Discouragement is something that we all, from time-to-time, face. In fact it may be all around us. At times we are faced with challenges that seem impossible, or work that can never get finished or we have too many factors against us. It might be times of indecision, financial burdens, family conflicts or the loss of our job. We may be in times when our faith in the Lord seems to be drifting away from us. This could be demonstrated when we lose interest in attending... read all »
In 2 Chronicles 14:2, we read that Asa did good and right in the sight of the LORD his God. When he became king, he instituted several reforms to remove foreign gods and foreign religious practices from the land, even removing his mother from being the queen mother because of her idolatrous practices. During his reign, Zerah the Ethiopian came out against Judah/Benjamin with an army of a million men and 300 chariots. When Asa saw that his army was greatly outnumbere... read all »
Jesus expects wholehearted obedience from His followers.
Hebrews 5:9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him
the source of eternal salvation,
Jesus expects us to deny ourselves in following Him.
Luke 9:23 And He was saying to them all, If anyone wishes to come after Me, he
must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
Jesus expects us to grow in knowledge.
2 Peter 3:18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord a... read all »
The word “love” is used nearly 200 times in the New Testament. It describes one of the most basic fundamentals of the individual’s Christian faith. It is easy to “say” that “I am a loving person” but in reality the Apostle Paul gives us some specific characteristics of love that can and should be demonstrated in our lives.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
4Love is patient: this refers to a quality that one does not seek revenge towa... read all »
Within the book of Philippians I find words of encouragement and strength that I believe can help us all as we live the Christian life.
Chapter 1 (Prayer that our love will abound)
9And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment,
10so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;
11having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which ... read all »
These recent weeks have really been hot. When I go out to work, even early in the morning, it doesn't take long for me to be covered in sweat. I don't mind working but I could do without the sweat and the heat. A drink of cool water every now and then really helps.
With our days high temperature being around 100 plus degrees, I am reminded of what Jesus taught about the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). When the rich man died he found himself in Hades where he... read all »
In a recent Christian Chronicle article titled “Why are kids leaving the church? The answer lies in Parents” the statement was made that “Children will look as much like Jesus as their parents and fellow church members do.” With that thought in mind, we decided at a recent family outing to ask our children what it was that influenced them to become Christians and what motivated them to actively keep their faith in God. Some of t... read all »
If you were to ask an honest saint how their prayer life is going, most will likely tell you that their prayer life is poor. If prayer is so highly praised and so encouraged in the Bible, how come we don’t pray as often or as fervently as we should? Here are a few thoughts.
Prayer life is adversely affected at various times and to various degrees by:
1. The sneaking feeling that prayer doesn’t really work
2. Perso... read all »
I recently read the following article about evangelism that could be adapted for our use.
“What is the method? I call it newsletter evangelism. It involves passing out a series
of about 25 different newsletters to homes in your area by church members who volunteer
to have “paper-routes” of the size of their choosing, for about a 3 month period.
After passing out the series of newsletters, members then go into the community and
meet these fine ... read all »
The following points are recurring topics in these letters and they would likely be things that Jesus would say to us today.
Jesus knows His churches. He said such things as: “I know your deeds”, I know where you dwell”, “I know your tribulation”. He knew Antipas of Pergemum by name. He knows us very well.
He wants churches to guard their teaching. We must understand there is always a tendency to drift away, so we must caref... read all »
In this season of the year, we look forward to the Thanksgiving holiday. It is a time to remember the reasons we have for being thankful. Among other things for which we should be thankful would include our family, friends, the food and the freedom we have in this great nation. Yet another and most important is remembering all the benefits provided to us by Jehovah God. A great source of joy and thanksgiving surely comes from being a child of God; a Christian. Paul&... read all »
Have you ever wondered what Jesus the Christ looked like? It is rather amazing that we have much information about what He taught and what He did, but we have no description of His appearance. Artists have over the years given us paintings of what they assumed He looked like, yet not one of them ever saw Jesus. Perhaps His earthly appearance was not important since we have no description of Him. However, with that being the case, we are not left without information ... read all »
The Apostle Peter gives to each of us some keys for sharing God’s nature with ourselves. These characteristics are to be added to our life since they do not come naturally. In other words, it takes effort on our part.
“Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance... read all »
The word “worship” is nowhere defined in Scripture. Worship is defined from “proskuneo” meaning to make obeisance, to do reverence to. Worship is an act. It is not an unconscious something or other, not accomplished unthinkingly or accidentally, but by intent and discipline. Worship comes from the heart. While worship is an act, it is not by rote, or a mechanically performed ritual.
A second word that helps understand worship is “lat... read all »
Jesus taught his disciples parable about a man going on a journey and while he was to be gone, he entrusted his possessions to three slaves. To one he gave five talents, to another, two and to another, one, each according to his own ability. Immediately the one who had received five talents went and traded and gained five more talents. In the same manner the one who had received two talents gained two more. But he who received the one talent went away and dug a hole... read all »