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07.06.15

Are you a learner? A curious person?

That's what Solomon was. He loved getting new information. When God offered to bless him in any way he wanted, Solomon asked for greater wisdom.

The Bible tells us that instruction is good, and it is especially good when it is filtered through trust in the Lord. Trust in God, with a steady flow...

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07.05.15

Sometimes when I read about Old Testament worship, I get a picture in my mind that more resembles a World Cup match, or an MLB playoff game, than it does a church service.

It seems that the singing is joy-filled, brash and enthusiastic, as people contemplate all that God has done for them. And loud shouts seem to often accompany the...

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07.04.15

The resurrection of Christ is the central teaching of Christianity. The empty tomb is the place where hope is given birth.

And hope is vitally important. Without hope, our hearts go cold. Our happiness soon dries up. Our love of others -- and God most of all -- evaporates.

Guilt and shame take over. Frustration and fear take hold...

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07.03.15

My aunt Mildred loved to restore furniture. And she was very, very good at it. Once, she even restored an old loom and got it working so that she could make various textiles on it.

But the most memorable of all were the pieces of furniture. When she got them, they would be ugly, old painted pieces of furniture. But when she was finished...

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07.02.15

"In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps" (Proverbs 16:9, NIV).

It's interesting the way Solomon puts this. Because I think it's the...

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07.01.15

Paul had made a huge u-turn. But this u-turn had not been Paul's doing. Not at all.

Paul had not chosen to make the turn. Jesus had chosen to take hold of and capture Paul's heart -- and thus turn him around. In fact, he would do more than turn Paul's life around. He would turn it upside down as well.

As Paul explains many years...

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06.30.15

Being king of Israel was not something David had chosen for himself. God had chosen David to be king.

The Lord also gave David the leadership gifts that he needed to lead the people of Israel wisely. Asaph, an important worship leader during the reign of David (and one of David's key partners in ruling Israel), mentions two critical ...

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06.29.15

Paul invested his heart and soul in people. He also invested his time in them -- and nowhere more than in the city of Ephesus. Paul spent three years with the Ephesians, preaching and teaching.

He uses an interesting turn of phrase as he speaks to the Ephesian leaders for the very last time. He tells them that all along, he wanted his...

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06.28.15

It's fun to dream. It's exciting to create a vision for the future.

Maybe it's a business plan you're writing. Or maybe it's a life-plan that covers a number of areas in your personal life.

Read a few books and you'll discover all kinds of ways to make plans. There are even more methods for insuring that you actually carry out the...

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06.27.15

God gives us a brief time here on planet earth. Because our life is so short, he calls us "a passing breeze."

But this little span of time we call a lifetime, though it's only a blip in the eyes of the eternal God, is a supremely valuable gift from him. That's because it's our "time of grace," the time God has given us so that the Holy...

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06.26.15

Did you get the feeling today? By that, I mean the "We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto!" feeling...

Let's face facts. Those who hold that the Bible is completely true in all its parts, and absolutely relevant and applicable to our lives today are now in the minority in the United States. Honestly, we...

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06.25.15

Paul was now on his second missionary journey. He had developed a methodical process for sharing the gospel.

He knows where he wants to begin. He would start with those who already had a base of knowledge about the true God -- the Jews. In this way, he could quickly build up a congregation in a city or town. He would begin with people...

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