I am enjoying this series of articles from Crosswalk that unpacks passages in the New Testament with insights from both the biblical culture and the original Greek. Enjoy!
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God’s Efficiency
This article does a good job of reminding us that everything God does in done excellently and perfectly; although we don’t always appreciate the timing and the way His plan unfolds until it is over! From Stray Thoughts………………….
Both the Apostle Paul and Apostle James said that believers should be teachable, and the Proverbs as well, stressed the importance of the wise person to be a teachable person. This short article also makes the case to be teachable. From All Nations Church, Ilford, England……………………….
Here is a helpful article from the late great Bible scholar J.I. Packer on the essential need for revelation from God. Simply put: Because God is infinite and we are finite, God has to reveal His nature and will to us so that we may know Him. From Crossway……………….
I’m always looking for tips and tricks to make my Bible reading more helpful and impactful for me. Here is a useful article from pastor David Murray and Crossway…………………
https://www.crossway.org/articles/2-categories-of-questions-to-ask-when-reading-the-bible/
Another wonderful article from Randy Alcorn on the wonderful Name of Jesus! From Eternal Perspectives Ministries………………….
This is a great, concise article/devotion from Randy Alcorn. I think the problem that many atheists have with coming to faith in God is a stubborn refusal to accept that God is greater than we are and does not owe us answers to any and all of our questions. At some point, we have to choose to believe that God is God so He is wiser, more patient, kinder and more just and right than we can ever be. From Eternal Perspectives Ministries………………….
This article makes the point that waiting on God isn’t just something that occasionally happens for believers, but rather is an essential character quality of the true disciple of Christ. From Core Christianity…………………
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Craving Favor
I enjoyed this brief devotion from pastor and author Mark Batterson. “The greatest moments in life are the moments when God intervenes on our behalf and blesses us way beyond what we expect or deserve. These are humble reminders of His sovereignty.”
Some good incentives here to not neglect our reading of the Word. It is our life and our source from God! From Unlocking the Bible…………….
A good reminder from author Frank Viola to be thankful. From The Deeper Journey………………….
And thank God for that! From Seth Lewis……………………..
Randy Alcorn always writes with such sensitivity and biblical wisdom. And that is important for such a potentially painful topic as this article addresses. From Eternal Perspectives Ministries………………
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Love is Inconvenient
….Because it gives for the benefit of the other person! And agape love is for the benefit of the other with no expectation of return. That is why biblical love is supernatural! From CCEF.org……………………..
I personally take a lot of comfort from the scriptural truth of the presence of God, and this article is a great summation of this! Here is a takeaway for me: “Scripture is clear that all of life—and, principally, the gospel life—is about being in God’s relational presence. This is why David proclaims, ‘in your presence there is fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures forevermore’ (Ps 16:11).” From Crossway……………………..
https://www.crossway.org/articles/10-things-you-should-know-about-the-presence-of-god/
Faith helps us know the voice of God
If you wish to know the voice of God as it comes to you individually, simply allow yourself to trust God to lead you into that. Ask God to speak to you and then wait attentively. He will probably speak to you clearly. But you have to understand and believe that this is even possible. Otherwise your faith will not rise to it, and you will not have the opportunity to learn. The reason I emphasize this here is because, when your friend asks about your relationship with God and the reason for your hope, you don’t want to be in the position of saying, “Well, he never speaks to me, but he speaks to lots of other people.”
From The Allure of Gentleness: Defending the Faith in the Manner of Jesus. Copyright © 2015 by Dallas Willard. All rights reserved. Used with permission of HarperCollins Publishers.
Wow, I can’t say enough good things about this article! It is chock-full of good advice and little hooks to grab hold of to help our prayers whenever….but especially when we feel depressed and lacking in hope. From pastor David Murray and Crossway……………..
Some churches, speakers and authors give out the impression that we should expect or aim for dramatic and emotional experiences with God. But God most often is quiet with us, as this article argues for. Here is a takeaway for me: “We think we need a miracle to confirm God’s presence. We don’t. We need to slow down and listen. We need to drink deep of the quiet voice of God in the Scriptures, often, slowly, reflectively, and thoughtfully. Seeking the spectacular and ignoring the Scriptures is foolishness and not Christianity.” From Written For Our Instruction……………….
The old saying alluded to in this title has to be one of the dumbest sayings of all times….of course words can hurt! As Christians we must commit to never knowingly try to hurt another with our words. Some wisdom and encouragement here from pastor and author Scott Sauls………….
There is a lot of truth in this lovely article from Great and Noble Tasks. In discussing about being seen and heard, I always go back to Hagar when she and Ishmael were thrown out of the camp by Sarah, and God came to her rescue. And Hagar called God, “The God Who sees me.”
Frank Viola always writes things that cause me to think. Here is another example. An example: “[The “sinful woman” in Luke 7] embodies the depths of fallen humanity. Yet Jesus loved her and forgave her. And despite her unbecoming life, she knew that Jesus was a friend of sinners…which means that He was her friend.” From The Deeper Journey………………….
This is an important New Testament concept that I think is often misunderstood or ignored today, but is important to the spiritual health of our local church bodies. From Crossway………………
https://www.crossway.org/articles/10-things-you-should-know-about-the-priesthood-of-believers/
This article helps to discern the difference between the way the “prosperity gospel” defines “blessed” and how the Bible actually defines it. Here is a takeaway for me: “Blessing always flows out of God’s benevolent creative design for His creatures and coincides with obedience to His will.” From Crossway………………..
https://www.crossway.org/articles/what-does-it-mean-to-be-blessed/
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Uncommon Brothers
Why God’s Men Need Good Men
No one is meant to live the Christian life alone, but Christian men — like all men — seem to have more problems finding true friends than do women. But men should not give up trying! From Desiring God………………….
There is some good stuff in this article on the only miracle of Jesus that is mentioned in all four of the Gospels. Here is a takeaway: “If I say something to my children once, they may or may not listen. But if I repeat a request over and over, they get the point that I really expect something to be done. I would suggest that we should listen to the Bible, even if something is only mentioned once. The truth is the truth. But we should also notice when the same statement or the same story is mentioned a number of times.” From Stephen J. Bedard……………..
http://www.stephenjbedard.com/2016/10/03/3-lessons-feeding-5000/
When we become believers, we should expect to grow spiritually, just like as parents we should expect to see physical and emotional growth in our children. And if that expected growth does not occur, then we should examine ourselves to see what may be hindering our growth. From Pastor Jim Erwin………………..
This article gives a nice, brief overview of what the Bible says about various human and divine love relationships. From Christian Crier……………..
This article suggests that the Apostle Paul could handle all of his many difficulties and thorns in the flesh because he understood that this life was not the end-all and be-all of his existence….and we can take on this same attitude. From RickThomas.net………………….
Boy, is this a timely article, because people are so easily offended these days! Even believers wear huge chips on their shoulders with their brothers and sisters in Christ, and contend with each other in ways that must greatly distress the Holy Spirit. Here are some words of wisdom from author and Bible teacher Frank Viola and The Deeper Journey……………….
The more I understand about God’s sovereignty, the more secure I am in His love, and the more confident I am in His provision for my life. From Crossway…………….
https://www.crossway.org/articles/10-key-bible-verses-on-gods-sovereignty/
Of course, ALL of you is fearfully and wonderfully made by God, but this article focuses just on what we find in the human head, to point to the wonder and majesty of our Creator! From Reformed Perspective……………………
This is a nice article on prayer and here is the takeaway quote for me: “’The Christian’s relationship to God is like that of a little child to a kind Father. The Father wants his child to ask him for help. He intends to meet all the desires of his child’s heart. But he will answer the child’s requests according to his own wisdom, not the child’s — and therefore all the more lavishly.’” From Pierce Taylor Hibbs…………………….
The Difference between Wishing and Praying
This is some beautiful writing from pastor, Bible teacher and author Jared Wilson as he reminds as through the story of the Flood of the need to remember the goodness of God and His faithfulness to His promises, even when things look especially dark and stormy! From For the Church…………………….
This article on hope in the midst of suffering is written by a pastor with a son who is battling leukemia. Thus, he writes with experience and hard-earned wisdom from the Lord. From Zondervan.com…………….
Our world today is filled with worry and anxiety, and believers are not immune from these struggles. But Jesus and the apostles had a lot to say and teach about how Christians can biblically deal with worry. A really great article here from Crossway.com……
https://www.crossway.org/articles/help-im-feeling-anxious-about-everything/
In the next article is his series on the importance of our words, Randy Alcorn cautions us to listen carefully and to read online messages thoroughly and with discernment BEFORE saying or writing anything in response. From Eternal Perspectives Ministries…………………..
The Epistle to the Hebrews is important in its lessons of the superiority of Jesus in every way over the Old Testament Law and priesthood. Here is a very informative article from author Frank Viola………………
Another excellent article from Randy Alcorn. Here he talks about depression and how, despite our emotional and spiritual struggles, believers always have hope. Here is my takeaway: “The darkness of the soul will not go on unbroken in this life. But even if it did, the bright light of the New Heaven and the New Earth is coming, so close that even now it is almost within reach: ‘The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp’” (Revelation 21:23). From Eternal Perspectives Ministries……………
This article provides a lot of great insight into this heart-warming story in Mark’s Gospel. From Crosswalk.com……….
What does that mean? Read this article from The Navigators to find out!……………………..
The more I read and study my Bible, the more I realize the truth that all of the Bible is given to us by God for our growth in wisdom and faith. Here is a good example in this article about the Book of Lamentations. Here is my takeaway: “The author tells us, “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him” (Lam 3:25). Among other things, this means that seeking the Lord may involve more than waiting, but it does not involve less. As much as it grates against our human impulses, we must wait on the Lord. This is a good practice for God’s people to learn even from their youth (verse 27).” From A Small Work………………
We cannot harvest hope from a hopeless situation. We need something from the outside.
How to Find Hope When Hope Has Perished — A Small Work
An entertaining and insightful article. Here is a takeaway for me: Like in your own backyard garden, spiritual growth is a slow and miraculous process. From Pierce Taylor Hibbs…………………..
God of the Garden: What We Can Learn from Digging in the Dirt
The prime takeaway here? “Everyone has theological blindspots. They are not false teachings…..” From Southern Equip…………….
As always, author and Bible teacher Randy Alcorn writes with a lot of biblical wisdom and insight. My main takeaway from this article? — Heaven is more real than our present reality, and our believing loved ones who have passed on already are enjoying a wonderful environment! From Eternal Perspectives Ministries…………
https://www.epm.org/blog/2020/Jun/3/loved-ones-experiencing-heaven
This article shows how biblical knowledge leads to increasing faith, which leads to leads to growing Christian character, which results in godly actions, in an ongoing cycle of spiritual growth! From Two Journeys…………………
https://twojourneys.org/articles/detail/1462507/a-four-stroke-engine-drives-spiritual-growth/
I always appreciate the wisdom and biblical insight behind everything Randy Alcorn writes. And as a dad, I really appreciate what he has to say about being the kind of father who can easily apologize to his kids when he blows it! From Eternal Perspectives Ministries………..
I remember vividly a meal and conversation Nanci and I shared with Tony and Lois Evans at an event we were speaking at. I never tire of his messages—I am always riveted. I thank God for Tony and his family and his many years of faithful ministry. I love what we hear from him and…
Dads, Your Humble Willingness to Apologize to Your Kids Speaks Volumes — Randy Alcorn’s Blog
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5 Marks of Contentment
I am coming back to this topic of contentment again with this article, because I take seriously Paul’s declaration that “contentment with godliness is great gain!” From Core Christianity……………
Wow…what a beautiful piece of writing! Heaven is not just a place; it is a Person!! From The Contenders……………….
I truly like the message behind this brief article. In this day and age of Instagram, LinkedIn, and online assessments out the wazoo, it is easy to get the idea that everyone has at least one area of real expertise. But what if I am not really not great at any one thing, just OK in a number of ways? Well, God has a slot for you too! From Seth Lewis……………
I like to think of myself as a lifelong learner, and I certainly qualify as a book hoarder ( one of the given signs of a lifelong learner). From Cold Case Christianity……
https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/three-steps-to-becoming-a-lifelong-learner/
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Boy, this is a really excellent article with advice and encouragement on how to pray when struggling with depression. These suggestions would also work great for when one is dealing with worry and anxiety. From Crossway…….
https://www.crossway.org/articles/how-to-pray-when-youre-feeling-anxious-or-depressed/
This is an interesting article about an important part of Scripture for every believer. Because we need to know how the gospel of grace represented by Jesus is greater than the works of the Law represented by Moses. From MikeLeake.net…………………..
