Have you ever watched an ant colony? The ants move along invisible trails that other ants have somehow marked out. Working together they carry tiny bits of dirt to the top of the anthill. When something falls on the trail or the anthill, they scurry about frantically. Now suppose you really care about ants and …
Category Archives: Bible Study
25216 Suggestions for Study
About this Bible Study The Bible passage included in this study guide is from the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible. Feel free to use a different translation if you like. The study questions are designed to encourage you to think deeply about God’s Word and to help you open yourself to more of …
25215 Loving with Perfection
Luke 15:11–32 Years ago, I copied a quote I’d read somewhere into the front of my Bible: The greatest of saints is simply the greatest of receivers. Think about that. Can it be true? Is it really possible that our Father simply desires us to receive from Him? I became a Christian when I was …
25214 Loving the Self-Righteous
Luke 15:25–32 Have your good deeds as a Christian ever made you feel that you were better than someone else? Mine have. Before I’d committed the sin referred to in the introduction to the first lesson, I’d been obedient to Christian rules and worked hard to be a good and productive person. Based on these …
25213 Loving the Rebellious
Luke 15:11–24 Have you ever done something really bad—so bad that you felt God couldn’t possibly love you? I have. As a 38-year-old, “mature” Christian, I did something so awful that I couldn’t believe God could love a sinner like me. I couldn’t forgive myself for what I had done. I didn’t like myself, let …
25212 Parable of the Lost Son
Luke 15:11–32 15:11 Then Jesus said, “A man had two sons. 15:12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that will belong to me.’ So he divided his assets between them. 15:13 After a few days, the younger son gathered together all he had and left …
25211 Introduction
Jesus came to show us the Father and to reconcile us with Him. He told the parable of the lost son to help us see our Father as He really is. As a vivid illustration, Jesus tells of a father’s love for his sons and how he wants to be in relationship with each one. …
22010.281 Live for Eternal Significance
“Tell them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, to be generous givers, sharing with others. In this way they will save up a treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the future and so lay hold of what is truly life.” —1 Timothy 6:18–19 True faith involves knowledge and conviction of …
22010.274 “One Another” Body Life
One thing that is true about the body of Christ is that we need one another! Jesus said, “I give you a new commandment—to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. Everyone will know by this that you are my disciples—if you have love for one …
22010.267 Prayers You Can Use
Sometimes it seems hard to pray. . . you simply don’t have the right words for God. The Bible contains prayers written by other people that can help you talk to God. Many verses in the Bible, the Lord’s Prayer, the Prayer of Jabez, The Benediction, and the Prayer for Peace all provide models of …