Many Israelites return to Jerusalem after the exile and face some success alongside many spiritual and moral failures. Originally written together as a single book in the Jewish Scriptures, Ezra and Nehemiah document the fulfillment of God’s promise that Israel will return home after 70 years of exile in Babylon and restore their ruined dwellings …
Category Archives: Discipleship
38641 Overview: Chronicles
Chronicles retells the entire Old Testament story, highlighting the future hope of the messianic king and a restored temple. Like the Books of Samuel and Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles was also written as the single Book of Chronicles in the Hebrew Bible. Many readers today, however, skip reading it when they find that it …
31051 God and You
God exists. He is the supreme personal being with intelligence and wisdom who created all things. He exists beyond our time and space. This God is absolutely good, holy, just, beautiful, and powerful. He is love. He is light. He is life! It Was Good God is the designer of all things. His creation was …
32582 Obeying to Get a Blessing
Why did the Israelites repeatedly worship other gods, even after experiencing God’s dramatic deliverance from Egypt through plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, and food falling from heaven in the desert? Perhaps they wanted more control. The appeal of an idol is its simplicity. If you follow the rules, you can expect to get …
32583 Obeying to Fulfill Duty
When signing up for a new account online, have you ever read the small print statement before clicking the “I accept” button? The authors of those documents try to cover every possible contingency. Imagine, then, if the Christian life was similar and had a rule for every scenario a person could ever face. How thick …
32584 Obeying to Avoid Punishment
Jesus said that He “came that [those who follow him] may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10, NASB). Living to just not get in trouble, however, is pretty far from abundant life. Imagine a teacher whose ideal student is simply one who doesn’t get sent to the principal’s office. We would question whether that teacher …
32585 Obeying to Demonstrate Love
“Just accept me for who I am.” “Don’t judge.” “I just want to be loved and accepted, not preached at.” We are often quick to take offense at the perceived arrogance of someone who tries to tell us how to live our lives. We easily presume that authentic love requires others to fully accept how …
32581 The Heart of True Obedience
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” —John 14:15 Obedience stands as visible evidence of love for God. Holiness consists not in rigid rule-keeping, but in living in ways that honor and reflect His holy character. Through grace, one learns to say “no” to sin and “yes” to righteousness, allowing this pursuit to …
31054 Develop the Relationship
It is the most exciting event in your life to trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior. God instantaneously transferred you from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of his Son and gave you new life in him! You are born again and have become a new creation in Christ! You are now in …
32455 How to Be Filled with the Holy Spirit
You may be thinking, “I’ve accepted Christ into my life. I know that the Holy Spirit comes into your life when you accept Christ. But why then, does my life presently reflect so little power?” It is important to think about what might be standing in the way of your experience of a Spirit-filled life. …
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