Hardships are bound to come upon every person. Yet, even in trials, sufferings, and hardships; believers can count it all joy, knowing God uses adversities to grow us in dependence on, and intimacy with, Him. The Lord isn’t using life’s trials to break us down, but to build us more into Christlikeness.
Spiritual motivation
“Faith without works is dead;” a Bible study on James 2:14-26
“So faith without deeds is dead.” This bold statement by James (2:26) is not contradictory to salvation by grace, it is complimentary to salvation by grace. For, he is telling believers that there will be demonstrated “fruit of grace” that becomes evident after someone is saved by grace, through faith in Christ.
Jesus heals the leper – a Bible lesson from Luke 5:12
People need hope, compassion, and belonging. But this world can be a lonely and brutal place. Many become ostrasized by society and are treated as loathsome. However uncomfortable it makes us, we need to reach out to them in Christlike love; telling them about Jesus’ mercy, forgiveness, acceptance, and redemption.
Our heavenly Father is the giver of every good and perfect gift.
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father” (James 1:17). Were a man who is in Christ to speak of God’s goodness, generosity, and grace with his every breath for the remainder of his life, he couldn’t skim the surface of all the glorious wonders the Lord plentifully bestows on him.
What does “my yoke is easy and my burden is light” mean?
Jesus said: “Take my yoke upon you . . . for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” But being “yoked” usually implies a heavy burden. Yet, Jesus gives us the image of being yoked alongside Him while He is the One pulling the load. It’s as if we are along for a scroll next to Him and watching as He moves mountains.
Christ, our provision: Jesus feeds 5,000 by miraculously multiplying five loaves and two fish (part 1)
In a display of His supernatural provision, Jesus feeds 5,000 men by breaking “only” five loaves and two fishes. It’s easy to look at the “only” in what we see or have, and miss what is available to us through Jesus. It’s not about what we can do with what we have—but Who we know and what He can do through us.
What does it mean to be holy?
There is considerable Scripture dedicated to imploring believers to strive for living in purity and righteousness in their daily walk with Christ. Regrettably, this teaching is often overlooked in many church gatherings today. Yet, for a believer’s joy and spiritual growth, it is vital to stress the importance in striving to live holy, upright, godly lives.
The “crown of life” awaits believers who persevere
As a Christian, we should desire crowns of reward; although, our desire should not stem out of selfish motives. The reason we should desire any of the five crowns is so we can return these and lay them at the feet of Jesus. That’s where our motivation should be, to have treasure of true worth so we can lay at the feet of Jesus.
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