“Samuel said to Saul, ‘You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God’” 1 Samuel 13:13 We tend to associate foolishness with stupidity or a lack of common sense. But extremely smart people sometimes act foolishly. It might even look like bold, decisive leadership. We veer[...]
“As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right.” 1 Samuel 12:23 How do you respond to believers who aren’t following God and His Word?[...]
“and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5 There’s an old preachers’ illustration of a church awarding a “most humble” badge to one of its members, then taking it away because he put[...]
“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.” Philippians 2:3 Selfishness doesn’t have to be taught. We all have an innate desire to put our wants and needs before anything or anyone else. So it’s completely against human nature to[...]
“Therefore encourage one another and build up one another…” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Over and over, the Bible emphasizes the importance of spending time with other Christians as a source of encouragement. But encouraging one another isn’t about lifting each other’s spirits. Paul is talking about something much deeper than our emotions.[...]
“Bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.” Colossians 3:13 Some people and some offenses are hard to forgive. Has a person in your life been untruthful, unfaithful, or proven to be untrustworthy?[...]
“Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8 It’s human nature to love those who love us, and to be kind to those who are kind to us. But what about when someone mistreats or provokes us? We said[...]
“This I command you, that you love one another.” John 15:17 Jesus’ command to “love one another” sounds elementary in theory, but it’s often more difficult in reality. Maybe that’s because we’ve bought into the world’s definition of what love is and how it behaves. It’s made out to[...]
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 If you’re a Christian, then you probably have a nativity scene displayed somewhere in your home[...]