Divine Nature

You can tell your family and friends about God, but until they see Jesus making a difference in your life, they may not listen. Written by Dan Lee on 10/08/2014 Series: Weekly Devotional "Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct.” 1 Peter 3:1-2 The phrase “actions speak louder than words” is not in the Bible, but it’s true! You can tell your family and friends about God, but until they see Jesus making a difference in your life, they may not listen. Today’s passage is addressed to women with non-Christian husbands, but it also applies to each one of us. We can show God’s love to our family, friends and coworkers who reject Jesus. Here’s how: Live by the Spirit As followers of Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit living in us. This gives us power to live righteous lives. “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not g

When someone hurts us, it is so difficult to even want to forgive them Written by GodLife on 23/06/2013 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: Forgiveness "When you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” (Mark 11:25). What does forgiveness look like? Some describe it as giving up the right to revenge or the obligation to "get even." Perhaps you have heard the phrase "forgive and forget." I think God’s forgiveness looks more like that, because He said of Himself, "I will blot out your sins and will never think of them again" (Isaiah 43:25, paraphrased). Forgive for Forgiveness When someone hurts us, it is so difficult to even want to forgive them – I sometimes get so angry that I can’t even think, let alone pray. But after a while, I remember Jesus’ instructions: "If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you r

How deeply have you been hurt, my friend? Have you become bitter or unforgiving in your attitude? Written by Luis Palau Tags: Forgiveness My father died when I was only 10 years old. He left us quite a bit of property and some money. But several family members squandered everything we had. In three years my family was living in poverty and debt. When I was older and really understood what our relatives had done, I urged my mother to take revenge on them, to get a lawyer to take them to court and let them have it. The older I got, the more bitter I became. But the Bible says, "Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ’It is mine to avenge, I will repay,’ says the Lord" (Romans 12:19). He is the One who measures out justice. He wants to handle such judgment for us—perhaps now, certainly ultimately. Forgiving Others My mother always quoted verses like Romans 12:19. She completely forgave our relatives for what they did. It

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What emotions accompany forgiveness? Written by Hope on 26/09/2015 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: Anger, Forgiveness, Freedom, Grace, Sin “Because you belong to Him [Christ Jesus], the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.” Romans 8:2 Forgiveness is freeing. Through Jesus Christ, you have freedom from the power of sin and death in your life! This feeling of freedom can also be felt when you forgive others. God’s Forgiveness Freedom from sin is freedom from its guilt; this freedom is brought to us by God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ. God “...is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins” (Ephesians 1:7). You can be confident God’s grace is working in your life: “if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (1 John 1:9). When you are forgiven, you might experience joy and the feeling a g

What was your life like before you accepted Jesus and asked Him to save you? Written by Hope on 19/01/2015 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: Forgiveness, Love “Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but He died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but He was raised to life in the Spirit.” I Peter 3:18 What was your life like before you accepted Jesus and asked Him to save you? You may have grown up as a Christian from a very young age. However, many people don’t accept Jesus until they are much older. Whatever your background, whatever your testimony -- God can use you to help others come to know, love, and follow Him. God will forgive anyone! We All Sin It can be a challenge to understand that everyone is impacted by sin. At first, people might not want to admit that sin rules their lives. But even Israel’s ancient King David, who was called “a man after [the Lord’s] own heart” (I Samuel 13:14), said, “I was born

The freedom of letting go. Written by June Hunt on 24/04/2018 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: Anger, Forgiveness, God, Resentment Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 Imagine you’re a runner and you’re racing in the Olympics. You have the right shoes, the right shorts, the right shirt. Yet, something is desperately wrong. Locked onto your ankle is a heavy black ball and chain! This weight is very heavy, and with it on, you can’t finish the race. If only you could figure out a way to remove the ball and chain! Sadly, you think you don’t have the key to unlock the chain from your leg. Then, you are told that you do possess the key to freedom. Quickly, you free yourself, and oh, what freedom! It’s as though that black ball miraculously turns into a big helium balloon. The load is lifted, the balloon is released, and the weight is gone. In our daily lives, unforgiveness can be a heavy black ball that weigh

We have false expectations if we believe that good deeds are always rewarded, and evil is always punished in this life. Written by Joy on 30/03/2014 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: Life, Purpose, Trials “Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles he performs for his people" Psalm 66:5 Job, probably the oldest book in the Bible, asks this question. Job’s friends accuse him of a hidden sin, since God seems to be punishing him with tragedies. Is this true? Are tragedies punishment from God? The Bible says, absolutely not! Tragedy Can Bring Us to Jesus We have false expectations if we believe that good deeds are always rewarded, and evil is always punished in this life. We live in a fallen world, corrupted by sin. Disease and disasters are a natural result (see Romans 8:20-22). Yet our problems and needs are the very things that can cause us to seek God and draw closer to Him. Jesus was asked this question by his followers: “Why was this man born blind? Was

To many, the most powerful positive objection to belief in God is the fact of evil. When asked what questions they would like to ask God if given the opportunity, forty-four percent of Americans said they want to know, "Why is there evil or suffering in the world?" John Hick noted, "To many, the most powerful positive objection to belief in God is the fact of evil." Peter Kreeft agrees, saying, "The strongest argument for atheism has always been the problem of evil." That’s been the case the past twenty-five hundred years, since the days of Buddha’s "enlightenment." The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus (342?-270 B.C.) stated the problem in four parts: "God either wishes to take away evil, and is unable, or He is able, and unwilling; or He is neither willing nor able, or He is both willing and able. If He is willing and is unable, He is feeble, which is not in accordance with the character of God; if He is able and unwilling, He is

Uncover the source of your anger Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24 A rim fire ravaged a magnificent California National Park in 2013. This destructive fire seemed to be caused by a hunter who started an illegal fire that spread out of control. Imagine … this small fire that the hunter considered manageable burned over 250,000 acres! Just a single flame in the wrong place and at the wrong time can quickly become a blazing inferno. Anger, hidden deep in the heart, can happen the same way. When hurt, injustice, fear or frustration smolder followed by the dry, hot winds of agitation, an angry inferno can quickly develop. If you find yourself losing your cool frequently, examine your heart to see if a deeper wound exists that gives rise to your anger. Fires of anger arise from four causes. 1. Hurt: Your heart is wounded. Everyone has a God-given inner nee

Even when the life you know is destroyed and your hopes feel crushed, God can still pour His goodness into your life. “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.” Psalm 46:1 (NLT) The “Islamic State” is wreaking terror over large parts of Iraq and Syria. Boko Haram carries out attacks in Nigeria and neighboring states. Governments oppress their own people across Africa, while some countries persecute minorities on a massive scale. Those being oppressed are often forced to flee their homelands. Are you one of them? God Still Loves You Did you know that Jesus Himself was a refugee? Within the first couple years of His life, Jesus and His family were forced to “flee to Egypt” (Matthew 2:13), because King Herod the Great of Judaea gave orders that would have resulted in Jesus’s death. God allowed His infant Son to experience what you are experiencing right now. Although it might feel like no one cares about you right now – if you have been robbed, t

And if we’re His creation, why are we so bad? “The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.” Romans 7:14b-15 God is good. But if we’re His creation, why are we so bad? When we try to do what’s right, our desire for sinful things often takes over. If God doesn’t like evil, why does He allow it to exist? We Have Free Will Sin entered the world after Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Since that day, all humans have been affected by evil. But why? It’s because God gives us free will. That means we have the freedom to make choices. For example, God “wants all people to be saved” (I Timothy 2:4), but He gives us the choice between eternal Salvation and eternal separation from Him. We get to choose between good and bad. The Bible instructs us to “keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers” (Romans 2:7). We make th

What’s so Great About Suffering? Written by Dan Lee on 11/04/2015 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: Persecution, Suffering, Trouble “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12 Persecution is when people say and do bad things to you because you believe in Jesus. Why should we rejoice if people kick us out of our home, beat us, or even kill us? Today, many followers of Jesus are persecuted. Here are a few points that give us God’s perspective on persecution. 1. Christ’s Followers Should Expect Persecution Jesus told his followers, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18). Jesus did not come to earth to become popular, but to die. He did not promise us an easy, trouble-free life, nor did he model this kind of life. The Apostle Paul w

A testimony of persecution and how you can pray Written by Dan Lee on 08/03/2016 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: Persecution, Suffering Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. Hebrews 13:3 Many Christians are suffering because they love Jesus. I recently sat down with a pastor named Reverend G. He is from a country in Asia where most of the people are Muslim and the Christians are persecuted. Here’s his story: Christians: A Hated Minority “I was born in a Christian family. From my childhood I was really shocked to see how much some Muslims in my country hate Christians. In some areas of my country, Christians are forced to sit on the ground instead of the same level as others. Christian workers are not allowed to eat and drink from the same cups and plates, but use separate dishes. Signs in many hotels and restaurants say “Christians & (other minorities) are not allowed to drink &am

Why doesn’t God stop people from hurting others? But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in Heaven. For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:44-45 Some sources of evil from people Someone tells a lie about you resulting in you losing your job. A person you love hurts you either emotionally or physically. Someone you trusted steals from you, and you are the one who must pay for what was taken. We continue our study in the Bible of why God allows so much evil in the world with a look at the evil that is done to us by the actions against us by people. According to the Bible, evil is found within “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life: (1 John 2:16). However, there are many other situations where evil can also be found, for example, a government which treats us unjustly, terrorism, and people we know

The Bible is God’s guide to a healthy family Family. What would we do without it? These basic human relationships between husband and wife, parent and child shape our personalities and script our comedies. Our families love us and they aggravate us—and we them. But this first and most basic unit of society—a husband and wife and the children born to or adopted by them was God’s idea. The Bible is God’s guide to a healthy family, even as it describes the tragedies of families broken by sin. The Bible also uses the family relationship to illustrate the relationship between God and believers. Since God places enough value on the family to compare it with the relationship He has with His children, it deserves a closer look. Standard family terms such as father, son, children, and marriage are addressed both practically and symbolically in the Bible. The following 12 terms create a greater understanding of the two-fold plan for the family that God has created, the family of God and

The Bible says the godly life of a Christian can testify to unbelieving spouses, who “will be won over [to God] by observing your pure and reverent lives” (1 Peter 3:1-2). Written by Hope on 16/03/2014 Series: Weekly Devotional Tags: God, Jesus, Marriage, Relationships The Christian wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the Christian husband brings holiness to his marriage.” 1 Corinthians 7:14 Perhaps you, or someone you know, is married to a non-Believer. The Bible has advice for God’s people about this. The Bible teaches, “Don’t become partners with those who reject God” (2 Corinthians 6:14). But if you’re already in this situation, be encouraged! The Bible says the godly life of a Christian can testify to unbelieving spouses, who “will be won over [to God] by observing your pure and reverent lives” (1 Peter 3:1-2). Advice to Those Not Yet Married Find out where your partner stands spiritually -- and only move forward when you know their life has been given to Christ.

Why do we grumble and take for granted the people we love most? Written by Joy on 06/12/2015 Series: Weekly Devotional “Giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:20 God knows we often grumble and complain so he reminds us throughout scripture to give thanks. When we focus on the things we lack, we can forget to appreciate what we have. God wants us to give thanks for everything! How can we be thankful for our spouse, children and parents when they don’t meet our expectations? Here are three reasons: 1.God is Good “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His faithful love endures forever” (Psalm 107:1). When we give thanks we confirm God is good. It acknowledges we are placing our hope in a good God Who has given us these relationships for a purpose. Even if your spouse or children do not believe in Jesus Christ, (1 Corinthians 7:16), God may work through you to save them. Even if you have a poor relationship wi

The Bible is God’s guide to a healthy family Written by Luis Palau Tags: Divorce, Family, Relationships Family. What would we do without it? These basic human relationships between husband and wife, parent and child shape our personalities and script our comedies. Our families love us and they aggravate us—and we them. But this first and most basic unit of society—a husband and wife and the children born to or adopted by them was God’s idea. The Bible is God’s guide to a healthy family, even as it describes the tragedies of families broken by sin. The Bible also uses the family relationship to illustrate the relationship between God and believers. Since God places enough value on the family to compare it with the relationship He has with His children, it deserves a closer look. Standard family terms such as father, son, children, and marriage are addressed both practically and symbolically in the Bible. The following 12 terms create a greater understanding of the two-fold plan