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Continuous Conversion
These words of our Lord refer to our initial conversion, but we should continue to turn to God as children, being continuously converted every day of our lives. If we trust in our own abilities, instead of God’s, we produce consequences for which God will hold us responsible. When God through His sovereignty brings us into new situations, we should immediately make sure that our natural life submits to the spiritual, obeying the orders of the Spirit of God.
The Right Kind of Help
And I, if I am lifted up . . . will draw all peoples to Myself —John 12:32
Very few of us have any understanding of the reason why Jesus Christ died. If sympathy is all that human beings need, then the Cross …
The Focus Of Our Message
I did not come to bring peace but a sword —Matthew 10:34
Never be sympathetic with a person whose situation causes you to conclude that God is dealing harshly with him. God can be more tender than …
The gift of God’s grace
A gifted athlete, Bobby earned a scholarship and was the first in his family to graduate from college. But his insatiable pursuit of wealth and material things sent his life into a tailspin he never expected. Find out how a man who thought he’d lost everything instead gained everything in the gift of God’s grace.
Breaking the Mold
According to the experts, I’m part of the demographic known as Generation X. Maybe you are too. Born between 1965 and 1980, we’ve been described as being cynical about life, fearful of commitment, and spiritually lost. Ouch!
To Make Them Better
After the initial performance of Handel’s Messiah in Dublin on April 13, 1742, George Frideric Handel received acclaim much greater than any expectation he could have imagined. The Dublin News-Letter gushed how the oratorio “far surpass[ed] anything of that Nature which has been performed in this or any other Kingdom.” In a letter Handel penned to a friend soon afterwards, however, he wrote, “I should be sorry if I only entertained them. I wished to make them better.”
A church behind the walls
Raised in a legalistic religious home, David’s rebellion led him straight to the jungles of war-torn Vietnam, while Jerry’s dangerous and dysfunctional upbringing led him to a lifestyle that earned him a lengthy prison sentence. Discover how both men received the love of Jesus Christ, and how His gift of grace gave them each a […]
A New Person
Aiko stopped sleeping with her boyfriend when she gave her life to Jesus. Eventually he broke up with her and later she fell in love with a man who was a devoted believer in Jesus. She was much happier, yet felt guilty because of her previous lifestyle. She cried out to her friend Midori, “I just wish I could have a fresh start. I want to be reborn!”
Finding peace from the rage within
An abusive childhood left John with deep emotional wounds, which festered into a simmering rage that followed him into adulthood and marriage. Tony grew up feeling unwanted and unloved. Even after marrying and starting a family of his own, his anger led to verbal and physical abuse. But God can restore even the hardest of hearts […]
“I thought Christianity was a crutch”
Have you ever doubted God’s existence? What about the Bible? Do you believe that it’s the inspired Word of God that Christ’s followers believe it to be? Well, Jodi put her faith in the big bang theory and Russell believed faith was for the weak. Learn how they both discovered a God who loved them before they ever […]
Trembling Hope
For centuries, artisans have labored to find ways to burn impurities away from precious metals. Craftsmen who honed the process created vast wealth for lords and sultans. One ancient method for achieving unsullied gold or silver entailed heating the metal to a molten state and purifying it until one’s reflection could be seen in it.
A New Purpose
Jacob Davis was a tailor with a problem. It was the height of the Gold Rush in the 1800s American West and the gold miners’ work pants kept wearing out. His solution? Davis went to a local dry goods company owned by Levi Strauss, purchased tent cloth, and made work pants from that heavy, sturdy material—and blue jeans were born. Today, denim jeans in a variety of forms (including Levi’s) are among the most popular clothing items in the world, and all because tent material was given a new purpose.
Simon and his friends were fishermen on the Sea of…
Choosing to Change
When my son acquired a small robot, he had fun programming it to perform simple tasks. He could make it move forward, stop, and then retrace its steps. He could even get it to beep and replay recorded noises. The robot did exactly what my son told it to do. It never laughed spontaneously or veered off in an unplanned direction. It had no choice.
When God created humans, He didn’t make robots. God made us in His image, and this means we can think, reason, and make decisions. We’re able to choose between right and wrong. Even if we…
Remade
Vancouver, Canada, artist Wendy Tsao transformed some popular dolls into worthy role models for young girls. Straight out of the box, the dolls wore revealing clothes and heavy makeup. But Tsao removed the eye shadow and lipstick. She stitched new outfits to match the new identities she gave the dolls. Tsao recreated one doll to be Jane Goodall, a famous wildlife scientist. Another became Dr. Roberta Bondar, the first female Canadian astronaut.
Grace that Motivates
Nothing moved him anymore. Though he ran one of the top skateboard teams in the world and had enjoyed lots of money, drugs, sex, and had dove headlong into every pleasure he chose, Ryan Ries felt empty.
