As Christian parents, we need to understand that an important part of our calling and responsibility in parenting is to purposefully direct our children towards Christ. We do this by applying biblical principles, as we model godliness in our everyday living.
Parenting in our present culture is one of the most difficult tasks. Sadly, it seems that parenting is lived out with an unbalanced view. Nevertheless, it is God’s desire for parents to concentrate their effort on building character and a godliness into their children.
Parents have a relatively short time to influence their children. In God’s plan the family is designed to be the primary context for spiritual training and preparation for life. However, though we may impart different skills into our children, none of them should be more important than leading our children to know and experience God’s redeeming love and grace.
The apostle Paul, while addressing the Christian believers in Corinth, is reflecting on how to celebrate and partake the Communion. He makes it clear that it is possible to approach the Lord's Table in an "unworthy manner." What does this mean? How can we prepare ourselves to partake of the Lord's Supper?
Distractions abound in our technological age. There is always the next thing to worry about. How do you find your calm amidst the storm? In Philippians 4:4-9 God promises us an unexplainable peace that will guard our hearts and our minds. It is a way in which God wants to direct our lives into ever increasing synchronization with His will. Will you place yourself in your Father’s hands?
We all want to live a happy and fulfilling life while on earth. We also, wish to die peacefully, with the assurance of enjoying the everlasting happiness of God forever in Heaven. However, to get there, we should ask ourselves this important question: “What is my ultimate destination in life?”
The Lord’s Supper is one of the two ordinances of the Christian Church. Yet, for many Christians to remember the death and resurrection of Jesus until He comes is reduced to an ambiguous mental activity. In reality, Jesus asked us to remember Him more than what He did for us. His words are clear, “this do in remembrance of me”.
Due to the difficult experiences he had in life,the paralytic man at the pool of Bethesdagot stuck in a “victim mentality”. Hebeganto think that he wasnot good enoughand he ended up losing hope, believing that he couldn't change his condition of misery and desperation. But when Jesus came on his way everything changed!
True purpose can only be found when we stop resisting to the full lordship of Jesus Christ and to His saving grace. Paul exhorts the Ephesians to diligently live the new life in Christ. This is a daily, intentional decision and it means to walk away from the empty ways of those who don't know God.
How do you determine the significance of your life? Some people value their career more than their mission. According to this measurement, the more money you make, the more important you are. Yet, Jesus introduced a different measure that still challenges our very materialistic society, the value of our soul.
We tend to be a very “forgetful” people, yet the Word of God places so much emphasis on “remembering”. Therefore, it is a good thing to remember what God has done for us. it’s helpful to keep a record of them as we approach a new year, because by remembering them, we can understand how God is still at work in our lives today.
The Apostle John summarizes the message that God revealed to us through Jesus with 3 words: “God is light.” What does that mean, in a practical way, for those who are followers of Christ?
John the Baptist is introduced by the gospels as the forerunner who would prepare the way for Jesus. He lived all is life focused on this unique mission. We also, should prepare our hearts for the arrival of the most important guest in of all time and in the whole universe: the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Knowing that Christ will come again, should give us the desire to prepare our own hearts and get ready for this glorious day.
God is a reliable source of hope that you can count on. He has a plan for you. You can count on Him no matter what happens. Your life is not hopeless! The all Trinity cares for you. When you feel discouraged you can turn to the Father through Jesus Christ our Lord and the Holy Spirit will fill your heart with hope.
Christians are not necessarily immune from trials and tribulations. Have you ever found yourself in a difficult situation, and desperately needed God’s counsel to get you out? Through this message you will learn that to find out God's way for us in the midst of difficult circumstances we must stop to dwell in self-pity, bitterness and resentment. We have no other option apart from getting closer to God and move from desperation to trust in His strength and guidance.
In the Scriptures few things are more misunderstood than faith. This story seems to be about deliverance and healing, yet from its context we can easily understand that there is something more than that. This passage of the Gospel is telling us that unbelief is not just the problem of unbelievers, it is also the problem of believers. Nevertheless, we should take the responsibility to “dare to risk” beyond our doubts and mature in our faith.
Those who are followers of Christ look forward to hearing the words of Jesus “Well done, good and faithful servant”. But how do we get there? What does it mean to “finish well”? This message challenges us that “finishing well” is not a singular future event but rather it is the culmination of a life lived well.
There are a number of covenants found in the Scriptures. Throughout the narrative of Scripture, God has made different covenants with distinctive purposes. In biblical language, a covenant is a solemn, legally binding, relational agreement between two parties which is normally activated and sealed by the shedding of blood. Though there are different covenants, all of them can be classified under two categories, the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. As believers, it is important that we understand which of these two covenants applies to us, and which one is obsolete and no longer applicable to those who are new creations in Christ.
This beautiful story is a great teaching moment for all of those who are searching for truth, meaning and purpose in life. It seems like those two young men, sent by John the Baptist, find the true answer in their question: Jesus, where do you live? They were already willing to trust Jesus before He would give them the answer. Jesus, knowing their hearts, responds with a pretty direct yet welcoming invitation, “Come and see”. Jesus called them to follow Him. Immediately, there was an interesting dynamic of trust that started building between Jesus and these two disciples. The disciples take him up on the invitation. They go and spend time with Him. They followed Jesus and stayed with Him to hear His message. The result of their decision is amazing. Andrew and Philip were both so overwhelmed with who they had met, they had to tell others. We, also, need to go to Jesus, to see Him, to love Him, to follow Him and speak about Him.
It is so important that we give thanks to God, not just on Thanksgiving Day, but every single day of the year. Christian gratitude comes from recognizing Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. As we contemplate God's greatness and goodness towards us, we also realize our own worthlessness; and we understand our desperate need of a Saviour in our lives. Therefore, because their faith in Christ, His followers must be different and practice gratefulness in all times; even when life may bring discouragement, disappointment, disease, disaster, and death, we have always reasons to give thanks.
