The Importance of Obedience, Prayer, & Reading Your Bible Daily
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.-Hebrews 4:12 Jean-Jacques Rousseau, one of the most influential thinkers during the Enlightenment Movement, wrote, "I must confess to you that the majesty of the Scriptures astonishes me, the holiness of the Evangelists speaks to my heart and has such striking characters of truth and is moreover, so perfectly
Never Forget: God Is Trustworthy and Sovereign
We were running late that September day, so my wife Shirin and daughter Sarah missed their regular train at the Babylon station of the Long Island Rail Road. Just as I saw them disappear into the crowd rushing to get into Manhattan that bright, sunny morning, my daughter Stephanie and I heard on the car radio that a small plane had crashed into one of the Twin Towers. I thought little about it, assuming some minimal damage had been done
A Revolution of the Mind: Finding God’s Plan for Your Life
How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws. -Psalm 119:103–106 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual
How Do We Face Normal Life Decisions with Faith?
As we go through life, we need to be sure faith touches us where and when it’s most needed—in our grief, battles, and disappointments. If it’s not proved steadfast there, it’s of no value to us. Faith must apply in any circumstances, both big and small. Not just when we’re facing gigantic mountains but also the tiny mounds—the very mundane, disturbing, and frustrating irritations or needs. You know, those things that seem inconsequential or frivolous to others but are seemingly insurmountable
Storm Rider: Drawing Closer to God
Are you going through a storm right now? Something so difficult or traumatic that you aren't sure you'll make it to tomorrow? Don't give up hope. It often takes a storm to get our minds off our own plans and ways and onto God's greater plan—to realize there's a purpose for our life that is far better than our own. Our storms help draw us closer to God than anything else. So when we're facing a storm, let's remember three things as we
The Restoration of All Things
A special Easter Sunday message from Dr. John I. Snyder, preached Easter Sunday 2022 in Bavaria, Germany. "He tells us, 'It's this way!' And he says, 'Pursue it. It's waiting for you, and for anyone who wants it more than anything else.'" https://www.buzzsprout.com/636826/10485429-what-easter-really-means.mp3
Holy Week: Day 8 – Easter Sunday: The Day Death Died
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will
Holy Week – Day 5: Maundy Thursday: This Is Love
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. -1 John 4:10–12 The word “Maundy” comes from the Latin “mandatum,” meaning commandment. This is in reference to the new
Holy Week – Day 3: Children of God
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace. –Ephesians 1:7 The apostle Paul reiterates here the essence of the Gospel message: It is only through the sacrificial death of Jesus (“his blood”) on our behalf that we can say we’re forgiven of every sin. The word he uses here for this transaction is “redemption.” This comes from the realm of the slave trade, where slaves were redeemed or purchased by someone
Holy Week – Day 2: The Doorway Into Life
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. –Hebrews 12:2 If Jesus did for us what we couldn’t possibly do for ourselves, what keeps us from fixing our eyes on him and keeping them fixed where they belong? As believers through the centuries have discovered, the problems arise when we take
