The Teachable Heart

There are three types of faith in Christ, struggling, clinging, andresting.  Which do you have?

Many of our pursuits are not immoral, but they may be fruitless.

A significant percentage of today's young adults are approaching marriage not as a lifelong commitment, but as a “test drive.” 

Lost resources are bad; but lost souls are much worse.  Which are more important to you?

Frequently, the person in the wrong won't take the first step toward making things right.  Will you be the bigger person? 

Quickly, completely, frequently, undeservedly, mercifully, and without causing us shame. That's how God has forgiven us. How are you forgiving others?

He never had biological children. But he was a father to thousands. 

God not only forgives us with urgency, He also wants to restore us to a right relationship with Him immediately. 

We all listen to someone. To whose voice are you listening?

We are not the treasure; God's powerful message of forgiveness within us is!

We won't carry a heavy burden if we don't first accept it as God's will for us.

Sinning is like buying everything on credit.  It may be fun in the moment – but eventually the bills come due!

Sin is first and foremost against God because God defines what sin is.

Like any designer/creator, Jesus has a purpose foreverything He created.

Don't mistake popularity with being correct.

When a message of love is spoken by a person who has demonstrated love, hearts and ears open.

When your way and God's Word conflict, which do you exalt?

Whatever you may be questioning, may your first question be, “What has the Lord said that pertains to this situation?”

Joyful, gentle, not anxious, prayerful, thankful, and peaceful in their hearts and minds.  That's not a personality type – that's the Spirit of God showing through.

The goal of growing in our faith is achieved by God's Spirit and our dedication to the task and hard work.  There are no shortcuts or luck involved. 

God reminds us through Jeremiah, that advice is only wise if it aligns with Scripture. 

Some things shouldn't be celebrated; they should cause us to blush.

This life is too hard to try to make it through on your own power and ability.  Thankfully, we don't have to. 

Godly people will not sit complacently while godlessness takes over their culture. 

This world has an agenda for us. And that agenda is to conform us into its pattern.

“Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.” (Michelangelo) The 'statue' within each of us that God is after is Christ.

“Our only lasting hope is in Him [God].” (Billy Graham)

God mercifully, yet justly, remembers Christ's death instead of our sin.

One man's prayer changed the outcome for an entire nation. 

The odds that seem overwhelming to us are nothing to God.

God has sent a lifeline.  His name is Jesus Christ. 

If we take a verse out of context and apply it to what God didn't mean for it, we may walk away very disillusioned.

When the follower of Jesus dies, they leave the land of the dying and enter the land of the eternally living. 

When we seek peace with our neighbor, we reflect the image of God to them.

Fear may be your first response to bad news, but it doesn't need to be your last response.

How can we discern between a skeptic who is genuinely open to listen, and a fool who is not?

For our words to convey the message we hope, both ourwords and timing must be right.

Life had been so painful that he could not imagine ever experiencing anything good or pleasant again. 

God's truth can only be discovered, never invented.   

Is it really possible to be thankful in ALL circumstances? 

As a culture slips further away from biblical teaching, we should become more out of alignment within that culture. 

We walk a path of ruin, or one of peace, hope, and love.  Which one are you on?

Are you willing to sacrifice a little comfort to see others come tofaith in Christ?

Good hermeneutics requires us not to use a single verse to form conclusions about large topics (such as God's love); we must consider the totality of Scripture's teachings on a subject. 

Politics should not cloud the message of the gospel. 

The tongue of the wise makes knowledge attractive…” (Proverbs 15:2, HCSB) 

When Jesus stood silent, Pilate stood amazed.    

Paul picked himself up, dusted himself off, and quickly got his nose back to the grindstone. 

Jesus stood silent through much of His trial, but when it came to His deity, He broke that silence.

In a wayward culture, may we stand firm in faith, and go forth in love.

Based upon Jonah's response to Nineveh's repentance, this message reminds us that anger is not always wrong, but it's not always right either.