Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. (1 Jn. 3:18 NIV) I talk with Christians on a regular basis about whether or not God loves them. Unfortunately, it seems that for many believers, God must continue to prove His love to them. If something difficult happens in […]
“I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; He saved him out of all his troubles. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all.” (Psalm 34:4, 6, 19) If there is one […]
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? (Psalm42:2) Yesterday we discussed the most important reason to spend time with God. Today let’s look at a few suggestions that can help enhance our time with Him. Kneel now: Standard equipment for a Muslim is a little pillow […]
Do nothing out of selfish ambition (Philippians 2:3) The joy of the LORD is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10) Our verses today remind us of some important things when it comes to devotional times with God. First of all, not even quiet times should be done just to get and not to give. Too often we […]
Husbands… live with your wives in an understanding way (1 Peter 3:7 NIV) Sacrifice is another dirty word in our culture. And yet it is the very essence of how God Himself lived and died when He was a man. How do we as husbands live sacrificially with our wives? We first need to ask […]
Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. (Eph. 5:22 NIV) Here, of course, is where the glorious word “submission” has become a cuss word in our culture. It’s one thing to suggest that kids should submit to parents, employees to employers, and people to Presidents, but wives to husbands? As mentioned yesterday, the […]
The world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. (John 14:31 NIV) Our verse today is rather amazing, as not only do we hear someone giving themselves in complete submission to another, but that someone is God. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords […]
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Gal 5:22-23) How do we know when the Holy Spirit is operating in our lives and in our church? There is a growing tendency among Christians to think that the Spirit shows Himself most clearly in certain spectacular spiritual gifts, […]
“Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man’s life is but a breath.” (Psalm 39:4-5) You know the saying, “time flies”. It […]
When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead (Revelation 1:17). Many claim they want to see Jesus, but in the verse above, John describes the universal response of human beings who see Christ in His exalted state. This in spite of the fact that this same “disciple whom Jesus loved” had […]
If only I knew where to find Him (Job 23:3-9) Someone has said that the difference between religion and Christianity is that the former is about us searching for God, and the latter is about God finding us. Indeed, if God never said, “Hello,” we would never meet Him. Apart from God initiating communication with […]
Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (Colossians 3:12-13 NIV) As our oldest daughter enters her teen years, we are learning what every parent of a teenager is learning: love. It can be […]
The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” (Psalm 32:8) Ever find yourself wondering if you know God’s will for your life? The gnawing fear that we did not hear Him when He directed or warned us can make life heavy. We […]
God sets Himself against the proud, but He shows favor to the humble. So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in His good time He will honor you. Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about what happens to you. (1 Peter 5:5-7 NLT) While bitterness can be […]
Do not be bitter or angry or mad…. Be kind and loving…and forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ (Ephesians 4:31-32 NCV). Bitterness is perhaps the most visible, common, and destructive kind of spiritual obesity, and if you carry the weight of a bad attitude toward anyone, you cannot stay spiritually healthy. But […]
Let us come near to God with a sincere heart and a sure faith, because we have been made free from a guilty conscience (Hebrews 10:22 NCV) Few things are heavier than feeling like God has something against you, even after you have confessed all you know to confess. For such people, there is this deep […]
Alas, sinful nation, people weighed down with iniquity (Isaiah 1:4 NASB) If we are knowingly and consistently disobeying God in a certain area of our life, we have spiritual weight we need to lose (see James 4:17). Do you believe it’s harder to obey Christ then to follow Him? Then you are calling your Savior […]
In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit. (Judges 21:25) For centuries most people throughout the world lived under the authority of a king. Whether it was the king of France, the czar of Russia, or the lords of Chinese dynasties, such men exercised a great deal of control over […]
Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care. (Psalm 95:6-7) I grew up in a church where we kneeled several times throughout the service, and haven’t felt the need to do […]
Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s (Mt. 22:21) Can God be robbed? Evidently. He once complained of this very thing when He said, “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ In tithes and offerings.” (Mal. 3:8). In other words, […]
“Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. The battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15) One day King Jehoshaphat found himself and his people being attacked by an overwhelming enemy. In response to the king’s prayer for help, God answered with the verse quoted above. And God did indeed fight […]
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son. (Romans 8:28-29) Last week we mentioned the fact that God is big enough to […]
“Jesus asked him, ‘Do you want to get well?’ ‘Sir,’ the invalid replied, ‘I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.’ At […]
I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. (1 John 2:13) Temptations to sinful thoughts and habits come from several different sources. Particularly for younger believers who have been saved out of an extraordinarily sinful life, demonic harassment can be especially pervasive, powerful, and discouraging. The verse above suggests that God […]
For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. (Gal. 5:17 NIV) The verse above reminds us that there is an internal conflict between good and evil […]
“It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.” (Pr. 19:2) You’ve heard the old carpenter’s rule, “measure twice, cut once”. Such a statement puts a premium on preparation (measuring) so that the action (cutting) is more effective. In our culture the value of this is often missed. […]
The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever. The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace. (Psalm 29:10-11) We had some extra water in our town this summer. At the time I remember speaking to Mike, a dad of four in our church, who […]
Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31) Yesterday we briefly described a biblical method by which we can eventually experience our God-given rights to love, joy, peace, and self-control in the Holy Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23). Today, we need to discuss our motives for doing so. It is […]
“. . . take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5) Yesterday we were reminded that we have the God-given right to be free of such cruel emotional masters as guilt, fear, anger, anxiety, and depression. God has brought us out of the “land of slavery” (Exod. 13:3) and to the […]
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1) In America, we are told that we have certain unalienable rights endowed by our Creator. Far more importantly, Scripture says we have unique rights as Christians. For […]
We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. . . . But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God. (2 Corinthians 1:8-9). Why did Paul […]
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. (1 Peter 4:10) Super heroes seem to be the rage today. Spiderman, Superman, and Batman come to mind. What is it about them that tempts us to envy them? Why would we really like to be […]
There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1) The other day I met with a man who has been attending our church for awhile. He had graduated from seminary, was ordained as a pastor, and served in a couple of churches before getting burned out, hurt, and angry. I asked him a […]
Do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance? (Romans 2:4) Have you ever thought about all the foolish things you thought and did as a young Christian? I remember choosing a church because I liked a girl. I nervously blurted out the Gospel […]
So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace , then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace. (Romans 11:5-6) There are many ways we experience the grace of God, and one of those was before time even began. “He […]
“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in victory through Christ.” (2 Corinthians 2:14 NCV) Struggles of all kinds are a part of our life. Unfortunately, we often simply give up. One reason is that we become convinced that the temptation, trial, or task is just too difficult for us and that God […]
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to. (Ephesians 2:10 NIV) In any discussion regarding the sovereignty of God, people often settle on one of two extremes. Either God is in absolute control of everything, or He is in control of nothing. It […]
Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” (John 1:38 NIV) One of the questions that Christians ask the most is, “What does God want me to do?” Obviously, the question does not pertain so much to moral decisions, as God has made His desires in such things pretty clear in written […]
She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. (Proverbs 31:20) My title is not talking about gaining weight. But as I encouraged the men yesterday, I would encourage women to also increase their “circle of concern” beyond their family. The Proverbs 31 woman was caring very well for her family, providing […]
I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist him. The man who was dying blessed me; I made the widow’s heart sing. I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger. (Job 29:12-16) […]
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. (Ephesians 6:11) One of Satan’s favorite “schemes” is attacking our God-given identity. He tried this twice with Christ when he said to Him, “If you are the son of God. . .” and then challenged Him to prove […]
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (Matthew 22:37) We can only love God to the extent we know He loves us. Whatever part of our heart, soul, or mind that does not know His love, will serve God out of fear, guilt, or […]
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us. (Ephesians 5:1-2) Imagine living the life described in this verse. A life like a “dearly loved” child. A life of love. A life like God Himself! This is the life […]
You have been given fullness in Christ (Col 2:10) Our Creator made us to need things. We will die without food, water, or oxygen. Likewise, He created us with a deep down craving for a sense of security, acceptance, and significance, and without these, we also die in a very real way. Like all of […]
