Podcasts about god himself

Treasure Hunt #RTTBROS #NightlightTreasure Hunt #RTTBROS #Nightlight Treasure Hunt: The Search for Wisdom"If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God." Proverbs 2:45 (KJV)In November 1922, after six grueling years of excavation in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, archaeologist Howard Carter made a discovery that would captivate the world. With trembling hands, he peered through a small hole into the darkness and famously whispered, "I see wonderful things." Behind that ancient doorway lay the virtually intact tomb of Tutankhamun, filled with treasures beyond imagination.Carter's quest had been marked by relentless persistence. Season after season, he had endured the scorching desert heat, financial pressures, and mounting skepticism from critics who believed the valley held no more secrets. Yet Carter pressed on, convinced that somewhere beneath the shifting sands lay a prize worth every sacrifice.How remarkably this mirrors our spiritual journey in seeking divine wisdom! God has not hidden His treasures in some distant, unreachable realm. Instead, He has graciously placed them within our reach in the pages of Scripture, particularly in the wisdom literature of the Old Testament. The books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job contain riches more valuable than all of Pharaoh's gold.Yet like Carter's archaeological dig, the pursuit of wisdom requires persistent effort. The casual reader may glimpse only surface truths, but those who dig deeper, who study, meditate, and apply God's Word with the same determination Carter showed in the desert—will uncover treasures that transform their lives.Consider the persistence required in both quests. Carter didn't abandon his search after the first unsuccessful season, nor should we abandon our study of Scripture after a difficult passage or a dry season in our spiritual lives. Just as Carter methodically sifted through sand and debris, we must carefully examine each verse, each principle, allowing the Holy Spirit to illuminate truths that might otherwise remain buried.The wisdom literature of the Old Testament offers us practical guidance for daily living, insights into human nature, and profound understanding of our relationship with the Almighty. These treasures don't reveal themselves to the hurried or superficial seeker. They require the same patient excavation that Carter employed in his earthly quest.When Carter finally entered Tutankhamun's burial chamber, he found not just gold and jewels, but artifacts that revealed the beliefs, customs, and aspirations of an ancient civilization. Similarly, when we persistently search the Scriptures, we discover not merely moral teachings, but the very heart and character of God Himself.The riches Carter found were temporary, museum pieces that fascinate but cannot transform. The wisdom we uncover in God's Word, however, has the power to change our hearts, guide our decisions, and prepare us for eternity. As the wise man wrote, "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold" (Proverbs 3:1314).Let us approach our Bibles with the same excitement and anticipation that filled Howard Carter as he searched the Valley of the Kings. God's treasures await our discovery, but they require our diligent seeking. Unlike earthly treasures that may be stolen or decay, the wisdom we gain from Scripture becomes part of our eternal inheritance.Be sure to Like, Share, Follow and subscribe it helps get the word out.https://linktr.ee/rttbros

This week we conclude our series based on Charles Spurgeon's pamphlet Feed My Lambs. In these final segments, Spurgeon gives us three admonitions: remember whom you are teaching, remember that you are teaching on behalf of God, and remember that your children need this teaching. Keeping these things in mind will be a help in both preparing and in teaching theological matter to children. Spurgeon likens teaching children to the responsibility of ministers. He says we must bear the weight of the reality that children will accept what we teach them, even if what we teach is incorrect. They are not educated enough to correct us if we misspeak a truth. They cannot choose a different Sunday school teacher if we are not careful enough. They will often adopt what we say as gospel truth and may hold those truths for the remainder of their lives. So remember who is accepting our teaching, but also remember that we are given the opportunity to teach by God Himself. He has placed us in positions to teach and we should take it as a weighty privilege. Lastly, if we see the need in our children to teach them truth, we will be moved to study deeply and think with focus on how best to convey these truths to them. We pray this episode, and indeed this series, is helpful to you. Please share it with your Sunday school teachers to edify them in their work for the Lord with children. Show Notes: Behold Your God: Seeking Him Early - https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/childrens-curriculum Charles Spurgeon's book for parents and teachers: https://gracegems.org/B/Spurgeon_children.htm J. C. Ryle - Two Bears and Other Addresses to Childre: https://www.christianbook.com/two-bears-and-other-addresses-children/j-c-ryle/9781583391051/pd/391052 Love to the Unseen Christ by Thomas Vincent - https://www.amazon.com/Christians-Unseen-Christ-Puritan-Writings/dp/1877611573 Christ is All by Henry Law - https://www.amazon.com/Christ-All-Pentateuch-Classic-Reprint/dp/0243899300 Looking Unto Jesus by Isaac Ambrose - https://www.trinitybookservice.com/looking-unto-jesus/ Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app

Send us a textDr. Randy Davis, Pastor of Zion Word Church USA, brings a message on the election of grace.  The word of God is here to correct us when we go astray and guide us through life's journey.  We have been elected by God Himself to receive His grace. To hear more inspiring messages by Dr. Randy Davis visit and subscribe to:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@zwmiusaTikTokhttps://www.tiktok.com/@zwmiusaRumble:  https://rumble.com/c/ZionWordMinistriesIntUSAPodcasts: https://www.buzzsprout.com/40604Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zion_word/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zionwordministriesint

Jesus is the One who gives the world around us meaning and significance — so what we believe to be true about Him matters. This week, guest speaker and executive director of discipleship, Dave Bruskas, leads us through Colossians 1 to remind us that Jesus is not just a representation of God, but God Himself, and that should change everything for us.

Jesus is the One who gives the world around us meaning and significance — so what we believe to be true about Him matters. This week, guest speaker and executive director of discipleship, Dave Bruskas, leads us through Colossians 1 to remind us that Jesus is not just a representation of God, but God Himself, and that should change everything for us.

Who was Korach, the Levitical antagonist who rose up and tried to lead a rebellion against Moshe…and against God Himself? What was his true agenda, and what can we learn from him, and his remarkable, 'out of this world' punishment of being swallowed up by the 'mouth of the earth?' Join Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman in this week's episode of the Jerusalem Lights podcast as they discuss Korach, a man who was swallowed up by his own ego, becoming an eternal symbol of how self-deception becomes a fall, too late, into self-awareness....Due to technicalities related to the current circumstances we were unable to record our weekly podcast in its usual format. Also in the closing moment of the podcast, Rabbi Richman lost electrical power and was unable to sign off in the usual manner. Apologies! _________Rabbi Chaim Richman Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone Please support the work of Jerusalem Lights, Inc., a USA recognized 501 ( c ) 3 non-profit organization to enable these productions to continue and grow:PayPal: infojerusalemlights@gmail.com or: https://paypal.me/JerusalemLights?loc...In the USA: Jerusalem Lights Inc. Post Office Box 16886Lubbock Texas 79490In Israel: Tel. 972 54 7000395 Mail: PO Box 23808, Jerusalem IsraelSubscribe to our newsletter at https://www.rabbirichman.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel:    / jerusalemlightsrabbichaimrichman  Follow us on Facebook:   / rabbichaimrichman    / 282440396475839  

Martin Luther - “It is not we who seek God, but God Himself seeks by means of the Word.  THEN, after you have been found, then you should seek.”  God says, “Here am I. Here am I!  I want to be found.”   But we ignore Him. We don't even hear Him through the noise of this world.  We don't even see Him by the distractions of this world.”  But God keeps showing up, revealing himself,  even when we don't seek Him. He showed up in the most powerful way, a new testament, a new story dwelling with us, and He still does.  Talks to us.  Dwells with us in His Word and in His sacraments. Isaiah 65:1–9 Galatians 3:23–4:7 Luke 8:26–39

It's a good thing that over the years I haven't had to wear a nametag when I went to see the dentist. Yeah, I'm doing better now. But, you know, for years I didn't really anxiously await my opportunity to spend time in the dentist's chair. I'm not sure you do either. I mean, look, we all have a tendency to avoid appointments that may be unpleasant, don't we? And, in most cases, you could put off - even cancel - meetings you don't want to have. In most cases. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Appointment You Will Keep." In our word for today from the Word of God, God announces an appointment. It's in His Book; it's not in yours. Hebrews 9:27 - "Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment." God makes it very clear: we have an appointment with our Creator - or, as the old-timers used to say, "meet our Maker." Now that final reality is something that, well, we'd rather run from than face a lot of times. One alternative idea we hear a lot about is reincarnation. Of course, that's not really a new idea. Reincarnation proposes that we can escape this day of reckoning indefinitely through this endless cycle of starting over. Of course, the only One who knows for sure what happens beyond death is God Himself. And He leaves absolutely no room for us going around again when it says man's destiny is to, "die once and after that to face judgment." When God talks about facing judgment, He says you and I will have to account to Him for our life; a life that, according to the Bible, has been lived outside our Creator's plans. In God's own words, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Nobody has lived up to God's standards. Everybody has the death penalty of sin to deal with. That's why so many people become religious and try to do good. We hope we can somehow pay off our sins. But again, our way of getting ready for our appointment with God is useless. The Bible says that at the time of judgment, "Every mouth will be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore, no one will be declared righteous (that means right with God...qualified to go to heaven) by observing the law" (or doing all the right things). There's no way you can pay your sin-bill with your religion, your generosity, or your goodness. The only way this eternal bill could be paid was by God's eternal Son, Jesus Christ. The payment we're trying to make with our goodness was already made by Jesus when He took our death penalty on His cross. The only question God's going to ask you when you keep your appointment with Him is, "What did you do with My Son?" Years ago when prairie fires would sweep across Indian lands, Native Americans would literally fight fire with fire. They would actually set a fire in a trench around their village. When the prairie fire hit that already burned area, it stopped. The principle of stopping the fire was simple: the fire cannot go where the fire has already been. The fire of God's judgment for the sinning we've all done has already fallen on His Son at the cross. If you put your trust in Jesus to be your Savior from your sin, your judgment is canceled, because the fire cannot go where the fire has already been. Other appointments can be postponed or canceled, but not your appointment with your God. Denying it, ignoring it, running from it won't change it. The only thing to do is be prepared for it! You can do that by telling Jesus right where you are that you want to begin this life-saving relationship with Him. You say, "Jesus, I'm Yours." Listen, there's much more information about how to begin with Him at our website. Please check it out, it's ANewStory.com. Somewhere in this country someone is going to keep their appointment with God today. And just like you, no one thinks it will be him or her. Someone will be wrong. Please be sure that you've settled your relationship with the Man who died so you could live. Then whenever your appointment with God is, you'll have nothing to fear.

Ezekiel is tasked with speaking to the Jewish people about the land of Israel. He aims to expose the extent of the problem that is about to bring on the nation's demise. The corruption in the land extends beyond the political leaders to the priests, prophets, and even the people themselves. Through his prophet, God hereby offers the exiles another explanation for the severity with which he is about to punish the land of Israel. But also through His prophet, we find that God Himself promised to come and be the one who would seal the breach, who would avert His judgment, and bring salvation and deliverance to His people.

In this Bible Story, Elijah meets with God on Mount Sinai, and flees from Jezebel, The Witch Queen, fearing for his life. His troubled and weary mind is met with the gentle touch of God's presence and direction. The Lord gives guidance to Elijah, and tells him that there was a civil war approaching that would topple the kingdom of Ahab and Jezebel. This story is inspired by 1 Kings 19. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.Today's Bible verse is 1 Kings 19:9 from the King James Version.Episode 124: Ahab, sore from being made a fool by God's display at Mount Carmel, went home to complain to his wife Jezebel. Filled with anger at his actions, Jezebel sends a death threat to Elijah. When Elijah received the message, he fled until he had no strength left. Collapsing by a tree he begged God to take his life. But God showing him compassion sent an angel to provide for his needs and prepare him for the long journey ahead. A journey where he would meet with God Himself and be encouraged.Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max BardProducer: Ben GammonHosted by: Pastor Jack GrahamMusic by: Andrew Morgan SmithBible Story narration by: Todd HaberkornSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the sixth and final week of our series called The Lord's Prayer, Pastor Kim examines the final verse of the prayer which reads: and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Kim makes the case that God tests us to strengthen us, the enemy tempts us to destroy us, but God delivers us. A test is meant to prove or improve your character. A temptation is meant to entice you to sin and destroy your faith. Kim explains why God Himself never tempts us in this way. In order to navigate tests and temptations properly we must pray for protection, perceive the real battle, and pursue Jesus' example. Jesus overcame temptations by quoting scripture, trusting His Father, and staying in prayer.

Sunday, 22 June 2025   Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: Matthew 11:4   “And Jesus, answering, said to them, ‘Having gone, you report to John what you hear and you see'” (CG).   In the previous verse, John's disciples came to Jesus asking on behalf of John if He was ‘the Coming' or if he should anticipate another. In response to that, it next says, “And Jesus, answering, said to them, ‘Having gone, you report to John.'”   Jesus doesn't give a word in His own defense, as if He is offended, in need of proving Himself, etc. He merely tells them to return and report “what you hear and you see.”   All they have to do is listen and watch the events around them, and that will be sufficient to alert them to the appropriate answer. Jesus will give details in the coming verse, but He leaves those details up to the hearing and seeing of those who desire to pay heed.   Life application: There is a steady and seemingly unending stream of skeptics out there concerning faith in Jesus. Some are just uninformed or misinformed. Others have set themselves against God and want nothing to do with Him. They will even make up lies to diminish any chance of faith in others out of a hatred of the God that they claim doesn't exist.   There are those who are adherents to other religions and will stick with the faith they were born into no matter what evidence is presented to show the reliability of the Bible. These and many other such scenarios exist, and they can be difficult, if not impossible, to overcome in some people. We must accept that and let people decide on their own where they will stand.   However, for those who really want to know if the word is true or not, the way they can decide this is... yes? It is... to check out the word. Jesus told John's disciples to report what they heard and saw. The Bible reports what God has done. This is one of its purposes. It is a testament to the problem in man, how that problem came to be, and what God Himself determined to do to correct it.   He has done it in such a manner that it is a self-validating document if one accepts the timeline of prophecies that have been made. This is why people will purposely attempt to manipulate the facts. For example, if prophecies in Daniel were written later than Daniel's time, then they weren't prophecies at all. They were things written as if they were prophecies, but only after the events occurred.   However, with careful attention and research, it will be seen that what Daniel claims is reliable and was written prior to the fulfillment of the prophecies. This is especially so when prophecies in the Bible are being fulfilled even in modern times.   Only a sub-dolt would claim that the Old Testament hasn't existed for millennia and that the fully compiled New Testament is close to 2000 years old. The evidence for these things is without contestation. If prophecies are still aligning today from books like Ezekiel, Daniel, etc., then why would we question the dating of prophecies that were closer to their own time?   In other words, did they fudge the older prophecies but get the chronologically more recent ones right? It is ridiculous to consider! Therefore, the Bible is still validating itself in these later times that it is a reliable witness. It is reporting to us about the Messiah. Be prepared to explain such things to those who may be in doubt.   From there, they can make their own honest evaluation of the claims made in Scripture. For the one who is honest about what he is reading, he will realize that the Jesus presented in Scripture is the One promised by God to fulfill all of the things set before Him as God's Christ.   We have a sure and enduring word in the pages of the Bible. Be willing to tell others about this truth!   Lord God, people have a right to question Your word. You have put it forth for us to read and decide if we accept its words as truth. The great thing for those willing to check is that they will find out it is exactly what it claims to be. Thank You for this marvelous word that authenticates itself as it progresses through the span of time and human history. Amen.

Job 3 is one of the darkest chapters in all of scripture. In it we hear the heart cry of a man in deep, deep suffering and, unusually, it ends without even a word of hope. Yet Job is not suffering for any sin or action of his own, indeed he is called 'blameless and upright' by God Himself. As with every chapter in scripture, Job 3 is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. For those weeping now, I hope hearing Job's heart cry will be an unexpected source of comfort. For those not weeping currently, I hope we can learn something of what it might mean to weep with those who weep.

Gen. 2:5–7 Job 33:1–7 John 16:4b–15 1 Cor. 2:6–16 In a time of immense confusion about the Holy Spirit, Christians must come back to the basics. In this doctrinal sermon on the deity of the Spirit, we learn the Bible's clear but challenging way of showing us who the Third Person of the Trinity is. We learn that He proceeds from the Father and the Son, and He does this not as a force, but as God Himself.

LESSON 170There Is No Cruelty In God And None In Me.No one attacks without intent to hurt. This can have no exception. When you think that you attack in self-defense, you mean that to be cruel is protection; you are safe because of cruelty. You mean that you believe to hurt another brings you freedom. And you mean that to attack is to exchange the state in which you are for something better, safer, more secure from dangerous invasion and from fear.How thoroughly insane is the idea that to defend from fear is to attack! For here is fear begot and fed with blood, to make it grow and swell and rage. And thus is fear protected, not escaped. Today we learn a lesson which can save you more delay and needless misery than you can possibly imagine. It is this:You make what you defend against,and by your own defense against it is it real and inescapable.Lay down your arms, and only then do you perceive it false.It seems to be the enemy without that you attack. Yet your defense sets up an enemy within; an alien thought at war with you, depriving you of peace, splitting your mind into two camps which seem wholly irreconcilable. For love now has an “enemy,” an opposite; and fear, the alien, now needs your defense against the threat of what you really are.If you consider carefully the means by which your fancied self-defense proceeds on its imagined way, you will perceive the premises on which the idea stands. First, it is obvious ideas must leave their source, for it is you who make attack, and must have first conceived of it. Yet you attack outside yourself, and separate your mind from him who is to be attacked, with perfect faith the split you made is real.Next, are the attributes of love bestowed upon its “enemy.” For fear becomes your safety and protector of your peace, to which you turn for solace and escape from doubts about your strength, and hope of rest in dreamless quiet. And as love is shorn of what belongs to it and it alone, love is endowed with attributes of fear. For love would ask you lay down all defense as merely foolish. And your arms indeed would crumble into dust. For such they are.With love as enemy, must cruelty become a god. And gods demand that those who worship them obey their dictates, and refuse to question them. Harsh punishment is meted out relentlessly to those who ask if the demands are sensible or even sane. It is their enemies who are unreasonable and insane, while they are always merciful and just.Today we look upon this cruel god dispassionately. And we note that though his lips are smeared with blood, and fire seems to flame from him, he is but made of stone. He can do nothing. We need not defy his power. He has none. And those who see in him their safety have no guardian, no strength to call upon in danger, and no mighty warrior to fight for them.This moment can be terrible. But it can also be the time of your release from abject slavery. You make a choice, standing before this idol, seeing him exactly as he is. Will you restore to love what you have sought to wrest from it and lay before this mindless piece of stone? Or will you make another idol to replace it? For the god of cruelty takes many forms. Another can be found.Yet do not think that fear is the escape from fear. Let us remember what the text has stressed about the obstacles to peace. The final one, the hardest to believe is nothing, and a seeming obstacle with the appearance of a solid block, impenetrable, fearful and beyond surmounting, is the fear of God Himself. Here is the basic premise which enthrones the thought of fear as god. For fear is loved by those who worship it, and love appears to be invested now with cruelty.Where does the totally insane belief in gods of vengeance come from? Love has not confused its attributes with those of fear. Yet must the worshippers of fear perceive their own confusion in fear's “enemy”; its cruelty as now a part of love. And what becomes more fearful than the Heart of Love Itself? The blood appears to be upon His Lips; the fire comes from Him. And He is terrible above all else, cruel beyond conception, striking down all who acknowledge Him to be their God.The choice you make today is certain. For you look for the last time upon this bit of carven stone you made, and call it god no longer. You have reached this place before, but you have chosen that this cruel god remain with you in still another form. And so the fear of God returned with you. This time you leave it there. And you return to a new world, unburdened by its weight; beheld not in its sightless eyes, but in the vision that your choice restored to you.Now do your eyes belong to Christ, and He looks through them. Now your voice belongs to God and echoes His. And now your heart remains at peace forever. You have chosen Him in place of idols, and your attributes, given by your Creator, are restored to you at last. The Call for God is heard and answered. Now has fear made way for love, as God Himself replaces cruelty.Father, we are like You. No cruelty abides in us, for there is none in You. Your peace is ours. And we bless the world with what we have received from You alone. We choose again, and make our choice for all our brothers, knowing they are one with us. We bring them Your salvation as we have received it now. And we give thanks for them who render us complete. In them we see Your glory, and in them we find our peace. Holy are we because Your holiness has set us free. And we give thanks. Amen.- Jesus Christ in ACIM

Beginning to Pray: "The Last Retreat - Day 11 pt 2 " - “It is the whole Trinity who dwells in the soul that loves them in truth, that is, by keeping their word! From "Last Retreat Day 11 pt 2" found in The Complete Works vol 1: 28. But it is not enough just to listen to this word, we must keep it! 164 And it is in keeping it that the soul will be “sanctified in the truth,” and that is the desire of the Master: “Sanctify them in the truth, your word is truth.” 165 To the one who keeps His word has He not made this promise: “My Father will love him and we will come to him and make our home in him”? 166 It is the whole Trinity who dwells in the soul that loves them in truth, that is, by keeping their word! And when this soul has realized its riches, all the natural or supernatural joys that can come to it from creatures or from God Himself are only an invitation to reenter into itself in order to enjoy the substantial Good that it possesses, which is nothing else than God Himself. And thus it has, St. John of the Cross says, a certain resemblance to the divine Being. 167 “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” St. Paul tells me “that He works all things according to the counsel of His will,” 168 and my Master asks me also to pay Him homage in this regard: “to do all things according to the counsel of His will.” Never to let myself be ruled by impressions, by the first impulses of nature, but to let the will gain self-mastery. . . . And for this will to be free, it must be, in the expression of a pious writer, “enclosed in God's will.” 169 Then I will be “moved by His Spirit,” 170 as St. Paul says. I will do only what is divine, only what is eternal, and, like my Unchanging One, I will live even here below in an eternal present. The post BTP-LR16 – Day 11, pt. 2 – The Last Retreat by St. Elizabeth of the Trinity – Beginning to Pray with Dr. Anthony Lilles – Discerning Hearts Podcast appeared first on Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts.

After the resurrection of Jesus, the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. He is God, coming to live inside of us - helping us, revealing Jesus, comforting us and giving us power to be His witnesses throughout the earth. He is for all who believe from the 1st century to this very day. This Spirit of God is the more of God, the nearness of God and God Himself dwelling in us to change us from who we have been into what He wants us to be. GIVE HERE - https://awake.church/give

On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood to proclaim that Jesus, who was crucified, had risen and is alive.  And he told this to a crowd who didn't realize the great hope this gives.  Having heard God's Word often, it still hadn't sunk in what it was telling them. Sadly, that may also be true for many today. God Himself assures you of something that's an absolute certainty.  In fact, you can live each day right now confidently –knowing and rejoicing that it's true.

CALLED TO A HIGHER PURPOSE!In the passage from Matthew, we witness the powerful moment when Jesus calls His disciples to follow Him. These ordinary men, engaged in their daily work as fishermen, are invited into a higher purpose by the Son of God Himself. Without hesitation, they leave behind their nets, boats, and even their families to respond to the call of Jesus.

Revelation 21:1-22:5   Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” 5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He *said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” 6 Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give water to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life, without cost. 7 The one who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. 8 But for the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and sexually immoral persons, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” 9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, full of the seven last plagues, came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very valuable stone, like a stone of crystal-clear jasper. 12 It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on the gates, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 The one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 The city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, twelve thousand stadia; its length, width, and height are equal. 17 And he measured its wall, 144 cubits, by human measurements, which are also angelic measurements. 18 The material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundation stones of the city wall were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; 20 the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. 22 I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; 26 and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; 27 and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. 22:1 And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; 4 they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. 5 And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illuminate them; and they will reign forever and ever.     BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well: https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener's Commentary is a listener supported Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give     STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up   MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net

LESSON 168There Is One Life, And That I Share With God.There are not different kinds of life, for life is like the truth. It does not have degrees. It is the one condition in which all that God created share. Like all His Thoughts, it has no opposite. There is no death because what God created shares His Life. There is no death because an opposite to God does not exist. There is no death because the Father and the Son are one.In this world, there appears to be a state that is life's opposite. You call it death. Yet we have learned that the idea of death takes many forms. It is the one idea which underlies all feelings that are not supremely happy. It is the alarm to which you give response of any kind that is not perfect joy. All sorrow, loss, anxiety and suffering and pain, even a little sigh of weariness, a slight discomfort or the merest frown, acknowledge death. And thus deny you live.You think that death is of the body. Yet it is but an idea, irrelevant to what is seen as physical. A thought is in the mind. It can be then applied as mind directs it. But its origin is where it must be changed, if change occurs. Ideas leave not their source. The emphasis this course has placed on that idea is due to its centrality in our attempts to change your mind about yourself. It is the reason you can heal. It is the cause of healing. It is why you cannot die. Its truth established you as one with God.Death is the thought that you are separate from your Creator. It is the belief conditions change, emotions alternate because of causes you cannot control, you did not make, and you can never change. It is the fixed belief ideas can leave their source, and take on qualities the source does not contain, becoming different from their own origin, apart from it in kind as well as distance, time and form.Death cannot come from life. Ideas remain united to their source. They can extend all that their source contains. In that, they can go far beyond themselves. But they can not give birth to what was never given them. As they are made, so will their making be. As they were born, so will they then give birth. And where they come from, there will they return.The mind can think it sleeps, but that is all. It cannot change what is its waking state. It cannot make a body, nor abide within a body. What is alien to the mind does not exist, because it has no source. For mind creates all things that are, and cannot give them attributes it lacks, nor change its own eternal, mindful state. It cannot make the physical. What seems to die is but the sign of mind asleep.The opposite of life can only be another form of life. As such, it can be reconciled with what created it, because it is not opposite in truth. Its form may change; it may appear to be what it is not. Yet mind is mind, awake or sleeping. It is not its opposite in anything created, nor in what it seems to make when it believes it sleeps.God creates only mind awake. He does not sleep, and His creations cannot share what He gives not, nor make conditions which He does not share with them. The thought of death is not the opposite to thoughts of life. Forever unopposed by opposites of any kind, the Thoughts of God remain forever changeless, with the power to extend forever changelessly, but yet within themselves, for they are everywhere.What seems to be the opposite of life is merely sleeping. When the mind elects to be what it is not, and to assume an alien power which it does not have, a foreign state it cannot enter, or a false condition not within its Source, it merely seems to go to sleep a while. It dreams of time; an interval in which what seems to happen never has occurred, the changes wrought are substanceless, and all events are nowhere. When the mind awakes, it but continues as it always was.Let us today be children of the truth, and not deny our holy heritage. Our life is not as we imagine it. Who changes life because he shuts his eyes, or makes himself what he is not because he sleeps, and sees in dreams an opposite to what he is? We will not ask for death in any form today. Nor will we let imagined opposites to life abide even an instant where the Thought of life eternal has been set by God Himself.His holy home we strive to keep today as He established it, and wills it be forever and forever. He is Lord of what we think today. And in His Thoughts, which have no opposite, we understand there is one life, and that we share with Him, with all creation, with their thoughts as well, whom He created in a unity of life that cannot separate in death and leave the Source of life from where it came.We share one life because we have one Source, a Source from Which perfection comes to us, remaining always in the holy minds which He created perfect. As we were, so are we now and will forever be. A sleeping mind must waken, as it sees its own perfection mirroring the Lord of Life so perfectly it fades into what is reflected there. And now it is no more a mere reflection. It becomes the thing reflected, and the light which makes reflection possible. No vision now is needed. For the wakened mind is one that knows its Source, its Self, its Holiness.- Jesus Christ in ACIM

CREATED WITH A PURPOSE!In the opening chapters of Genesis, we are presented with the awe-inspiring account of God's creation of humanity. We are told that we are made in the image and likeness of God Himself, created with purpose and intentionality. Each one of us bears the imprint of our Creator, reflecting His divine attributes and potential.

LESSON 167There Is One Life, And That I Share With God.There are not different kinds of life, for life is like the truth. It does not have degrees. It is the one condition in which all that God created share. Like all His Thoughts, it has no opposite. There is no death because what God created shares His Life. There is no death because an opposite to God does not exist. There is no death because the Father and the Son are one.In this world, there appears to be a state that is life's opposite. You call it death. Yet we have learned that the idea of death takes many forms. It is the one idea which underlies all feelings that are not supremely happy. It is the alarm to which you give response of any kind that is not perfect joy. All sorrow, loss, anxiety and suffering and pain, even a little sigh of weariness, a slight discomfort or the merest frown, acknowledge death. And thus deny you live.You think that death is of the body. Yet it is but an idea, irrelevant to what is seen as physical. A thought is in the mind. It can be then applied as mind directs it. But its origin is where it must be changed, if change occurs. Ideas leave not their source. The emphasis this course has placed on that idea is due to its centrality in our attempts to change your mind about yourself. It is the reason you can heal. It is the cause of healing. It is why you cannot die. Its truth established you as one with God.Death is the thought that you are separate from your Creator. It is the belief conditions change, emotions alternate because of causes you cannot control, you did not make, and you can never change. It is the fixed belief ideas can leave their source, and take on qualities the source does not contain, becoming different from their own origin, apart from it in kind as well as distance, time and form.Death cannot come from life. Ideas remain united to their source. They can extend all that their source contains. In that, they can go far beyond themselves. But they can not give birth to what was never given them. As they are made, so will their making be. As they were born, so will they then give birth. And where they come from, there will they return.The mind can think it sleeps, but that is all. It cannot change what is its waking state. It cannot make a body, nor abide within a body. What is alien to the mind does not exist, because it has no source. For mind creates all things that are, and cannot give them attributes it lacks, nor change its own eternal, mindful state. It cannot make the physical. What seems to die is but the sign of mind asleep.The opposite of life can only be another form of life. As such, it can be reconciled with what created it, because it is not opposite in truth. Its form may change; it may appear to be what it is not. Yet mind is mind, awake or sleeping. It is not its opposite in anything created, nor in what it seems to make when it believes it sleeps.God creates only mind awake. He does not sleep, and His creations cannot share what He gives not, nor make conditions which He does not share with them. The thought of death is not the opposite to thoughts of life. Forever unopposed by opposites of any kind, the Thoughts of God remain forever changeless, with the power to extend forever changelessly, but yet within themselves, for they are everywhere.What seems to be the opposite of life is merely sleeping. When the mind elects to be what it is not, and to assume an alien power which it does not have, a foreign state it cannot enter, or a false condition not within its Source, it merely seems to go to sleep a while. It dreams of time; an interval in which what seems to happen never has occurred, the changes wrought are substanceless, and all events are nowhere. When the mind awakes, it but continues as it always was.Let us today be children of the truth, and not deny our holy heritage. Our life is not as we imagine it. Who changes life because he shuts his eyes, or makes himself what he is not because he sleeps, and sees in dreams an opposite to what he is? We will not ask for death in any form today. Nor will we let imagined opposites to life abide even an instant where the Thought of life eternal has been set by God Himself.His holy home we strive to keep today as He established it, and wills it be forever and forever. He is Lord of what we think today. And in His Thoughts, which have no opposite, we understand there is one life, and that we share with Him, with all creation, with their thoughts as well, whom He created in a unity of life that cannot separate in death and leave the Source of life from where it came.We share one life because we have one Source, a Source from Which perfection comes to us, remaining always in the holy minds which He created perfect. As we were, so are we now and will forever be. A sleeping mind must waken, as it sees its own perfection mirroring the Lord of Life so perfectly it fades into what is reflected there. And now it is no more a mere reflection. It becomes the thing reflected, and the light which makes reflection possible. No vision now is needed. For the wakened mind is one that knows its Source, its Self, its Holiness.- Jesus Christ in ACIM

The Trinity is the central doctrine of the Christian faith because it is the doctrine of God Himself. Getting it wrong renders all other theological pursuits nonsensical. Like attempting to learn scuba-diving in the middle of the Great Sand Dunes. It might feel like a complicated doctrine, but we ought not to be intimidated by this doctrine. It's not as if you won't be let into heaven if you once were teaching a Sunday School class and used eggs as a metaphor for the Trinity. Just don't do it again. This is one doctrine where charity should be shown in the articulation of it; severe strictness should be shown to someone who is in error and then doubles down on his error after being shown his error. St. Augustine once hedged his entire book on the Trinity with this, “If herein I am foolish, let him who knows better correct me.” To which I reply, “Ditto.”

Introduction: Watch Out... (Matthew 6:1–4) Because your MOTIVES MATTER. (Matt 6:1a) Wrong Motive – TO GLORIFY YOURSELF. Right Motive – TO GLORIFY GOD. Matthew 5:16 – In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. 1 Corinthians 10:31 – So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Because your REWARD IS AT RISK. (Matt 6:1b–4) Worldly Reward – THE RECOGNITION OF OTHERS. James 1:27 – Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction… James 2:15–16 – If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 2 Corinthians 9:6–7 – The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart... Eternal Reward – THE RECOGNITION OF GOD. Matthew 25:23 – “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Small Group DiscussionRead Matthew 6:1-4What was your big take-away from this passage / message?Why do your motives matter so much to the Lord?In what ways do you see yourself struggling with self-glorification? How can you fight against this sinful trend?Why isn't the worldly reward of human praise worth pursuing after?Why does the Lord want you to be motivated by eternal rewards? Explain why this motivation isn't legalistic or self-centered.BreakoutPray for one another. AUDIO TRANSCRIPT Open your Bibles to Matthew chapter 6 verses 1 through 4. Matthew chapter 6verses 1 through 4. You know 12 years ago my friends and I took a road trip downto the middle of nowhere Tennessee. My one friend promised us a free stay in aspacious cabin that his dad built right next to a scenic lake. Only one of thoseguarantees end up being true. This day was free but it was free for a reason. Itwas not a spacious cabin it was a glorified shack. It turns out we weren'teven allowed to sleep in the beds we had to sleep on the floor because his daddidn't want us to mess up the beds. We were also not right next to the lake itwas a mile walk through hilly woods and once you got to the beach this is thesite that greeted you. Warning dangerous water because nothing says come on in thewater is fine like a do not swim here sign in the foreground and a nuclearpower plant in the background. You can't really see it but there was a fenced offarea where dozens and dozens of people were swimming and splish plashingaround without a care in the world. I kept thinking to myself what are youpeople doing don't you see the sign I mean can you even miss this sign is thateven possible? It is unmissable. I guess people saw this sign but they justdidn't care. They thought it was a harmless joke and not a serious warning.You know how you respond to warnings says a lot about who you are as a person.The waitress brings you your food and says hey be careful the plate is hot. Whatdo you do in that moment? Do you believe your nice waitress or do you touch it tosee if she's telling the truth? I don't know what's in it for her to lie to youabout the hot plate or you pass by a wet paint sign and you think to yourself isthis actually wet? You decide to touch it right? Or here's a new one I learnedthis week. Did you know in bold letters on the Q-tip box it says do not insertinto ear canal. I was blown away. I've been doing it wrong for all these years.Now that you know are you gonna keep exploring your ear like it's a cave orare you gonna stop doing it? Or you come to a red light at the top of the redlight says no turn on red. But you look both ways and there's no one coming soyou go anyway. Let's move beyond these somewhat funny examples of somethingmuch more important. God's Word is filled with hundreds and hundreds ofwarnings that you can either ignore or take very seriously. This is the firstweek in a new section of our study of the Sermon on the Mount, the heart ofreligion. In Matthew chapter 6 Jesus gives a three-part warning of how youshould and should not approach the spiritual disciplines of giving, praying,and fasting. According to Jesus these disciplines are not just external thingsthat you can check off your to-do list. They are internal indicators of who youreally are and who you are really worshiping. Because Jesus cares how yougive. Jesus cares how you pray. Jesus cares how you fast. The how of thesedisciplines reveal if you are a religious phony or a religious follower ofChrist who is faithful from the heart. This morning we're gonna dig intoMatthew chapter 6 verses 1 through 4 and focus on the warning of our Lord whenit comes to giving of our time, talents, and treasures. Before we get started Iwant to plead with you to not ignore this warning from Christ. Take it veryseriously. Be on guard. Watch out for what he is cautioning you against. Do notclose your eyes to your own sin. Do not think you have it all figured outbecause Jesus has a not-so-secret secret to share with you this morning that youoften lose sight of. The secret to giving is giving in secret. So before wecontinue any further let's go to the Lord and ask for His help. Please pray for meand I will pray for you.Father we come to once again a very challenging and convicting passage inyour word. We're once again we are being exposed not just on the outside but onthe inside. I pray for every single person in this room including myself Lord maywe truly listen to what your word has to say and take this warning with the utmostseriousness. We thank you in advance what you are going to do and we ask allthese things in the name of your Son Jesus Christ. Amen. Alright so watch outnumber one because your motives matter. Watch out because your motives matter.Let's read the first half of chapter 6 verse 1. Jesus says beware watch out ofpracticing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them.It's important to note that Jesus doesn't say it's bad for other people tonotice you practicing your righteousness or doing the right thing in public. Whatdoes he say? Watch out for practicing your righteousness and doing the rightthing in public in order to be seen by others. In the original Greek that phrasein order to be seen it comes from the word for theater. You're putting on ashow. You're pretending to be someone that you are not. You are putting on aninsincere performance. So once again Jesus zeros in on the on the internal. Hefocuses on your heart's greatest desire. It's all about your motive. So let's checkout the wrong motive first. So what is the wrong motive? To glorify yourself. Toglorify yourself. I'm not proud of this but in the past I've done chores aroundthe house in the hopes that my wife will notice my hard work. Is anyone elseguilty of this kind of behavior? Jonathan Trent thank you so much. I am soappreciative. It's just you and me buddy. To be fair all the guys should have theirhands raised as high as humanly possible whenever asked that kind of question.This is so lame to admit but I've done the dishes. Taken out the garbage. Laydown mulch. Cut the grass. Done long past due house projects hoping that mywife will see it and award me husband points. And husband points are a formof currency in marriage that aren't worth as much as you would hope and go asbad as quickly as unrefrigerated fish. All the husbands in the room knowexactly what I'm talking about. In those moments my motive was not to honor mywife but to glorify myself. To show off how great of a husband I am. And whenKate didn't notice what I had done I began to pout and feel disappointed.I only felt that way because I had a bad motive. I wouldn't have felt that way ifI had the right motive which is to be a loving husband who tookresponsibility for his own home. And this proves an important principle.Self-interest and self-glory always lead to self-deception and self-defeat. Withoutfail the most miserable person in every room is the most selfish person in thatroom. The more you make life about you the more unhappy you will find yourself.Maybe that is why you feel so depressed this morning. Maybe that's why you feelso empty right now. You want to be the son at the center of your solar systembut the problem is nobody else cares about your desired position. No one wantsto orbit around your preferences. And you may be wondering how can I tell if I amthis kind of self-glorifying person or not. Well first of all you are this kindof person to some degree and so am I. This problem does exist within your heartat some level. You have to figure out how serious and far-reaching the problemactually is. Here are some things to be on watch for. Do you check out what otherpeople share about their problems? Do you have a hard time being happy for someoneelse when they achieve a goal that you've always wanted to accomplish? When theyreceive a blessing that you've always wanted? Do you always try to one uppeople and have a better story than someone else? Do you always bring thetopic of conversation back to you? What you've done in the past? What you're doingright now? And what you plan to do in the future? Do you get annoyed and evensulky when you don't get your way? Do you push away opportunities to serve andhelp if you don't see what's in it for you? Even though there are tell-talesigns it can be extremely difficult to spot your own narcissism because you areoften blind to it. But other people around you are not. It would be a goodexercise to check in with your family and your friends after church today to askif they see any of these tendencies and how you speak and how you talk and howyou act. And if you ask that question please shut your mouth and open yourears. Stop inserting your opinion. Stop justifying yourself. You will not grow ifyou are more interested in defending yourself than dying to yourself. Startdealing with your problem because I guarantee you that you do have a problem.Stop glorifying yourself because you are not worthy of this act of self-worship.So that's the wrong motive. To glorify yourself. What's the right motive? Toglorify God. To glorify God. So Jesus provides the right motive for doing theright thing earlier in the Sermon on the Mount. Listen to what he has to say inMatthew 5.16. "Let your light shine before others that they may see your good worksand give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Compare that to chapter 6 verse1. "Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen bythem." Do you see the difference? Instead of shining the spotlight onto yourselfyou shine on to the only one who is actually worthy of it, the Lord and Himalone. Because this is the reason for which you were created. You exist tohonor God and show a watching world how awesome He truly is. This must be the goalof your marriage. This must be the goal of your parenting. This must be the goal ofyour job. This must be the goal of everything that you do. In 1 Corinthians1031 Paul says this, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to theglory of God. Because any worldly glory that you collect for yourself will besnuffed out when you pass on from this life. But the glory of God is an unendingfire that can never ever be put out." In 100 to 200 years from now you're gonna belong forgotten. No one is gonna be thinking about you. But the name of JesusChrist will stand the test of time. His name will be forever high and lifted up.I'm not a betting man but I can guarantee you with a hundred percentcertainty that you will be rewarded for throwing your chips in with the victoryof God's name and reputation. That is the only motivation that will truly fuelyou. That is the only motivation that will get you across the finish line oflife. So watch out because your motives matter. Secondly, watch out because yourreward is at risk. Because your reward is at risk.Jesus lays out the consequence for doing the right thing for the wrong reasonat the end of verse 1. "Beware of practicing your righteousness before otherpeople in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from yourFather who is in heaven." If you were dominated by the desire to rob God ofhis glory as you do good deeds, you will receive a loud and clear message fromGod. It is the same message that Willy Wonka gave the Charlie and his grandpa atthe end of the Chocolate Factory tour. You get nothing. You lose. Good day, sir.That may seem extreme, but that's what the text says. That may seem harsh, but it'seven better than what you deserve. With that in mind, Jesus continues on with hiswarning in verse 2, "By revealing the emptiness of the worldly reward that youoften settle for. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you,as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and the streets, that they may be praisedby others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. The worldly rewardthat is most tempting to seek after is the recognition of others. Therecognition of others. And notice that Jesus doesn't say, "If you give to theneedy," he says, "when you give the needy." And he says that again in verse 3,"which means that you are expected to help those in need with your time, withyour talents, and your treasures. You are expected by God to care for the orphanand the widow." James 1.27, "A religion that is pure and undefiled before God isthis, to visit orphans and widows in their affliction. You are expected by Godto not ignore the poor, especially those within the body of Christ." Once again,let's read what James has to say. James 2.15 through 16, "If a brother or sisteris poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go inpeace, be warmed and filled without giving them the things needed for the body,what good is that? It is worthless.'" You're expected by God to be generous withthe money in your account, and not hoard it for yourself. 2nd Corinthians 9 verses 6through 7, the point is this, "Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, andwhoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he hasdecided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves acheerful giver." Harvest, you are expected to make these kinds of sacrifices. But asyou make these expected sacrifices, you are also expected to not sound a trumpetbefore you, like the scribes and Pharisees did 2,000 years ago. Now, theydidn't literally sound a physical trumpet. They didn't pull a Miles Davis andblast a physical trumpet whenever they did a nice thing or made a donation.Jesus is using an over-the-top and funny illustration to prove a simple point. Donot be an obnoxious jerk who draws attention to himself or herself wheneveryou do the right thing. You know, while you were doing whatever you were doingover the past week, I was racking my brain to think of a modern-day example ofsounding a trumpet before you. And I came up short. So I'm going to ask you guys tosilently brainstorm, because I actually have something I need to do in the meantime,okay? So just be using your brains to think about an example.Alright, don't mind me guys.[laughter]You know what? I don't want to interrupt your brainstorming time, but you know what?This sermon is going really well. And you guys are all just laughing at mystories. I guess really tell that you're dialed into my spot on teaching. I reallythink Facebook needs to know about this. Oh, by the way, have you guys had any luckwith your brainstorming? Wait a minute. Maybe I did stumble upon the 21st centuryversion of sounding a trumpet before you. What do you guys think? Alright, I guessI'll put this away then. You know, seeking after the affirmation and praise ofothers is the heartbeat of the virtual world. People put on a manufacturedversion of themselves. They put their best foot forward. You can post about yourbest day to accumulate the affirmation and adulation of others. Maybe you post astatus on Facebook, a picture on Instagram or real on the TikToks as Pastor Jeffcalls it, that highlights a mission strip, a service project or a charitableevent that you took part in. Now, you can certainly do this in a godly way withgodly intentions, but you can also do it in an ungodly way with ungodlyintentions. You just bask in the glory of the likes and the comments and the heartemojis as human praise begins to pour in. You make a sizable contribution to aGoFundMe page. And instead of remaining anonymous, you put your name right nextto the amount that you donated. And you don't do that to show support. You do itto show off. You want others to be amazed by your big hearted generosity. Some ofyou are feeling pretty safe and sound right now because you don't leave muchof a digital footprint. You don't post anything anywhere. Well, let's movebeyond the bounds of social media because I don't want to leave you out of all thefun. Maybe you can seal a prideful remark of something kind you did as a praiseat a prayer service or at small group. Maybe you accidentally slip in orreference something nice you did while in conversation with someone else. Andyou inwardly hope that they'll take the bait. They'll ask a follow-up question soyou can get the at a boy or at a girl that you are so desperate for. Maybe youlike to brag about your family's accomplishments in the yearly Christmasletter. That's right. I went there. Because some of you may do that. You say that youwant to keep everyone informed about your life, but you actually want to keepeveryone impressed with your life. All of these examples are sounding a trumpet,pulling out the selfie stick so that everyone will notice you because youwant to be the recipient of admiration. You know, whenever I was a full-timeyouth pastor for eight years, I went to a countless number of musicals, trackmeets, games, graduation ceremonies, graduation parties, and before, during, orafter the event, I would track down my student and their parents to let themknow that I was there. Because how could I bless them with my presence if theywere totally unaware of my presence? It's kind of weird to admit, but if Ididn't make myself known or receive credit, it didn't really seem to count.Does that make sense? Does that seem reasonable? But you often feel a verysimilar way when it comes to your acts of good works. To your acts of service. Ifothers don't recognize what you did, it doesn't really seem to count, right? Itmay even seem like a complete waste of time if you do not receive immediatepraise. Jesus says you can blow that trumpet, you can pull out that selfiestick if you want to, knock yourself out. If you do, you will receive the reward ofhuman praise, but that's all you'll get and nothing more. You will get nothingfrom your Father in heaven because you know what? You don't really care aboutwhat He has to give you. What other mere human beings have to offer seems muchmore appealing. But that is so short-sighted because compliments, thank-yous, and awardsfeel good for about 15 minutes. And then you're just jones in for the next dose,right? Praise leaves almost as quickly as it arrives. And you so quickly forgethow little it satisfies you the next time you desire it. In verses 3 through 4,Jesus warns you to long for that which truly lasts. He cautions you to walk thepath of delayed gratification so that you can receive the eternal reward of therecognition of God Himself. So that is the eternal reward, the recognition of God.Let's read verses 3 through 4. "But when you give to the needy," there it is again,"not if, when, when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know whatyour right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret, and your Fatherwho sees you in secret will reward you." As I said earlier, the secret to givingis giving in secret. Jesus says, "not even let your left hand know what your righthand is doing." I just want to give a warning up front. I don't want to offendall the left-handed people in the room with this explanation of theillustration. I love all of you just as much as the normal people in the room.Okay, so don't be offended.Moving on, about 90% of Americans are right-handed, not left-handed. Again, don'thate me, it's just the facts, which means that the majority of people use theirright hand way more than their left hand. So just go with this over-the-top funnyillustration from Jesus. Imagine that your hands can actually speak to eachother. In that scenario, your right hand shouldn't constantly brag about all thethings that it was used to do over the course of the day to the left hand.Instead, it should be quiet. It should be satisfied that it was used instead ofbroadcasting how it was used. Jesus is calling us to a very serious type ofself-denial here. He is saying, "serve me, serve others, and then do your best toforget all about it." Don't keep track. Don't keep score. Don't manage your ownpersonal scoreboard. Don't comb through your mental file of successes and think,"Yeah, I'm doing pretty good compared to most people at church, compared to mostpeople in my small group." That is a complete waste of time and energy. It isnot your job to keep score because you cannot accurately evaluate yourself.Only God can do that. But this kind of self-forgetfulness is so counterintuitiveto us because we all live in a culture that tries to ram self-worth down ourthroats every single chance that it gets. Oh, your self-esteem matters more thananything else. If you don't put yourself first, other people will put you last.Don't forget to love yourself. Give yourself pep talks and tell yourselfhow awesome you are. Is any of that biblical? Why do we often fall for it? TheBible doesn't teach you to have high self-esteem. The Bible also doesn'tteach you to have low self-esteem either. The Bible says to have noesteem, which means that you're not focused on your self-image. You're notobsessed with what other people think and say about you. Instead, you focus onwhat God thinks and says about you because his authoritative opinion mattersthe most. Listen, it does not matter if other people recognize and acknowledgeyour faithfulness. Let me say that again because I really need to hear it. It doesnot matter if other people recognize and acknowledge your faithfulness. Whatmatters is you hear these words from the Lord when you stand before Him one day.Well done, good, and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Master. That isthe reward you should long and live for. Jesus says that if you give in secret,your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Jesus isn't saying that youcan earn right standing before God or work your way to heaven. That's notpossible. Salvation is found in the person and work of Jesus Christ andnowhere else. Forgiveness of sin and eternal life are gifts to be receivedby faith, not earned by works. Scripture is so clear on that. But scripture isequally clear that rewards in heaven are diligently earned, not automaticallyreceived. If you honor God in this life, He will honor you in eternity. If youreject temporary rewards that you cannot take out of this world, you will be giveneternal rewards that can never be stolen away from you in heaven. What a promise.That is a heavenly check that will never bounce and it will clear every singletime. So let God keep score because He will reward you. What are these heavenlyrewards? I wish I could tell you but the Bible doesn't give us specificdetails. But I can tell you this, God has never given you a lame gift in the pastand He will not give you a lame gift in the future. If God promises it,trust me, you want it and you will love it. Right now you may be thinking, okay,what do I do when someone else does praise me? This is going to happen at somepoint. Do you just shut them down and say, whoa, whoa, I didn't do this to bepraised by you. You're going to make me lose my eternal reward. Is that what youshould do? That'd be super weird and awkward for the other person. So pleasedon't do that. You should humbly accept this person's compliment and thenredirect their praise to the source and supply of your good works. The love ofChrist and the power of the Holy Spirit. Point the complimenter to God Himself.And this kind of redirect will not lead to a forfeiture of heavenly reward. Ifanything, it will lead to even greater reward because you have rightly handledpraise and you have put it in the place where it truly belongs, which is thehands of Almighty God. You know, compared to some of the weighty topics we'vecovered during the Sermon on the Mount, this passage may seem kind of light andinconsequential to you. But I can assure you that it's not because you're givingand serving in public speaks volumes of who you are in private. This is seriousbusiness. You have received a personal warning from Jesus Himself. He has warnedyou to watch out for the motive of glorifying yourself. To watch out forthe worldly desire to receive worldly rewards. And there are only two responsesto this kind of warning. Indifference or humility. Maybe you don't see any problemwith your motives right now. You don't see any issue for the reward you're livingfor. So you just want to move on with your day. Well, you're free to make thatchoice if you want to, but it is the wrong choice. Because until the day you dieand are in the presence of Christ, your motives will always be tinged withselfishness. Even as I stand before you to preach this sermon, there is selfishnessin my heart. Your motives will never be 100% pure. And you will desire the wrongreward. So please do not choose ignorance because too much is at stake. And maybe youdo see major problems with your motives and the reward you are living for. Youknow that you have to make a change, but you don't know how to make that change.Well, I have good news and bad news for you. Let's start with the bad news. Youcannot change your motives and desires. Are you ready for the good news? God canchange your motives and desires, but this will only happen if you humbleyourself before Him. Admit that you need His help. Submit to the master motivatorand the richest rewarder in the entire universe. Go to the Lord in prayer and dothat right now. Spend some time in prayer.Father, we come to you to lay our motives before you. To lay down the worldlyrewards that we are living for. What help us to remember the only thing that willtruly last is your glory and your name. What help us to live for these rewardsthat last forever and not these worldly rewards that fade away so quickly. AndLord, there's anyone in this room who is not a follower of you and is just stuckin this cycle of glorifying themselves and living for themselves. May they forthe first time submit to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. That they canfulfill the purpose for which you've given them, which is to make much of you.And for the rest of us Lord, help us to remember that biblical goal. To rememberwho we are living for. To remember why we exist. And we ask all these things inJesus' name. Amen.

Recorded 6/15/2025 Happy Father's Day! Pastor Larry G. Stephens brings a message from Joshua 21 on how God is a faithful Father who keeps His Word. The best example of a faithful Father is God Himself.    I. He is faithful, So Hold onto The Profession of Faith  II. Every Decision is From the Lord  III. A Father's Perpetual Presence Among the People  IV. His People Receive a Godly Inheritance

Fatherhood carries weight — not just from the world, but from God Himself. This rewind dives into what it means to rise to that call and grow into the kind of man who leads, loves, and reflects God's heart.MADE A DECISION TO FOLLOW JESUS?We're excited about your decision and would love to serve you.Kindly let us know at http://bit.ly/NOWHOMEABOUT SYCAMORE CHURCHSycamore Church exists to help you see Jesus beyond the noise of the world, find purpose and meaning in life, and live life to the full. You can find out more about us at sycamore.church or on social media:Instagram: https://instagram.com/sycamore_church Twitter: https://twitter.com/sycamore_church TikTok - https://tiktok.com/sycamorechurch

Send us a textWhat does it truly mean to be "born again"? In this exploration of Jesus's midnight conversation with Nicodemus, we unpack one of the foundations of the Word of God.When Nicodemus, a respected Pharisee and Jewish leader, approached Jesus acknowledging Him as a teacher from God, Jesus responded with a statement that completely reframed their interaction: "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." This declaration left Nicodemus confused, trapped in a literal interpretation of rebirth that seemed biologically impossible.Jesus wasn't speaking of physical impossibilities but spiritual necessities. The Greek term for "born again" carries dual meaning – both "a second time" and "from above" – revealing that this spiritual transformation cannot originate from human effort but must come from God Himself. As Jesus explained, "That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of Spirit is spirit."This message strikes at the heart of our human condition. We cannot manufacture spiritual rebirth through religious devotion, education, behavioral modification, or any human achievement. It requires divine intervention – a miracle that transforms us at our core. Yet this isn't cause for despair but hope, for the God who requires this rebirth is the same God who delights in making it possible. Through Christ's sacrificial work on the cross, what is impossible for humanity becomes possible through God.Have you known this in your own life? Not just knowledge about God, but the life-changing miracle of being born from above? Join us as we explore what it means to trust the God who loves to save and who stands ready to perform this miracle in every heart that turns to Him in faith.Support the showNEW BOOK! I'm pleased to say that we have completed a new book that has been years in the making. The Ten Shirot: Songs of Redemption looks at ten songs that were sung through pivotal times in Scripture. It's an examination of the redemption of Jesus, of worship, and of Scripture in a way that we believe you probably haven't seen before. Check it out at https://a.co/d/0a4KIooL .The Redeeming Love Bible Broadcast is a ministry of Grace Baptist Tabernacle. We're located at 121 Arborside Lane in King, NC and we can be reached at welcome@gracebaptisttabernacle.org. Please continue to share these episodes, and please consider coming to visit our church. We are excited and expectant for you to come!

The apostle Paul opens the book of Ephesians by lifting our eyes to the heavenly places, that we can view our every spiritual blessing. Verses 3 through 7 of chapter one, unfold a golden chain of divine blessings, granted before time began, and stretching into everlasting glory! BLESSED (verse 3) "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms, with every spiritual blessing in Christ." God Himself is the source of all blessing, and in Christ, He has already granted us every spiritual blessing. These are not temporal or material gifts--but eternal treasures belonging to all who are savingly "in Christ". If you want to see the 'heavenly realms' while still on earth, meditate often on your election, adoption, redemption, and forgiveness. CHOSEN (verse 4) "For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight." This sovereign act of divine love was done in eternity past. God did not choose us because we were in any way better than others--for we were all equally lost and on our way to perdition. His aim in election was that we should stand before Him, holy and blameless, clothed in the righteousness of His beloved Son. PREDESTINED (verse 5) "In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will" Predestination is God's gracious purpose, carried out with certainty. It is not cold fate, but loving design. We were marked out beforehand to be part of His eternal family--not as servants, but as sons! Predestination is not a hard word for the believer--it is full of comfort. The Father chose us lovingly, freely, and eternally

June 14, 2025Hello and Happy Day! This is Dr. MaryAnn Diorio, Novelist and Life Coach, welcoming you to another episode of Winning with the Word. Today is Saturday, June 14, 2025, and this is episode #8 in Series 2025. This episode is titled, “An Interview with Dr. Dominic Diorio on the End Times." Listen here! Friend, if you want to escape not only the horrors of the Great Tribulation but also the horrors of an eternity in Hell, accept Jesus Christ now. Don't wait another moment. Pray this simple prayer with me now:Lord Jesus, I want to escape the unspeakable horrors of the Great Tribulation that is soon to begin. Even more than that, I want to escape the eternal fires of Hell. So I ask You now to come into my life. I believe that You are the Son of God Who died to save me and Who rose from the dead. I receive You as my Savior and Lord. Help me to live for You all the days of my life. In Your Name I pray. Amen.If you sincerely prayed this prayer from your heart, you are now a born-again child of God. You have been given an inheritance by God Himself that includes hope, peace, and joy. Write to me at drmaryannn@maryanndiorio.com, and I will send you a free PDF e-booklet titled After You're Born Again. In case you are not aware, I write heart-mending fiction that deals with the deepest issues of life. In my stories you will find characters just like you who struggle with what look like impossible problems and situations. Check out my books at my online bookstore at shop.maryanndiorio.com. That's shop.maryanndiorio.com. Also, visit me on Substack at drmaryanndiorio.substack.com and subscribe to my blog and podcast titled “The Relationship Road.” There you will find valuable information on creating and cultivating healthful relationships based on God's Word.Winning with the Word is available on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast venues as well as on YouTube. Check out my YouTube channel at youtube.com/drmaryanndiorio.Until next time, remember that God loves you just as you are and just where you are. Yet He doesn't want to keep you there. As you live in Him, He will help you to keep on winning with the Word._______________________________________Copyright 2025 by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD. All Rights Reserved. Visit my ONLINE BOOKSHOP.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our afflictions..." What a glorious name is here given to our God! He is called "the Father of mercies" and "the God of all comfort." Not only does this reveal the tender character of God, but it opens a window into His gracious dealings with His redeemed people. He is not a distant observer of our pain, nor a cold deity unmoved by our trials. He is a Father--and not only of justice, but of mercies. He is the God--not merely of power and glory, but of all comfort. God's comfort is not reserved for mild inconveniences or minor hurts. He comforts us in ALL our afflictions. There is no sorrow too deep, no trial too complex, no burden too heavy for His consoling grace. When His children pass through the furnace, it is not to destroy them, but to refine them. And in the heat of that affliction, He draws near to pour in the oil of gladness, to whisper peace, to uphold with His righteous right hand. This comfort does not come merely in the form of changed circumstances, but through the very presence of God Himself. He comforts by giving more of Himself. His Word revives the fainting soul, His Spirit applies truth with power, His providence gently overrules for our good. Let us then bless our God--not only when the sun shines, but when the storm breaks. Let us trace every ray of comfort back to its Source: the heart of the Father of mercies. And in every sorrow, let us remember that we are not abandoned--we are being drawn closer to the God who has pledged Himself to comfort us in all our affliction. God is too good to be u

This lesson is a section of a teaching from 2021. Here is the original lesson: https://youtu.be/tgql4_1Qwko When asked, “What is the greatest commandment?” Jesus responds not with one—but two. He quotes Deuteronomy 6:4-5, the Shema: “Love the LORD your God with all your heart…”—and then adds Leviticus 19:18: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Why two? And why does no one challenge him for it? In this lesson, we explore how Jesus uses a classic rabbinic technique called Gezerah Sheva, which links commandments that share the same words or ideas. By connecting “love” in both verses, Jesus makes a profound claim: loving your neighbor, who is made in God's image, is the very expression of loving God Himself. Join us as we uncover the deeper meaning behind Jesus' answer, the cultural logic behind rabbinic interpretation, and how this teaching continues to challenge and inspire us today. --------------------------------------------------------------- Original Lesson Handout: https://www.figtreeteaching.com/blog/what-is-the-greatest-commandment www.figtreeteaching.com Join the Fig Tree Coffee Club: https://www.figtreeteaching.com/store/p3/Fig_Tree_Coffee_Club.html Support Fig Tree Ministries: https://donorbox.org/support-figtree-ministries Fig Tree Amazon Portal: https://amzn.to/3USMelI Music: Adventurous Life by L-Ray Music - RIXCYIDXXQKRWW3A

LESSON 163There Is No Death. The Son Of God Is Free.Death is a thought that takes on many forms, often unrecognized. It may appear as sadness, fear, anxiety or doubt; as anger, faithlessness and lack of trust; concern for bodies, envy, and all forms in which the wish to be as you are not may come to tempt you. All such thoughts are but reflections of the worshipping of death as savior and as giver of release.Embodiment of fear, the host of sin, god of the guilty and the lord of all illusions and deceptions, does the thought of death seem mighty. For it seems to hold all living things within its withered hand; all hopes and wishes in its blighting grasp; all goals perceived but in its sightless eyes. The frail, the helpless and the sick bow down before its image, thinking it alone is real, inevitable, worthy of their trust. For it alone will surely come.All things but death are seen to be unsure, too quickly lost however hard to gain, uncertain in their outcome, apt to fail the hopes they once engendered, and to leave the taste of dust and ashes in their wake, in place of aspirations and of dreams. But death is counted on. For it will come with certain footsteps when the time has come for its arrival. It will never fail to take all life as hostage to itself.Would you bow down to idols such as this? Here is the strength and might of God Himself perceived within an idol made of dust. Here is the opposite of God proclaimed as lord of all creation, stronger than God's Will for life, the endlessness of love and Heaven's perfect, changeless constancy. Here is the Will of Father and of Son defeated finally, and laid to rest beneath the headstone death has placed upon the body of the holy Son of God.Unholy in defeat, he has become what death would have him be. His epitaph, which death itself has written, gives no name to him, for he has passed to dust. It says but this: “Here lies a witness God is dead.” And this it writes again and still again, while all the while its worshippers agree, and kneeling down with foreheads to the ground, they whisper fearfully that it is so.It is impossible to worship death in any form, and still select a few you would not cherish and would yet avoid, while still believing in the rest. For death is total. Either all things die, or else they live and cannot die. No compromise is possible. For here again we see an obvious position, which we must accept if we be sane; what contradicts one thought entirely can not be true, unless its opposite is proven false.The idea of the death of God is so preposterous that even the insane have difficulty in believing it. For it implies that God was once alive and somehow perished; killed, apparently, by those who did not want Him to survive. Their stronger will could triumph over His, and so eternal life gave way to death. And with the Father died the Son as well.Death's worshippers may be afraid. And yet, can thoughts like these be fearful? If they saw that it is only this which they believe, they would be instantly released. And you will show them this today. There is no death, and we renounce it now in every form, for their salvation and our own as well. God made not death. Whatever form it takes must therefore be illusion. This the stand we take today. And it is given us to look past death, and see the life beyond.Our Father, bless our eyes today. We are Your messengers, and we would look upon the glorious reflection of Your Love which shines in everything. We live and move in You alone. We are not separate from Your eternal life. There is no death, for death is not Your Will. And we abide where You have placed us, in the life we share with You and with all living things, to be like You and part of You forever. We accept Your Thoughts as ours, and our will is one with Yours eternally. Amen.- Jesus Christ in ACIM

A (About): This devotional explores Jeremiah 2, where God confronts Israel for abandoning Him after all He had done. He recalls their early devotion, accuses them of spiritual adultery, and pleads for repentance. B (Best Verse): "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water." (Jeremiah 2:13 NKJV) C (Call to Action): Remain faithful to the Lord. Do not turn to false hopes or worldly comforts that cannot satisfy. Return to the source of living water—God Himself.

In today's Morning Manna, Rick and Doc celebrate the unmatched blessing of gaining godly wisdom. Drawing from Proverbs 3:13–18, the discussion highlights that wisdom is not only valuable but life-giving — described as more precious than rubies, better than silver and gold, and as a tree of life to those who lay hold of her.The teaching emphasizes that wisdom is not mere intellect, but divine insight that brings length of days, riches, honor, pleasantness, peace, and eternal reward. These verses challenge us to pursue wisdom above worldly gain and to delight in her paths, knowing that all who embrace her are blessed.This message offers a hopeful and invigorating call to build your life on what truly lasts — the wisdom that flows from God Himself.Rick Wiles, Doc Burkhart. Airdate 6/11/25Join the leading community for Conservative Christians! https://www.FaithandValues.comYou can partner with us by visiting https://www.FaithandValues.com/donate, calling 1-800-576-2116, or by mail at PO Box 399 Vero Beach, FL 32961.Get high-quality emergency preparedness food today from American Reserves!https://www.AmericanReserves.comIt's the Final Day! The day Jesus Christ bursts into our dimension of time, space, and matter. Now available in eBook and audio formats! Order Final Day from Amazon today!https://www.amazon.com/Final-Day-Characteristics-Second-Coming/dp/0578260816/Apple users, you can download the audio version on Apple Books! https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/final-day-10-characteristics-of-the-second-coming/id1687129858Purchase the 4-part DVD set or start streaming Sacrificing Liberty today. https://www.sacrificingliberty.com/watchThe Fauci Elf is a hilarious gift guaranteed to make your friends laugh! Order yours today! https://tru.news/faucielf

Do you tell 'white lies'? Discover why every Christian struggles with the 9th commandment and how truth is under attack in 2025.EPISODE OVERVIEW:In this eye-opening episode, Pastor Stephen and Pastor Nate tackle the controversial truth that "every single one of us lie" while diving deep into the Ninth Commandment. You'll discover when lying might actually be justified, how God Himself uses deception for higher purposes, and why truth is under unprecedented attack in modern America. From Nazi Germany to modern politics, this episode will challenge your assumptions about honesty and integrity.KEY TAKEAWAYS:✅ Understanding when "lying" might be justified for protecting life✅ Recognizing how small lies chip away at personal integrity✅ Identifying modern forms of deception in politics and media✅ Practical steps to become a person of truth in a culture of lies

When exiting false teaching, the thought of Bible study can be both comforting and intimidating. There can be much to unlearn and to untangle in our understanding of God's Word and ultimately, God Himself. There may be the lurking questions of how to properly begin studying the Bible and how to navigate the deep waters of hermeneutics. But be encouraged! Studying God's Word is for all believers. Join Dave Jenkins and me as we discuss studying the Bible and the importance of proper Biblical interpretation. Dave Jenkins:https://servantsofgrace.org/Reading the Bible with Dave: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5Rgz5Xr7uGE8W5R3GkScuRE-hymK7_qb&si=FqGEMu_MAlvEov3rMy info:Website: http://www.lovesickscribe.comSubscribe to my blog here: http://eepurl.com/dfZ-uHInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovesickscribe/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovesickscribeblog

Today on the Daily Nugget, Mike reflects on Romans 8:9–11 and the incredible reality that God's Spirit dwells in us. He highlights how this may be the greatest blessing of all—not just that we are forgiven or promised heaven, but that God Himself lives within us. Mike also emphasizes the powerful statement that “we belong”—a truth that speaks to our identity, our security, and the deep connection we have with God through the Spirit.

Welcome to Day 2648 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2648 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 70:1-5 – Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2648 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2648 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today's Wisdom Nugget is titled A Desperate Cry, A Swift Rescue - A Trek Through Psalm 70:1-5, and we're embarking on a focused and incredibly urgent trek through the entirety of Psalm 70 in the New Living Translation. Psalm 70 is unique. It's a very short psalm, only five verses, but its brevity only amplifies its intense plea. In fact, for those of you who are keen students of the Psalms, you might recognize these verses, as Psalm 70 is almost identical to Psalm 40, verses 13-17. The fact that the psalmist chose to extract and repeat this particular cry for help speaks volumes about the depth of his desperation and the urgency of his need. This psalm is a classic lament, a raw and immediate prayer when danger is imminent and divine intervention is urgently needed. It gives voice to that moment when you feel like you're on the brink, and the only hope is a swift, powerful act from God Himself. In the ancient Israelite worldview, such direct, urgent pleas were not a sign of weak faith, but of profound trust in a God who hears and answers. So, let's open our hearts and minds to this fervent prayer, allowing its urgency to resonate with any immediate needs or dangers you might be facing today.   (Reads Psalm 70:1-3 NLT) Please, God, rescue me! Come quickly, Lord, and help me! May those who try to kill me be humiliated and disgraced. May those who delight in my troubles be turned back in shame. May those who slander me and say, “Aha! Look what happened to him!” be shocked and humiliated. Guthrie Chamberlain: The psalm opens with an immediate and almost breathless cry: “Please, God, rescue me! Come quickly, Lord, and help me!” The Hebrew here conveys a sense of utmost urgency. It's not a polite request; it's an impassioned plea, a desperate gasp for air from someone who feels overwhelmed and in imminent danger. The repetition of “rescue me” and “help me” emphasizes the direness of the situation, while “come quickly” underscores the need for immediate, swift action from God. This is the prayer of someone who perceives their very life to be hanging by a thread. Think of a person caught in a raging current, nearing a waterfall. Their cry isn't a measured theological statement; it's an instinctive, desperate shout for help. Or imagine a soldier amid battle, surrounded by enemies, sending an urgent plea for reinforcements. The psalmist is in a spiritual battle for his life, and he needs God's intervention now. The psalmist then turns his attention to his adversaries, expressing a desire for their humiliation and disgrace: “May those who try to kill me be humiliated and disgraced. May those who delight in my troubles be turned back in...

In this powerful Pentecost Sunday message, Dr. Monique Flemings takes us deep into the sixth facet of the Fruit of the Spirit—goodness—and reveals how it functions as the rich soil of our spiritual lives.More than just a good deed or a kind act, goodness is the outflow of a Spirit-led life, rooted in the character of God Himself. With humor, vulnerability, and biblical clarity, Dr. Flemings challenges us to examine the condition of our spiritual soil and to partner with the Holy Spirit in cultivating a life that overflows with goodness—even in a hostile world.This episode will stir your heart, renew your mind, and give practical insight on how to:Understand goodness as a reflection of God's natureLet the Holy Spirit cultivate godly character in everyday placesBe light in dark spaces through radical acts of Spirit-led kindnessDiscern where God is calling you to release His goodness this weekIf you've ever wrestled with wanting to “clap back” but know you're called to live differently—this message is for you.

Not all teaching is God's teaching—even when it sounds spiritual. This week in Ink and Eternity, we look at how the Bible warns us to protect Scripture's purity. When we elevate man-made rules to the level of doctrine, we don't just burden others—we risk misrepresenting God Himself. Jesus called it out in the Pharisees, and Paul challenged it in the early church. This message will help you discern the difference between doctrine, tradition, and personal conviction—and why only one has the authority to transform lives.

Acts 2:1-4 - The third section of the Nicene Creed explores the person and work of the Holy Spirit. In this message we consider Genesis 1-2, John 16, and Acts 2 to see how the Bible reveals the Holy Spirit not as an impersonal force, but as God Himself--the third person of the trinity--who brings His people to new life. A sermon by Cameron Heger. [Part 13 of our series "The Nicene Creed: The Ancient Theology of the Triune God"]

God Himself is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, but His people desired another king. The result was not pleasing to God and it was disastrous for Israel.

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3) This first commandment, written by the finger of God Himself on Mount Sinai—twice (Exodu... More...

There's a difference between human opinion and divine truth. In this message, Dr. Tony Evans explains how the Bible wasn't just written by people—it was breathed out by God Himself. Find out more about how God's Word has the power to shape your life for eternity.

There's a difference between human opinion and divine truth. In this message, Dr. Tony Evans explains how the Bible wasn't just written by people—it was breathed out by God Himself. Find out more about how God's Word has the power to shape your life for eternity.

Truth is more than mere preference or opinion. It is grounded in the character of God Himself. Today, R.C. Sproul identifies our Christian responsibility to bear witness to the truth in an age of deception and relativism. Get R.C. Sproul's book Everyone's a Theologian, a thinline ESV Bible, and lifetime digital access to Dr. Sproul's teaching series Truth with your donation of any amount: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/4023/donate   Live outside the U.S. and Canada? Get the Everyone's a Theologian ebook and lifetime digital access to the Truth teaching series with your donation of any amount: https://www.renewingyourmind.org/global   Explore Ligonier's new 52-week Bible curriculum for elementary-age children: Growing in God's Word. You can download a free sample lesson and join the preorder waitlist today:   Meet Today's Teacher:   R.C. Sproul (1939–2017) was founder of Ligonier Ministries, first minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew's Chapel, first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine.   Meet the Host:   Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of ministry engagement for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, and host of the Ask Ligonier podcast. Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts