Tag: being tempted

Psalm 119:9-16 – God’s Word Equips Us

Read Psalm 119:9-16

Fun Fact: Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible! In its entirety, it’s a great meditation on the importance and beauty of God’s word in nurturing our faith. I love how this section speaks to us as believers, whether we’ve been believers for ten minutes, ten years, or our whole lives.

The psalmist says, “I have hidden your word in my heart.” Is it safe in our hearts, far enough away from the clutches of sin? You might wonder how this happens exactly. Over the years, I have helped countless children in my Sunday School classes commit Bible verses to memory. Once in our heads, we can let them rest in our hearts. That way, God’s wisdom is always safe inside us, ready to nurture or empower us. Continue reading “Psalm 119:9-16 – God’s Word Equips Us”

James 1:2-3 – Being Tested

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.” (James 1:2-3)

James’ words can be very reassuring, and he opens his letter with this encouragement. He probably knew firsthand about troubles since Jesus’ family and followers would have endured a lot of heartache and fear following Jesus’ death and resurrection. They would have been very open to attack for their faith.

Context (James 1:2-18): What a great chapter for us, even though it was originally written for James’ Jewish brothers and sisters scattered abroad. It’s all about faith and endurance. James tells us how to approach God, what being faithful looks like, how easy it is to fall into bad habits, and how God rewards our faithfulness. Continue reading “James 1:2-3 – Being Tested”

1 Corinthians 10:1-22 – Being Tempted

Read 1 Corinthians 10:1-22

direction signs that say "over here" and "no this way"

There is a lot going on in this reading, and we’ll reflect on a couple things I have missed before. What was it that spoke to you today? It’s cool that the Holy Spirit will reveal new insights to God’s word each time when we allow him to speak to our hearts and minds. Sometimes we need to slow down so we can listen for what the Spirit is prompting us to hear.

Did you notice how Paul uses the story of the Israelites in the wilderness to help illustrate the whole food issue he’s been talking about? Keep in mind that the majority of his audience would be Gentiles, so using “our ancestors” is a nice way of bringing them into a story they were not originally part of.

Continue reading “1 Corinthians 10:1-22 – Being Tempted”
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