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The apostle James challenges us to understand the connection between faith and obedience. In James 2:17, he writes that faith without works is dead. In other words, we cannot have unshakable beliefs without obeying.

God has predestined every believer to be conformed to the likeness of His Son Jesus Christ. The process begins at salvation and continues until we join Him in heaven. The apostle Paul is a good example of the Lord’s power to transform an unrighteous man into an image-bearer of Jesus.

Years ago, God temporarily allowed me to have such physical ailments that I could do nothing but lie in bed. At first, this felt frustrating, but eventually I began to realize His plan for this trial. Life had become too busy for me to hear something the Lord needed to tell me. He certainly managed to get my attention by stilling my physical body!

David found King Saul’s hefty reward for Goliath’s defeat interesting—in fact, he asked to have it repeated twice (vv. 26, 30). Money, freedom, and a pretty girl would make almost any teenage boy take notice! However, though David was young, he was not foolhardy. The reward was a nice perk, but it wasn’t the young shepherd’s motivation.

On our own, we are unable to choose salvation. God’s Spirit must first convict us of our spiritual need. Specifically, He nudges-that is, He almost places a discomfort within our hearts-and reveals sin. This imperfection in our lives creates the need for a Savior to redeem us.

People can have very different reactions to similar circumstances. For instance, suppose two women from the same church are battling cancer—let’s call them Jean and Barbara. Both are believers, but only Jean is living peacefully, even joyfully, through her ordeal—she long ago admitted her weakness and need for the Lord’s intervention. While Barbara prays for God to “help me get through this,” Jean says, “God, I cannot. Please carry me through.”

I remember the conflict that arose many years ago when I was being considered for the position of senior pastor. Every Sunday when I preached, I knew that a number of people in the sanctuary objected and were trying to get rid of me.

Grace is God’s undeserved goodness and kindness toward us without regard to our merit or worth. It is freely bestowed on all who believe the good news that Jesus is the the Son of God, and He died for their sins.

From the gospel’s description, we can see that Jesus, the God-man, experienced fear, anxiety, and dread as He prayed. In other words, He reacted to His imminent ordeal with feelings we can relate to and understand.

From the opening line of Genesis to the final words of Revelation, all of Scripture is divinely inspired. And every word has purpose and importance. The Old Testament introduces us to God’s nature, ways, and power; it lays the foundation for us to understand the Lord’s holiness and humanity’s desperate need for a Savior.

Procrastination can be a big problem: important tasks are neglected, and the benefits of finished work are never enjoyed. However, procrastinating in spiritual matters can be disastrous.

If anyone had reason to be discouraged, Joseph did. His mother died when he was a boy. His brothers hated him, sold him into slavery, and convinced his father that he was dead. Joseph worked hard in Potiphar’s household but ended up in prison because of false allegations. Yet he was not an angry person.

Even though the Bible clearly states that every believer receives a spiritual gift, some people nevertheless think they were overlooked. So these men and women mosey through life refusing opportunities to serve. Other folks are so busy wishing they had a different ability that they do not use the one bestowed by the Holy Spirit. Both of these attitudes are sinful.

Years ago, after I preached about God’s Spirit, a woman came up to complain, “Why do you talk about the Holy Spirit when people need to hear about Jesus and God?” Sometimes even those who have been Christians for a long time regard the Trinity as a hierarchy.

At times, those of us reading Scripture in English are short-changed by the language’s limitations. For instance, English has just one word for love, whereas Paul’s original letters, written in Greek, use two words.

God providentially orchestrated each element of His plan for Israel’s success. However, if Gideon had disobeyed even one divine command, his army would have suffered instant defeat. Although the Lord’s ways may seem risky or illogical, we can always trust His indisputable wisdom and rely on His mighty power.

Yesterday we learned about the three levels of life. Today our focus will be on the fleshly man. Sadly, many Christians are stuck on this plane of existence. They try to obey the Lord, but the old “flesh” keeps emerging. Life is a roller coaster of spiritual ups and down.

Mankind has a debt problem. In the physical world, our desire for a higher standard of living and more “stuff” has led to burdensome credit card balances and unwieldy mortgage payments. The weight of what we owe can cause restless nights and the feeling that we’re trapped. We long for someone to rescue us from the mess we have made.

Though some people use the terms happiness and joy interchangeably, there is a vast difference in their meaning. Both cause a pleasant emotional response, but the former relies entirely upon circumstance.

In ancient Israel, the priests were continually offering sacrifices to atone for the people’s sins. Specifically, the high priest annually entered the most sacred room in the temple to prepare a sacrifice that would absolve the whole nation of sin for that year. This room, the Holy of Holies, was where God’s Spirit dwelled in those days.

The Holy Spirit is vital to the Christian life. Read about the fruit of the Spirit in today’s passage, and ask, Can I be such a good person on my own? We need divine intervention to live as God expects. That’s why He gives each believer a Helper, whose job is to produce Christ-like character.

Imagine that you’re one of the Bethlehem shepherds, and you are traveling forward in time to 2009 so you can witness celebration of the Messiah’s birth. What an amazing privilege to see people all over the world commemorating the event that changed your life—and to know that it has transformed the lives of countless others over the last 2,000 years.

To gain a deeper understanding of the loving nature of God’s discipline, try to remember your own childhood. Maybe you heard these familiar words from your mother or father: “This hurts me more than it hurts you.” Back then, you probably did not appreciate or even believe that sentiment. Nor did you comprehend the true meaning until you became an adult.

When life is pleasant, we find praising God easy because His kindness is abundantly evident. However, we may have difficulty recognizing pain and trouble as an expression of His loving care. In difficult times, we need to trust today’s Scriptures, which tell us that the Lord has stored up goodness for those who trust and obey Him.

At first glance, the words sacrifice and thanksgiving have little connection, yet Scripture combines them in one phrase. Sacrifice brings to mind images of painful relinquishment or costly service, whereas thanksgiving conveys a joyous response prompted by overflowing abundance and blessings.