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Is your Bible gathering dust?
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Where’s your Bible? Have you picked…
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Visiting the orphan with gospel hope
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27 ESV). This coming Sunday is “Orphan Sunday.” Our church is joining…
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“My” church vs. “His” church thinking
“I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” (Psalm 122:1 ESV). As Americans, we are so accustomed to having things our own way that it should come as no surprise that we bring this way…
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Fish symbols and generosity
“You will be glorifying God through your generous gifts. For your generosity to them will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ” (2 Cor. 9:13 NLT). Some years ago I had a conversation with my son about…
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Tattoos, tribes and true community
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” Acts 2:42 (ESV) What makes a true community? People use the word community to describe all sorts of social groups. But what constitutes a “true” (real,…
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Bible memorization and business cards
“… he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law …It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere…
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Do you use S.O.A.P daily?
“Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23 NIV). “Daily.” There’s something about daily habits. What we do every day eventually…
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The need to belong
“Now you are no longer strangers to God and foreigners to heaven, but you are members of God’s very own family, citizens of God’s country, and you belong in God’s household with every other Christian” (Ephesians 2:19 TLB). Belonging was formally…
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Taking time to celebrate
“It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found” (Luke 15:32 ESV). In the parable of the prodigal son, the older brother complains to his father about the…
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The worth of having nothing
“Those things were important to me, but now I think they are worth nothing because of Christ. Not only those things, but I think that all things are worth nothing compared with the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians…