And this I pray: that your love may abound… So that you may surely learn to sense what is vital… and of real value… – Philippians 1:9-10, Amplified Bible (AMP) To make good decisions, we need discernment. “Discernment” is defined by Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary as “the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure.” The word “obscure” means: 1 : shrouded in… Continue reading I’ll bet you didn’t know that love is the key to great decision making.
Category: Christlikeness
Oh, how soon we forget.
The people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? – Exodus 15:24, AMP. For three days after God miraculously rescued them by parting the Red Sea, the children of Israel traveled in the wilderness of Shur. By the end of the third day, they were tired and thirsty, and their water supply was all… Continue reading Oh, how soon we forget.
A little bit of time spent with God goes a long way towards making life easier to handle.
Great peace have they who love Your law; nothing shall offend them or make them stumble. – Psalm 119:165, Amplified Bible (AMP) True peace, no matter what the circumstances, is indeed attainable, but only through God. In his commentary on Psalm 119:165, commentator Matthew Henry writes about those who love God’s law: …nothing shall be… Continue reading A little bit of time spent with God goes a long way towards making life easier to handle.
Slothfulness is selfishness, plain and simple.
Slothfulness casts one into a deep sleep, and the idle person shall suffer hunger. – Proverbs 19:15, Amplified Bible (AMP) It is not terribly hard to spot people who are habitually slothful. Habitually lazy people are virtually allergic to work, and like all good allergy sufferers, they try to avoid that which causes them pain.… Continue reading Slothfulness is selfishness, plain and simple.
When God needs you to, please be ready to act like Titus.
But God, Who comforts and encourages and refreshes and cheers the depressed and the sinking, comforted and encouraged and refreshed and cheered us by the arrival of Titus. – 2 Corinthians 7:6, AMP When we are down and depressed, God often comforts us one-on-one while we are engaged in scripture reading or prayer. But, just as often, God sends His comfort through encouraging people He points… Continue reading When God needs you to, please be ready to act like Titus.
The more you say, the less intelligent you appear.
Even a fool when he holds his peace is considered wise… – Proverbs 17:28 (AMP) There is a humorous cultural proverb that goes like this: Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt. Although often attributed to Abraham Lincoln or Mark Twain, evidence suggests that the true… Continue reading The more you say, the less intelligent you appear.
Let God tell you the difference between shame and success.
When swelling and pride come, then emptiness and shame come also, but with the humble (those who are lowly, who have been pruned or chiseled by trial, and renounce self) are skillful and godly Wisdom and soundness. – Proverbs 11:2, Amplified Bible (AMP) When born-again believers are consistently proud and arrogant, their behavior betrays the fact that Christ, although their Savior, is by… Continue reading Let God tell you the difference between shame and success.
Here’s what you do when your culture hates you.
Him we preach and proclaim, warning and admonishing everyone and instructing everyone in all wisdom (comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God)…For this I labor [unto weariness], striving with all the superhuman energy which He so mightily enkindles and works within me. Colossians 1:28-29, AMP What are Christians supposed to do when we… Continue reading Here’s what you do when your culture hates you.
You’re not alone. Even Paul despaired.
…we were so utterly and unbearably weighed down and crushed that we despaired even of life [itself]. – 2 Corinthians 1:8, AMP It is very easy to look at pastors, missionaries, and others who have given themselves to a career in ministry as some sort of superheroes. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound,… Continue reading You’re not alone. Even Paul despaired.
Are you really God’s disciple?
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his [own] father and mother…” – Luke 14:26, AMP Can you really consider yourself a disciple of Christ? Most Christians would be quick to answer, “Yes!”, to this question, but how many of us would be telling the truth? There is a difference between being a… Continue reading Are you really God’s disciple?