By His Word “My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.” —Proverbs 4:20–22, NKJV There is a difference betweenContinue reading “Let the Word Linger”
Tag Archives: spiritual growth
The Change No Religious Badge Can Make
DID YOU KNOW “For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.” —Philippians 3:3, ESV We usually recognize religious commitment through things we can see: attendance, service, knowledge, and familiar practices. These can express sincere faith, but they cannot tellContinue reading “The Change No Religious Badge Can Make”
When Pain Becomes a Place of Learning
By His Word “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.… It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.” —Psalm 119:67, 71 There are seasons when we read the Bible looking for answers, and there are seasons when we open it simply becauseContinue reading “When Pain Becomes a Place of Learning”
Praying for More Than a Comfortable Life
As the Day Begins “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.” —3 John 1:2, ESV When we love someone, we care about the whole of their life. We want their body strengthened, their work fruitful, their homeContinue reading “Praying for More Than a Comfortable Life”
When We Pray for Someone to Prosper
By His Word When someone we love is struggling, our prayers become wonderfully specific. We ask God to help a daughter find work, give a friend strength through treatment, protect a neighbor’s business, or restore peace in a troubled home. We want things to go well for them. Yet sometimes Christians hesitate over the wordContinue reading “When We Pray for Someone to Prosper”
Faithful in the Small Things
The Bible in a Year It is easy to look at a small beginning and decide that it does not count. A room has only a few people in it. A habit of prayer lasts five minutes. A strained relationship improves through one careful conversation, but the distance between two people remains. We can seeContinue reading “Faithful in the Small Things”
Becoming What God Has Begun
As the Day Begins “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.” — Romans 8:29, NIV. (Bible App) Paul’s words give us a steady answer to a morning question: What is God doing in my life? In Romans 8, he speaks to people who know weakness, suffering,Continue reading “Becoming What God Has Begun”
The Friends Who Help Us Become Faithful
On Second Thought “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” — Proverbs 27:17 Loneliness can make almost any open door look like the right entrance. When someone has gone too long without companionship, the desire to be accepted may become stronger than the wisdom to ask where a relationship is leading. That doesContinue reading “The Friends Who Help Us Become Faithful”
The Gift We Learn to Live
By His Word “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” — Philippians 2:12 When a child receives a complicated gift, opening the package is only the beginning. The gift may belongContinue reading “The Gift We Learn to Live”
When Another Person’s Blessing Feels Like Your Loss
On Second Thought Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 18:10–16 Key Verse: Proverbs 6:34 “For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.” —Proverbs 6:34 Jealousy rarely introduces itself honestly. It does not normally announce, “I resent the good that God has given someone else.” Instead, it disguisesContinue reading “When Another Person’s Blessing Feels Like Your Loss”