First, James tells us we should pray when we’re afflicted: “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. . .” (5:13 NKJV). When we find ourselves in trying circumstances, the temptation is to strike out at the person who helped bring those circumstances upon us, blame someone for our circumstances, wallow in self-pity, or even become mad at God for allowing this in our lives.
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If you've ever had your home or car broken into, you know how violating such an act can feel. It's happened to me twice. Break-ins to your vehicle are one thing; break-ins to your inner life can be devastating.
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When one of my daughters comes home with a broken heart after being betrayed by a friend, I could give her a lecture, some life lesson about how she should have protected herself, or how pain is just part of life. I could do that. But most of us would agree that it would make me a pretty crummy dad. I’d be ignoring the pain she’s experiencing at that moment and only ...
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Maybe you’ve been afraid to acknowledge that at times you’ve personally been confused by this relationship between the Old and the New Testaments too. You don’t like it when the two friends you set up on a blind date break up. But at least you understand the relationship.
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Author Gordon MacDonalds tells how a rebuke from a friend saved him -thousands of times over -from hurting others and making a fool of himself. He was in Japan on (ironically) a speaking tour with a close friend of his, a man serval years his senior.
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Have you ever been frustrated trying to chase the next spiritual experience? Or felt that something was missing in your life with God? If so, you are not alone. Many of us have been there. Truthfully, our problem is not that we lack what we need—it is that we have not fully appropriated all that He has already given us.
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“If God is real, why doesn’t He show Himself to me?” “Where is the evidence of God’s existence?” “I need proof of God—where’s the proof?” We’ve all heard those questions—or perhaps more precisely, objections—before. But we should never be intimidated by them. Rather, we ought to follow the pattern Scripture lays out.
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It is safe to say that the cross, or crucifix, is the most famous piece of jewelry around the world. It adorns necks on every continent and culture, including those nations where public display guarantees arrest. In Jesus’ day, the cross was a horrific tool of punishment that the Roman Empire used with profound results.
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A rainbow, a tube of toothpaste, a holiday dinner — how can these ordinary things be used to teach kids about the Bible? They can all be used to illustrate a “teachable moment.” The teachable-moment method of faith building enlightens your children about God in a way that captures their attention and changes their lives.
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The Amplified Bible says, “Aim at and strive after.” The Greek text of Matthew’s gospel states a continual command: “Keep on continually seeking.” The dominating thought is determination, which I define as “deciding to hang tough, regardless.”
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