1. We can't control anything.We like to think we are in control. We make plans, write out our lists, book our flights, mark our calendars. Yet we can’t control a single thing.Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring

What Is Forgiveness? According to Bible Study Tools, "Human Forgiveness. In the Lord's Prayer, receiving forgiveness from God is joined to forgiving others ( Matt 6:12; Luke 11:4 ). Jesus' parable of the unmerciful servant makes the point that human beings are obliged to forgive because God has forgiven them ( Matt 18:23-35 ). God's forgiveness is

1 John 1:7 gives a lot of help here. "If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." The blood of Jesus will cleanse you from all your sin, if you walk in the light. So walking in the light is very different from walking in the dark, but it does not mean s

Open-ended FastsSome extended fasts are open-ended, for example, where you make a commitment not to break your fast until your goals have been achieved. Defining your goals is particularly important here. Again, this type of fast should not be considered until you have gained some experience. You must be particularly cautious if you are doing a wat

More than ConquerorsIn the nineteenth century some of the most cynical attacks ever written against Christianity came from the pen of Friedrich Nietzsche. He declared the death of God. According to Nietzsche, God died of pity. Nietzsche was convinced that Western civilization, particularly Western Europe, had become completely decadent by his day,

1. Book StudyThis is a Bible study in which you focus on a specific book of the Bible. The idea is that you are seeking to master the content of one specific book. As a part of this study, you will want to research many details about the book, such as the author, recipients, date of the document, general themes of the book, place where the book was

Baptism, Like Any Other Act of Obedience, Does Not Impart Salvation Nothing we could ever do makes us righteous or good before the Lord. When we attempt to add the Gospel message by requiring works, even good works like baptism, we tear down the basic foundation that in Christ alone are we saved.If this is true, what’s the point of baptism? When Sc

1. Unwrapping the Greatest Gift by Ann VosKampI cannot recommend this book enough for families that are looking for guidance in how to go about doing devotions as a family. VosKamp’s book is beautifully illustrated, which captivates the imagination and holds the attention of children. The poetic way she teaches and tells of the classic Scriptural s

In addition to the commands in vv. 7–9, Solomon has one more in v. 10: “do.” More specifically, this command is to accomplish “whatever your hand finds to do… with your might.” In other words, one should wholeheartedly pursue, as God enables, the specifics of what is detailed in the carpe diem passages (eating, drinking, working along with the bene

Job is left bankrupt, homeless, helpless, and childless. He's left standing beside the ten fresh graves of his now-dead children in a windswept valley. His wife is heaving deep sobs of grief as she kneels beside him, having just heard him say, "Whether our God gives to us or takes everything from us, we will follow Him." She leans over and secretly

Do not overreact to the issue or overload on emotion. Stick to the issue at hand. When emotions are exaggerated it disarms the other party and a healthy resolution is harder to attain. Control yourself from extremity or absolutes. Avoid phrases like “You always…” (Proverbs 25:28).Do not dance around or sugarcoat the issue or disguise it in false ki

Suffering tempts us to withdraw from God when in reality we should press hard into God. Are you downcast? Are you suffering? Do you feel like you’ve been chewed up and spit out? Do you feel like butter scraped over too much bread? Draw near to the God who comforts the downcast. Draw near to the God who knows you exactly and knows exactly what you n

The Arrival of GraceGrace is here. Grace came down, in the form of a baby, not only to Bethlehem 2,000 years ago, but to you and me. Today.Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”Luke 2:40 “And the child grew and became str

Romans 10:14 says, "How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?"How well are you doing at sharing your faith with others? Are you taking Christ's sacrifice for granted, covering it over with dirt and hoping no one will ever know that

(Adapted from the Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible.)A Thought to KeepAre you tied up so much in the world that you miss what God is doing? Pay attention to the good He does for you this week.

What Jesus Would Say to Us TodayPut simply, when we apply Jesus’ sayings today, they look like withdrawing from any relationship, occupation, event, or thing that stands between you and following Jesus—permitted that you can do so while still honoring the commandments Jesus tells the rich young man to keep: “Do not commit murder, do not commit adul

The good which God requires of us is, not the paying a price for the pardon of sin and acceptance with God, but love to himself; and what is there unreasonable, or hard, in this? Every thought within us must be brought down, to be brought into obedience to God, if we would walk comfortably with him. We must do this as penitent sinners, in dependenc

But that's not how God sees things. He uses our worst predicaments to accomplish his purposes, both for our good and for the sake of his kingdom. He somehow factors human messiness into his best equations. And while he already sees the outcome of our story, we only see the obvious implications for the moment. And sometimes, as they did with Joseph,

3. Be men of courage - Be people of courage and strength. Our world needs men who are willing to walk courageously. We need women who are willing to be brave. Nothing has affected me so much in recent days as the 21 kneeling men who lost their lives on a beach at the hands of evil. These will always be remembered as men of true courage. May our liv

He “loves” God’s Word (v.159), he “rejoices” at his Word (v.162), the Word is “wondrous” (v.18), it is “better than thousands of gold and silver pieces” (v.72), and “sweeter than honey to my mouth” (v.103).I am convinced that this is the missing piece for most believers today. For many, the Bible is viewed almost in a utilitarian fashion—it is a m