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God Works in the Background of Life
Have you had to wait for a very long time for God to answer a specific prayer of yours? You know that what you are asking is within His will. It matches up with what is promised in Scripture. But, it’s not happening. Did you think God was being lazy or had forgotten you? Maybe God has been preparing the background for answering your prayer today or in the future. That’s what God did for the Jews during the years before Jesus showed up for all to see. We celebrate Christmas beginning with Luke 1 and Luke 2—the births of John the Baptist and Jesus. But, have you ever considered…
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Bible Backgrounds: Read Some NT Books with the Artemis Cult in View
Ever seen drawings of the ancient goddess Artemis? If so, she was probably carrying a bow and arrow. More recent iterations of her as Wonder Woman still depict her the same way—with shields, bows, and arrows. Ancient literature includes many references to Artemis as a master of archery. We see a similar connection in the epigraphic (inscription) evidence. In what is known as “the Oracle Inscription” found in the ruins of Ephesus, the goddess is described as “Artemis of the golden quiver,” a “shooter of arrows” and a “straight-shooting one.” In the ancient Ephesians’ manifestation of her, as with the more generic Artemis, the arrow was her primary weapon. What…
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Adorn Yourself with Godliness
Godliness is devotion to God expressed in a life that pleases Him, that reflects Him, that represents Him well. Every Christian woman who understands God's amazing love and grace toward her will want to adorn herself with godliness.
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Declare God’s Faithfulness
There is a line in one of my favorite praise songs that says, “Though darkness fills the night, It cannot hide the light; Whom shall I fear?” Darkness is one of those things that can cause fear. Think of a time when you were in a really dark place. With not even a glimmer of light. Was it in a cave? Or on a dark street? How do you feel in total darkness? Afraid. Lonely. You look for light from any source, don’t you? You see that light, and you follow it to get out of the darkness. That’s what God does for us—He calls us out of darkness into…
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Who Can Enter the Kingdom of God
My son grabbed a book from the “Leave a Book, Take a Book” library. Mine Craft Zombies. I thumbed through and read, “Rotting flesh falling off.” Um. Nope. Not this one. So, I asked him in a teacher voice, “Is choosing to read a book you know your parents would disapprove of honoring your father and mother? Is it following Jesus? What do you think?” He turned defensive. We played verbal tennis and he blurted out, “So, what do I have to do to go to heaven? I go to church. I believe. Why can’t I just do what I want?” Ball drop. Scripture is true. “Believe in the Lord Jesus and…
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What God Says about You
One of the top search phrases leading people to Bible.org is this question, “What does God say about me?” That could be a natural question for anyone to ask who does not already know the Bible’s teachings. But, a lot of times, that question is wrapped up in mega insecurity, even among Christians. Perhaps this question is constantly rolling over in your mind. Looking at stuff on the internet and reading through some devotionals and Bible studies, it’s obvious that there is a lot of shallow teaching out there that focuses constantly on our sinfulness (and, yes, every human is prone to sinfulness) but leaves out the good news of…
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God’s Thoughts and Ways – Part VI (Abel and Cain)
Abel’s and Cain’s Offerings At the designated time Cain brought some of the fruit of the ground for an offering to the LORD. But Abel brought some of the firstborn of his flock– even the fattest of them. And the LORD was pleased with Abel and his offering, but with Cain and his offering he was not pleased. So Cain became very angry, and his expression was downcast (Genesis 4:3-5). Why would the Lord accept the one offering and reject the other? Now, that is the right question – read on for the answer!
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Cape Town Commitment Part 1 Sections 8-10 The Gospel, God’s People and God’s Mission
The first part of the commitment closes with love for the gospel, for God’s people, and for God’s mission.
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God, You do not seem big enough for all my problems!
There have been times when the problems in my life seem so significant that God seems small! Of course, the reality is that God is bigger than all of our problems combined. However, when the world collapses around you, it may be hard to see this reality! So, how are we to respond to this type of situation? (1) I have learned in my Christian journey that if I do not know what to do in a situation, then I need to look at our example – Jesus – the author and finisher of our faith! (Hebrews 12:2) How did Jesus handle situations that seemed to be overwhelming? For example, recall…
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More on Jewish Backgrounds June 19
I am preparing for a long trip to Europe for a variety of professional conferences. I will be gone seven weeks but plan to keep blogging (July 4-August 24). I will attend four conferences. The first is an international conference held every two years in Italy. It concentrates on one of the more fascinating of the books out of Judaism of the period of Jesus, 1 Enoch. This year’s conference will discuss the relationship between 1 Enoch and another key Jewish work, Jubilees. Both of these works were written before the time of Jesus. They come from parts of Judaism that thought about the origins of evil and proper moral…