“For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Hebrews 2:18 ESV). The writer of Hebrews wants us to see that Jesus’ humanity was no illusion. He truly suffered, and He was truly tempted. Yet unlike us, He never yielded to sin. His suffering was not
Chapter: 2
DECLARING THE GOSPEL WITH GENTLENESS
“And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness” (2 Timothy 2:24–25 ESV). Paul reminded Timothy that as a servant of the Lord, he must reflect the character of his Master. The goal of ministry is not to win arguments but
DO YOU RIGHTLY HANDLE GOD’S WORD?
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 ESV). Paul wrote to his young protégé Timothy, urging him to be diligent in his study and handling of God’s Word. The phrase “do your best”
HOW HAVE YOU RECEIVED GOD’S WORD?
“And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers” (1 Thessalonians 2:13 ESV). Paul wrote this letter
WHO ARE YOU TRYING TO PLEASE?
“But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts” (1 Thessalonians 2:4 ESV). Paul reminded the Thessalonian believers that his ministry among them was marked by sincerity and divine approval, not human ambition. Having
WHOSE INTERESTS ARE YOU SEEKING TODAY?
“For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 2:21 ESV). Paul wrote to the Philippians about his desire to send Timothy to them. Unlike others who were concerned with their own affairs, Timothy stood out as a rare example of one who genuinely sought the things of Christ. In a
HE CAME DOWN THE LADDER OF LOVE
“Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even
ONE GOSPEL FOR ALL PEOPLE
“And when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised” (Galatians 2:9 ESV). This meeting in Jerusalem was pivotal in church history.
DO YOU CARRY THE AROMA OF CHRIST?
“For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?” (2 Corinthians 2:15–16 ESV). Paul paints a vivid picture of believers
YOUR LIFE HAS A PURPOSE WITH GOD
“The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.” (Esther 2:17 ESV). The book of Esther is unique because the name of God is