Devotionals Biblical Ways to Cope with Grief “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted, and He saves those whose spirits have been crushed.” - Psalm 34:18 The world is full of pain, sadness, and grief. We will all experience grief in this lifetime. The good news is that during the time of pain, sorrow, and grief,
Devotionals Why Can't People Understand the Gospel Message? “One of the listeners was a woman named Lydia from the city of Thyatira whose job was selling purple cloth. She worshiped God, and He opened her mind to pay attention to what Paul was saying.”- Acts 16:14 We have to make one point clear; it is not
Devotionals Remembering Our Savior “But He was wounded for the wrong we did; He was crushed for the evil we did. The punishment, which made us well, was given to Him, and we are healed because of His wounds.” - Isaiah 53:5 Good Friday is a day to remember Jesus, our savior. We
Bible Basics What are Chapters and Verses? If you are reading the Bible for the first time, you might not understand what it means when you see John 3:16 or 1 Corinthians 15:10. At first this sort of notation might seem like some kind of secret code to make the Bible more complicated than it
Devotionals The Effects of Covetousness “You must not want to take your neighbor’s house. You must not want his wife or his male or female slaves, or his ox or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”- Exodus 20:17 Covetousness is a serious sin. It seems innocent enough to desire
Devotionals Solitude, Special Time Spent with God “Early the next morning, while it was still dark, Jesus woke and left the house. He went to a lonely place, where He prayed.”- Mark 1:35 Being alone and spending time with God is normal and is part of being a Christian. Jesus, God’s Son, prayed a
Devotionals The Real Meaning of Life “Bring to Me all the people who are Mine, whom I made for my glory, whom I formed and made.”- Isaiah 43:7 People wonder why they are alive. What is their purpose on the earth? Isaiah 43:7 plainly states the answer is to bring glory to God.
Devotionals The Seriousness of Idolatry “I am the Lord. That is my name. I will not give my glory to another; I will not let idols take the praise that should be Mine.” - Isaiah 42:8 When we worship or think anything is higher than God, we are making it an idol. If we
Bible Basics Why are There so Many Types of Bibles? When you begin reading the Bible for the first time, you may get overwhelmed with all the options available. Looking at all the options of Bibles available in a Christian bookstore or online, there is a seemingly endless number of choices: gift Bibles, Bibles for men, women, military Bibles – the
Devotionals Does God Get Mad? “The LORD doesn’t become angry quickly, but He has great love. He forgives sin and law breaking. But the LORD never forgets to punish guilty people. When parents sin, He will also punish their children, their grandchildren, their great-grandchildren, and their great-great-grandchildren.” - Numbers 14:18 The Bible says
Devotionals What to Expect as a Christian “My friends, do not be surprised at the terrible trouble which now comes to test you. Do not think that something strange is happening to you. But be happy that you are sharing in Christ’s sufferings so that you will be happy and full of joy when Christ comes
Devotionals Biblical Characteristics of Love “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not get upset with others. Love does not count up wrongs that have been done. Love takes no pleasure in evil but rejoices
Devotionals God the Master Plan Maker “I say this because I know what I am planning for you,” says the LORD. “I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future.”- Jeremiah 29:11 God is the ultimate plan maker. He plans out our lives
Bible Basics Why is the Bible Split in Two? If you are a new Christian or new to reading the Bible, you might have wondered why the Bible seems to be split in two. Why is there a New Testament and an Old Testament? Does the New replace the Old? The most important thing to understand before answering these
Devotionals When We Struggle to Believe “Immediately the father cried out, ‘I do believe! Help me to believe more!’”-Mark 9:24 We are not alone when we struggle with doubt in what God can do. We struggle to believe that He can heal a sickness, pain, or provide for us with another job when we
Devotionals When We Struggle with Prayer “Also, the Spirit helps us with our weakness. We do not know how to pray as we should. But the Spirit himself speaks to God for us, even begs God for us with deep feelings that words cannot explain.”- Romans 8:26 How many times have you struggled with
Devotionals The Truth will Set You Free “Do not lie to each other. You have left your old sinful life and the things you did before. You have begun to live the new life, in which you are being made new and are becoming like the One who made you. This new life brings you the true
Articles Holy Action In Exodus 20, the Ten Commandments were given to the children of Israel. They were meant to be followed as God's moral directive for the people who were to represent the one true God among the nations. This revelation set them apart. They were to be as "
Devotionals What We do with Money Matters “Don’t store treasures for yourselves here on earth where moths and rust will destroy them, and thieves can break in and steal them. But store your treasures in heaven where they cannot be destroyed by moths or rust and where thieves cannot break in and steal them. Your heart
Devotionals Being Changed by the Blood of Jesus “How much more is done by the blood of Christ. He offered Himself through the eternal Spirit as a perfect sacrifice to God. His blood will make our consciences pure from useless acts so we may serve the living God.” - Hebrews 9:14 Do you remember what it was
Devotionals When Jesus Divides “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against
Articles What Is a Sermon? What comes to mind when you think about a sermon? With different denominations, worship styles and agendas, sermons today sometimes can feel more like motivational speeches or platforms for social issues. Contrary to these styles of preaching, Belgic Confession article 29 says that one of the marks of a true
Devotionals The Importance of Hanging Around Godly People “Happy are those who don’t listen to the wicked, who don’t go where sinners go, who don’t do what evil people do.” - Psalm 1:1 Who we hang around with can impact our actions, attitude, and our mood. The Bible tells us the people we hang
Devotionals When We Love Others with Our Actions “My children, we should love people not only with words and talk, but by our actions and true caring.”- 1 John 3:18 Anyone can say, “I love you,” or, “I will pray for you.” But, let’s be honest, how many times have you told someone that you
Devotionals The Hope Found in Apostle Paul’s Conversion “In Jerusalem Saul was still threatening the followers of the Lord by saying he would kill them. So, he went to the high priest and asked him to write letters to the synagogues in the city of Damascus. Then if Saul found any followers of Christ’s Way, men or
