When Jesus died for us, He freed us from the sentence of death. “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed” (Isa. 53:5).
The Lord’s work is a collaborative work, a group effort. We are stronger, and the work prospers more greatly, when we work together, and each of us needs to see the extent to which our own part of the work is important to the overall effort.
When we have set our minds on things above, we will truly look forward to any occasion when God’s word is going to be discussed. We will have a keen interest in sermons about God when we have acquired a deep thirst for God Himself.
With commitment and hard work, there is nothing that can hinder our evangelism. Paul said, “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” And Peter exhorted us to work “as by the strength that God supplies.”
It helps to remember that the whole universe was created by a God who is eternal. The comforting thing about God’s eternal nature is not merely that He exists eternally, but that His character is eternal: God is changelessly faithful to us!
A seemingly little thing like our listening habits during the worship service can be a significant indicator of what is in our hearts. If the sermon seems dry and unappealing, it may be because we have no thirst for righteousness.
There is a real danger that we will neglect the cross because it is so familiar to us. At least once a week — when we observe the Lord’s Supper — we are invited to remember that our salvation would have been impossible without Christ’s death.
Deacons are a vital part of what has been provided to make the church strong and effective in its work. We cannot neglect this office or diminish its importance without hurting ourselves in regard to the work of the gospel.
Whether great or small (as human beings judge things), our contribution to the Lord’s work is valuable to the Lord Himself, and we owe it to our Master to give Him the very best effort of which we are personally capable, no matter what the work is.
The Bible is full of examples of men and women who placed their faith in God, did whatever they were capable of doing, and then found out — sometimes to their great amazement — that God can bring great results out of unpromising situations.
Confession of sin comes from “a broken and contrite heart” (Psalm 51:17), and it hurts. But the joy of forgiveness is on the other side of this sorrow, and the ...
Are we willing to accept God in general matters like love and faith, but when it comes to His instructions in the Scriptures about how these principles are to be ...
As creatures living in a world broken by sin, we have never experienced what it is to be a human being — not fully and perfectly. But God does not ...
It is only in Christ that we can be refreshing in the ways that people most seriously need refreshment. We should see being a Christian not only in terms of ...
It’s a huge step in our return to God when we acknowledge that our sins against Him have been deliberate. If all we can say is, “What I did was ...
Christ’s kingdom can’t be measured by any of the criteria the world uses to judge how powerful something is. And because it is spiritual, Christ’s kingdom is not vulnerable to ...
If we have not accepted the lordship of Christ before the day of judgment, it will be too late for an acknowledgement at that time to save us. In reality, ...
It was not merely by being humble that Jesus procured our salvation — it was “by becoming obedient” (Philippians 2:8). We have learned nothing of Jesus Christ and His gospel ...
Out of all we have learned from the Scriptures, only a fraction of that has truly been “received.” Today, let’s determine that we will not let pride keep God’s word ...
There is nothing about any of us that is not known to God (Hebrews 4:12,13). What if God made known to the public everything He knows about us, even the ...
Rebellion may be a temptation sometimes, but it’s not the only way we may depart from Christ. In a dangerous world, our confidence needs to be balanced with carefulness — ...
The idea that God has the right to govern everything about us is hard for us to swallow. But if God is indeed our Creator, we are not free to ...