During the 8th century B.C. God sent the prophet Hosea to the house of Israel. Hosea’s mission was to call the people to repent of their idolatry, cruelty, and injustice, and to return to God. His impassioned pleas to this wayward people reflected his own tragic relationship with his wife, who he was trying to bring back from a life of adultery and prostitution.
Jesus taught that God hears and answers our prayers because he cares for us. But how does God answer prayer? In other words, how do we know when he is answering? Does he always answer in the way we expect?
Life is so full of challenges and difficulties, but also many opportunities. How do we make our way through this world and choose the best path with all of the perils and obstacles in our way? God has given us intelligence to solve problems and find answers to our questions. But we need more than intelligence to succeed, flourish, and to live a safe and fruitful life that pleases God. For those, we need wisdom.
Throughout history misguided religion has been the source of much evil in the world. We find strange, questionable, or fruitless practices even among Christians. Is there such a thing as pure religion? The Bible says that there is, and it’s described in James 1:27.
The word elect generates a lot of discussion and debate in the Christian church. Both Jesus and the apostles use the term in their teachings. So, who are the elect in the New Testament? The term “chosen” is used even more in the Bible. Are the elect and the chosen the same?
Is your name written in God’s book of life? If so, you are blessed beyond measure. You will live forever. How do you know if your name is there? Jesus tells us.
The parable of the prodigal son is perhaps the most touching of Jesus’ parables. It’s the story of a wayward son and his reconciliation with his father. Jesus told it to illustrate how a sinful person is reconciled to God. But it just rebellious and irresponsible people that need to hear this? Or does the story relate to everyone?
Many Christians stay away from the subject of predestination because they see it as controversial and think that discussing it only leads to disagreement and conflict. Others put it into the “things I will not understand until heaven” category. But predestination is an important Christian doctrine and a great consolation to believers if understood correctly. So, what is predestination in the Bible?
The world is so full of human conflicts, failure, and negativity. And personal problems and disappointments can assault our lives. How can we be free from the constant chaos that floods human existence? Is there a way we can rise above it all and live in peace? A good start would be to heed the apostle Paul’s practical wisdom in Philippians 4:8—thinking about whatever is true, noble, right, and pure.
Many of us, when we consider our lives, the problems we have, and the pain we suffer, wonder: “Where is God?” and “Does God care for me?” We may just be disoriented from the chaos of life, or have anxiety and fear building up from all of the uncertainties we face. Some of us may have intentionally taken wrong and destructive paths, and are suffering from it. Whatever our condition, we are all in need of a shepherd—one who cares for us, leads us, and protects us from danger. And not just any shepherd, but Jesus the good shepherd.
