Category: Bible Studies

Apologetics isn’t apologizing for anything. The Greek word means a defense. We have good reasons to believe in God. We might argue about the fine points of what God has revealed, but there is no doubt God exists and has reached out to us!

I recently received an email from one of our readers who shared a terrible story. He’s been estranged from his grandchildren because he believes in God. This problem is real and it’s growing!

Today I mentioned God made everything to my six-year-old grandson. God made all the animals, plants, and the first people. My little love snapped, “He did not! He made the fish and the sea and the fish grew feet and walked out and became different animals.”

I sat down and cried when I read this letter. 

“Lord! I am so sorry. We have failed not only to take the good news to the world; we are not even able to convince people you really do exist! Forgive us, Lord. Give us wisdom to answer the skeptics, courage to speak, and love to speak in a way people will listen.”

Exercise

Have you had a similar experience? The world is not only turning away from Christianity – they are turning away from God. Help me understand why this is happening? What can I do as a minister, as a father, as a grandfather, to help my loved ones believe?

Ah! It’s the end of the workweek and the weekend is coming. For most of us, it will be time to relax. Don’t feel guilty! Remember, God created the weekend. The Sabbath was his idea! So what should we think about?

I was cleaning off my hard drive and looking over old files and seminars from the past. I once did a discussion workshop on “Finding Your Passion!” and I thought some of the questions were worth sharing. Tomorrow is the Sabbath, and although Christians are never commanded to “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy,” the Sabbath as a day of rest and reflection is still a good idea.

I am a strong advocate of a “Techno-Sabbath” (taking a day to unplug from anything with buttons or batteries). Turn off your cell phone, your internet, and your television. Instead, think about your passion. Here are some questions to ponder:

• If money and time were no object, what would you do every day?
• Have you found your passion yet? Has it changed over time?
• Is there a difference between your spiritual gift and your passion?
• What would Paul have been like if he …
  • Was an engineer?
  • Was a professor?
  • Was an accountant?
  • Worked at In and Out Burger?
  • Won the Publishers’ Clearinghouse Sweepstakes?
  • Made tents for a living
• You may not have found your true passion yet. If not, what’s on your bucket list?

Be a Blessing!

Jan and Dixie were away in England visiting our daughter’s family, so this seemed like a great opportunity to whip this old body back into shape. It was time to eat right and exercise, but I was finding it hard to get up in the morning. The house was quiet and the pillow was soft. Hanging clothes covered the treadmill and the Total Gym was buried under boxes. Lying in bed, was easier than pulling on my dirty sweats. It was a matter of motivation.

Eventually, the dog and the cat conspired to get me out of bed. They wouldn’t take no for an answer. The dog scratched at the door to get out and the cat sat on my face until I finally got up to fix their breakfast. Perhaps it was the second cup of coffee, or it might have been the shock of stepping on the scales, but eventually, I began working out and discovered two things. First, I actually enjoyed it, and, second, I discovered it was easier the next morning to get up and start again. Isn’t that surprising? I discovered it is easier to become motivated after you begin than before. Once you start, it’s easier to keep going, so the key must be to make it easy to start.

We all want to be better Christians. We want to spend more time with the Lord, but it can be hard to begin. Here is the key:

Make It Easy to Start

First, put your decision making on autopilot: schedule the time. Don’t waste time wondering, “Should I read my Bible this morning or wait until tonight?” Nail it down! “It’s 6:30. Time to study and pray!”

Second, use the power of ritual. I suspect when you step into the shower, you don’t wonder where you should begin! The power of a ritual takes away the need to make a decision. You don’t have to think about getting started. My friend wakes up every morning and his wife hands him a cup of coffee as he steps out of the shower. Then he sits down at the same place every day and opens his Bible. One, two, three.

James Clear notes: “The key to any good ritual is that it removes the need to make a decision: What should I do first? When should I do this? How should I do this? Most people never get moving because they can’t decide how to get started. You want starting a behavior to be easy and automatic so you have the strength to finish it when it becomes difficult and challenging.”[1]

Exercise

Do you have a set time for Bible study or any rituals that help you practice the spiritual disciplines? Please share them here.

Be a Blessing!

It’s often been said that an “attitude of gratitude” is the heart of worship. Too often our prayers treat God like Santa Claus: “I want, I want, I want.” Perhaps before we jump into our desires, we need to take a moment to say, “Thank you.” 

James the brother of Jesus reminds us, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change,” (James 1:17). The most common Christian name for God is “Father.” The Holy Spirit within us cries “Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:6 – see Romans 8:15; Mark 14:36). Fathers excel at gift giving and our heavenly Father is no exception. Think about all that He provides and give thanks! 

David’s Song of Thanks

    8     Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; 

make known his deeds among the peoples! 

    9     Sing to him, sing praises to him; 

tell of all his wondrous works! 

    10     Glory in his holy name; 

let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! 

    11     Seek the Lord and his strength; 

seek his presence continually! 

    12     Remember the wondrous works that he has done, 

his miracles and the judgments he uttered, 

    13     O offspring of Israel his servant, 

children of Jacob, his chosen ones!

 (1 Chronicles 16:8–13)

Blessings,

Let’s be honest. Do you ever become “bored” with prayer? Sometimes it seems like our prayers are always the same, but it shouldn’t be that way! As we study the Bible, we discover an amazing variety of prayers. Some are very solemn and formal. Some are simple cries for help. Some are exciting requests for boldness or courage.

This week, as we prepare for our worship next Sunday, we are going to explore some of the many different types of prayer. Let’s begin by thinking about Who we are talking with. These prayers put things into spiritual perspective. Little children, learning to say grace over meals often begin, as we should, “God is great! God is good! …” A prayer of adoration recognizes the majesty and power of our God.

John MacArthur makes this helpful observation:

“Each of the many Old Testament names and titles of God shows a different facet of His character and its expression in His will. He is called, for example, Elohim, “the Creator God”; El Elyon, “possessor of heaven and earth”; Jehovah-Jireh, “the Lord will provide”; Jehovah-Nissi, “the Lord our banner”; Jehovah-Rapha, “the Lord that healeth”; Jehovah-Shalom, “the Lord our peace”; Jehovah-Raah, “the Lord our Shepherd”; Jehovah-Tsidkenu, “the Lord our righteousness”; Jehovah-Sabaoth, “the Lord of hosts”; Jehovah-Shama, “the Lord is present and near”; and Jehovah-Maqodeshkim, which means “the Lord sanctifieth thee.” All those names speak of God’s attributes. Thus they tell us not only who He is, but also what He is like.”[1]

Exercise

For our first minute today, let’s think about the names of God and what they tell us about His nature. Spend the second minute adding your own names for God. Why is He worthy of praise? Now close by praising our Creator, Provider, Peace, Shepherd, Righteous God! “God is great! God is good!”

Blessings,

Prayer doesn’t always have to be about talking to God. Sometimes we need to listen! The country cousin came to visit his cousin in the city. As they walked down the busy sidewalk, noise intruded on them from all sides: blaring horns, jack-hammers, hustle and bustle all around. Suddenly the country cousin stopped and said, “I hear a cricket!” The city cousin didn’t believe him until the country cousin reached down and pulled a little black bug out of the grate.

“That’s amazing! How did you hear that little cricket above all the din?”

The country cousin smiled, reached into his pocket and pulled out a fist full of coins and dropped them on the sidewalk. Everyone froze at the sound and looked at him. He announced, “It all depends on what you are listening for.”

Exercise

Today, at the end of what has probably been a very busy week, try this exercise. Spend the first minutes just listening. Try to identify each sound and then put it away until all you hear is nothing. In the second minute, listen to your heart. God spoke to Elijah in a “small voice” (1 Kings 19:12). If God was speaking to you now, what would He say? For your final minute, continue the conversation with God. Tell him what is on your heart.

Blessings,

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone — for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness (1 Timothy 2:1 – 2).

The second word Paul uses to describe what we should pray for is “quiet.” We need “peaceful and quiet lives.” Alas, this word has been sorely abused by English translations. For example, just a few verses later many translations announce women “must be silent,” but this is the very same word translated “quiet” in verses 2 and 11!

No, Paul isn’t commanding the women to “shut up” (see Mark 1:25 for that word), but he is agreeing with Peter who teaches that true beauty is a “gentle and quiet spirit” (1 Peter 3:4) – something God highly values in all of us.

You can’t make yourself be quiet any more than a gardener can make a plant grow or a sailor can call the wind. Quiet is something you cultivate or capture. For most people, it is a blessing that is just out of reach, so it will do us good to cultivate that special virtue today.

Exercise

Like many spiritual things, we see this virtue best by looking in our “rearview mirror.” Spend the first minute this morning thinking about the past. Have you been surprised by God? Think of something you were anxious about, but it turned out to be needless worry. Now spend your second minute counting God’s blessings – you might even sing “Count Your Many Blessings!” Finally, for your third minute, spend the time in prayer thanking God for the blessings to come. Our God is a gracious God!

Blessings

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own  (Mt 6:25–34).

Jesus was exhausted. It was the end of a very long day of teaching and preaching and he just needed to get away from it all. At evening, he got in a boat and told his disciples, “Let’s go across to the other side of the lake.” Then he fell asleep so soundly that even a hurricane[1] couldn’t wake him. Have you ever wondered how that was possible? (Mark 4:30-34)

Take a minute this morning to make a list of all the things that keep you up at night or the things that wake you up in the wee hours of the morning and prevent you from falling back to sleep. Now spend your second minute giving each of those worries to God. As you pray, draw a line through each worry knowing God will take care of it. Finally, spend your third minute thanking God for carrying those burdens for you and asking for His help to let go.

Blessings,

“Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10

“The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.”
— Habakkuk 2:20A

We might chuckle at the phrase “noise pollution,” but it is all around us. Who hasn’t been woken in the middle of the night by somebody on a motorcycle? Stop for just a moment and listen. We are surrounded by noise, but it is nothing compared to the noise that goes on inside of our heads!

How can we find that elusive peace? One way is by focusing on God and the Psalms are a wonderful aid in that quest. Try reading from the Psalms for just a minute, then meditating on God’s Word to you today for another minute, and then finish with a sixty-second conversation with the Lord.

Blessings,