new light

Second, now we speculate about Jesus preaching to the spirits in prison.A rather enigmatic passage in 1 Peter 3:18-20 gives a confusing and convoluted insight:"For Christ died for sins once for all... to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison wh

1. Christmas has a whole season--why not Easter?In “Why Does Christmas Get a Season but Easter only a Day,” Trevin Wax presents a sound argument for why Easter should be celebrated for longer than just one celebratory church service, and I have to say I agree.Both Christmas and Easter are celebrations of massive significance for Christians, but we’

1. Write down what you learned in 2018.You would be remiss to exit the year without reflecting on what you learned. What did God teach you and show you about life, ministry, calling, and Himself? What lessons do you never want to forget?Take some time to think through all the lessons you acquired throughout the year. Maybe you learned something abo

What Does "Life and Death and in the Power of the Tongue" Mean? The Bible shows the difference between a life-giving tongue and a destructive one. John Gills Commentary explains it this way: "death and life are in the power of the tongue - of witnesses, according to the testimony they bear; of judges, according to the sentence they pass; of teacher

I. The Sadducees' Insincere Question In order to get a handle on the strange question they asked, we need to know something about the Sadducees. They were not the Pharisees. In fact, the Sadducees and the Pharisees were two different groups of Jewish leaders who had no use for each other. The Sadducees came from a small group of aristocratic fami

In addition to these books, the Didactic texts include Chapters of Daniel, Chapters of Esther, Baruch—all intended as supplemental material to, apparently, structure a particular theological position. Some of the work, as in the prayer of Mordechai in Esther Chapter 13, is of devotional value to the believer. For example, Esther 13:9-18, contains s

1. When we pray, our children learn that we have a sincere relationship with the Lord.This past Sunday I was talking with a friend about what children learn when they listen to their parents pray. He shared with me that when he was growing up his father’s prayers were formulaic and seemed artificial to him. But in recent years my friend has notice

A third and preferred interpretation is the genuine righteousness view. This view understands the term righteousness to be a genuine righteousness, as this Hebrew term is always used in the Old Testament. The righteousness described in this verse is the same kind of righteousness as found in v. 15. The righteousness in v. 16 is excessive (“overly r

3:28 Do not say - The former verse forbad the denial of good, and this forbids the delay of this duty.(Adapted from Wesley's Explanatory Notes, Proverbs 3)A Thought to KeepSharing helpful words and kindness with others is a command; we don't need to deliberate whether someone has "earned" it.

This is to be understood as an encouragement to us to depend upon God's promise to pardon sin, upon repentance. Sinners may be ready to fear that God will not be reconciled to them, because they could not find in their hearts to be reconciled to one who should have so basely and so frequently offended them. "But'' (says God) "my thoughts in this ma

1. The Candymaker's Gift by Helen and David HaidleCandy canes have long been a symbol of Christmas. They pop up the day after Halloween and can be found in nearly every flavor imaginable. This precious story retells of the legend of the first candy cane.An old candymaker wants to teach local children the real meaning of Christmas. With the help of