Posts Tagged ‘Faith’
Backsliding: Last words on the matter
Editor’s note: A few weeks ago, on March 14, we published an article by George Stiekes called, “Do We Still Believe in Backsliding?” He sent that out as a devotional on March 11 and I was moved to repost it. Bro. Stiekes has been a friend since he pastored in Washington state some years ago.…
Read MoreHard Isn’t Bad, or Is It?
How often do we use the argument “hard isn’t bad!” when facing a challenging situation? Our children struggle with their schoolwork, or chores, or an intense sports game, and we encourage them by saying that this challenge will help them improve. Our friends face a hard decision in life, and we remind them that it’s…
Read MoreThe Faithful Heart of Mary
The Evangelist Luke tells us that after the visit of the shepherds to the infant Jesus and their report of the angelic messengers, Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. We may take the comment as a historian’s citation of his source. It is possible that the Evangelist met Mary and…
Read MoreAn Overview of the Book of James
The Book of James may be one of the most needful encouragements and exhortations to believers in our day. Of course, every book of the Bible seems that way when you’re teaching through it verse by verse. That’s because every part of the Bible is supremely powerful to address us according to what’s most needed…
Read MoreMost People Really Do Believe in God
Even if they don’t want to say so. Yesterday’s post from Forrest McPhail, “Sending You Good Vibes,” brought this to mind. The way I hear or see that idea is often in this form: “thoughts and prayers,” or sometimes just “thoughts are with you,” as if one would think the individual has the mental power…
Read MoreA Living Faith that Overcomes the Temptation of Doubting God
This part 5 of a 5-part series. For previous posts, click the following: part 1; part 2; part 3; part 4. I’ve often heard it said that the most common reason people give for turning away from God is not due to some intellectual hangup but due to some horrible experience of suffering. If that’s…
Read MoreA Living Faith that Overcomes the Temptation of Discouragement
This part 4 of a 5-part series. For previous posts, click the following: part 1; part 2; part 3. I find myself being one of the few middle-aged persons I know who looks back with fondness on his junior high years. Most people say that they would never want to repeat junior high again. But it’s…
Read MoreA Living Faith That Overcomes the Temptation of Disgust
This part 3 of a 5-part series. For previous posts, click the following: part 1; part 2. I went almost ten years without a correct diagnosis regarding what exact muscle disease I had. Honestly, the muscle disease itself wasn’t the hardest trial. The hardest trials were the effects of the muscle disease: not being wanted…
Read MoreGod is Faithful to Provide
Due to the nature of our family’s ministry, we have much interaction with cross-cultural missionaries serving Christ around the globe. One of my favorite things to do is to fellowship with a missionary who has served Christ for many years. I love to ask them questions like this: “What is one of the main lessons…
Read MoreGod’s Grace Appeared
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men (Titus 2:11). Every person in the world is within the reach of God’s salvation. No one is beyond having their sins forgiven and obtaining everlasting life. The word “appeared” in our text is the Greek word ἐπιφαίνω/epiphainō. From this word, we get…
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