How do we rejoice through hard times? It is a topic covered in both the Old and New Testaments. I think it is a real key to the Christian life. Real joy in the midst of terrible circumstances can only come through the indwelling of the Spirit and a heart and mind focused on the …
Gifts from the Father Today, we are going to move on from the salutation (1 Peter 1:1-2) and into the promises with which Peter begins the meat of his missive. God, through His great mercy, has given us many gifts. In the following verses Peter covers the greatest gifts of all, salvation through grace and …
If you are just now joining me, I should tell you that we have been looking at the following verses for a few days now. Today, I want to look at the final qualifier. I say final, but it kind of looks like two: for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood. …
Today we are going to cover a little more of 1 Peter 1, and delve into the concept of sanctification. What is it? What does it mean? How does it happen? Sanctification is a beautiful promise we should embrace and never shrink from. Jonathon Edwards describes the process of sanctification as a “transformation of nature” …
The deliberation Before I reference the title, Called. I need to give some explanation. It wasn’t that I set out to be controversial this morning! And, anyway, I am not even sure why being called is controversial, given its prominence in scripture. Here’s what happened, so you can understand how we arrived here: I have …
Beautiful charge What if we were to pursue our brothers and sisters who wander from faith? In many churches there is a strong emphasis on the lost. Some churches preach 100% to “seekers,” others only to evangelism of the unregenerate. I believe devoting zero time and effort to the body of believers makes for a …
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who …
Week 2 in review What a week! It was filled with thankfulness, laughs, illness, running, self-examination, a (Lord willing) singular failure, and the wonder that is life in this world. Bible For my personal Bible study (in case you couldn’t tell) I was still in James. But, my wanderings through James lead me to survey …
Before we begin Today I am going to (sort of) jump over a stretch of verses we have not really covered. This is a judgment call, I suppose. Have patience with me! If you don’t now, you will wish you had after you read today’s study! You can ask forgiveness at the end, I suppose. …
The Proud In which we venture into the negative side of James 3:13-4:10, covering the other guys known as The Proud. For the positive side, The Wise, please see Day 11.0. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not …
