Galatians 2:16.–3:3 In the process of coming to understand how much God really loved me and seeing love as the foundation for His rescue of humanity, I also came to understand how God had created us human beings. He made us to be recipients and givers of His great love. God designed us in His …
Continue reading “25244 Knowing and Experiencing God’s Love”
Romans 4:13–5:8 I accepted Christ by faith as a 16-year-old. I believed that Jesus was the Son of God who died for my sins and I invited Him into my life. From that moment on I knew that I would go to heaven; eternal life is God’s free gift to all who believe. Yet tragically, …
1 Corinthians 13 The first few verses of 1 Corinthians 13 became real to me one memorable summer day in 2004. Eighty-two-year-old Edna and I were visiting in her mobile home. For seven or eight years she and I had been meeting regularly to study the Bible and pray. Almost 40 years my elder, Edna …
If anyone knew the Old Covenant law, it was the Apostle Paul. In his early life, as “Saul,” he had been a Pharisee—a devout follower of the Old Covenant of law introduced by Moses. Circumcised on the eighth day, Saul had been raised and taught in strict obedience to the Law of Moses. As a …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …