The word “useless” is a pretty strong term. The English word means to be “of no use; not serving the purpose or any purpose; futile; of no practical good.” Has anyone ever told you that your efforts were “useless”? What if God told you that your efforts were “useless”? The Greek word often translated “useless” is used to describe idols (Acts 14:15), “foolish controversies” that…

As Christians, a primary goal for which we must be striving is to truly “become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). This involves being acceptable to God and in a right relationship with Him, which is achieved not only through His working in us but also as we “work” and “practice” righteousness ourselves (Acts 10:35; 1 John 3:7). That should be our goal!…

Of all the temptations that Satan throws at you, which one do you wish you could overcome the most? Think about that. Have you got it in mind? Now, how can you defeat it? It is truly God’s Word that gives us the strength to overcome every temptation (Psa. 119:11; Matt. 4:4, 7, 10). As we endeavor to write key verses of meditation on our heart…

There are NO friends like church friends! Sometimes you have “school friends” or “work friends” or “neighborhood friends” or even “family friends,” but there are NO friends like church friends! They are the kind of friend, as wisdom would suggest, “who sticks closer than a brother” (Prov. 18:24), because they truly are a “brother in Christ”! Church friends love you deeper, truly care for you…

The apostle Paul was trying to encourage the brethren in Philippi and was wanting them to continue to find true joy in serving Christ. Sometimes it is easy for the world to distract us and cause us to forget all of the reasons that we have to rejoice as Christians.  Among the many great joys that we have in Christ is this reminder:…

If I ask you to think of a well-known Bible story about David and another Bible character, what would first come to mind—David and Goliath (in 1 Samuel 17) OR David and Bathsheba (in 2 Samuel 11)? Which of those events most defines the life of David? If I ask you to think of a well-known Bible story about Peter’s three-fold expression of his…

Do you know any Christians who make being a Christian “harder than it should be”? Some folks look at living the Christian life as a “hard” thing to do (and certainly some things are “difficult,” Matt. 7:14), but most of the time what folks are doing is making it “harder” in their heads than it actually is.  Folks say things like, “The elders…

The child of God must have nothing to do with evil! There is no place of any kind where evil is permitted in our lives! Consider how much the book of Proverbs has to say about this. First, the wise man warns and condemns everyone who “desires evil” (Prov. 21:10), “devises evil” (12:20; 14:22), “seeks evil” (11:27), “pursues evil” (11:19), “brings about evil” (16:30)…