Tag: Christian Living
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Why Is Sin Serious?
Devotional Thoughts on Matthew 18:8-9; Matthew 15:19; James 1:14-15; Romans 7:24-25; and Ephesians 2:4-5 “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal…
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Christian Recovery: Finding Help and Hope
Struggling with addiction or other destructive patterns can be difficult to talk about, especially when we feel like we should be able to handle our struggles on our own. For Christians, guilt and shame can make that even harder. We know what God’s Word says about sin, but we can still find ourselves returning to…
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Turning Our Hearts Away From Selfish Gain
Devotional Thoughts on Psalm 119:36-37 and 1 Timothy 6:6-10 “Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word” (Psalm 119:36-37). In his commentary on Psalms 73-150 in The People’s Bible® series, Professor John F. Brug wrote that the verses…
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Be Kind and Compassionate
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). The verse above reminds me of Jesus’ parable of the unmerciful servant. The servant owed an impossible debt to his king. Because he could not pay it, the king ordered that the servant, his wife, and…
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When Guilt Weighs You Down
When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions…
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What Does It Mean to be a Christian?
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what…
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Why Does God Allow Suffering?
Why does God allow suffering? If you’ve ever wrestled with this question, you’re not alone. I’m right there with you. Many Christians struggle to reconcile their faith with the harsh realities of pain and hardship—especially when other Christians and non-Christians don’t seem to be experiencing the same sort of difficulties. And that changes the question…
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When God’s People Get It Wrong
God’s people have never been perfect. Scripture gives us an honest look at people who struggled with sin, made poor choices, turned away from God, and sometimes struggled to remain faithful. And yet, through it all, God remained faithful to his promises. In this episode of Faith Footnotes, we talk with Pastor Nate Scharf, one…