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Joy

In Bible Study, Blog, John on
October 10, 2023

The True Vine

The Christian life is hard.

This shouldn’t be a surprise to us. Jesus promised that we would have tribulation in this world (John 16:33), but knowing this doesn’t always make things easier or more bearable. It’s hard to love our neighbors when they have complete disdain for what we believe. It’s hard to count it all joy when our desperate prayers seemingly go unanswered. It’s hard to be slow to speak and slow to anger when people on social media are so hostile to our values. It’s hard to remain steadfast when the world around us appears to be dissolving into chaos and depravity.

But Jesus knew all this. He knew the Christian life would be hard for us. He knew, even two thousand years ago, even before then, what the world would become in 2023. And the wonderful thing is that Jesus did not just leave us to figure out how to live as a Christian in 2023 on our own. Instead, He has promised to be with us (Matthew 28:20b) and to abide with us, for He is the True Vine.

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In Bible Study, Blog, Luke on
April 25, 2022

Jesus Draws Near to the Burdened

I do not watch horror movies. I know that some of you are probably flabbergasted that I haven’t and will never watch anything that falls in your favorite movie genre, but I just don’t enjoy horror films. I don’t like the jump scares. I don’t like to be kept up all night worrying that someone or something is going to kill me. And since most horror movies feature some demonic character, I don’t like focusing on these creatures that are very evil and very real.

I think a lot of people can forget that demons are real beings because we don’t typically see obvious examples or evidence of demon possession in today’s world. But they are real, and they have possessed many real people. During His ministry, Jesus encountered many people who were possessed by demons. One of them was a particularly burdened soul who dwelled in the Gentile region of the Gerasenes.

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In Bible Study, Blog, Psalm on
March 27, 2022

Truly Blessed

The word “blessed” has become somewhat of a cliche in our society. Its meaning has become synonymous with social media posts of beautiful family portraits, expensive vacations, and amazing opportunities, all with the caption of #blessed. When someone says they are #blessed, they are usually referring to all the good things in their life that they have earned or received.

But what if you don’t have these good things? What if your family situation isn’t that beautiful? What if you’re struggling financially, living paycheck to paycheck, never able to go anywhere special or do anything nice? What if you feel like everyone is moving on and moving up in their lives, except you? Does this mean that you’re somehow #notblessed, that God doesn’t care about you enough to give you some of these good things?

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In Blog, Book Reviews, Self-Love on
February 21, 2022

Enough About Me

Women in America are increasingly unhappy. And nobody quite seems to know why. After all, women have more rights and more opportunities than they’ve ever had before. Yet, women still feel unsatisfied, unfulfilled, and simply unhappy.

And when women feel this way, our culture tells them that they just to practice a little self-care. You just need to go get your nails done. You just need to go do some yoga. You just need to say no to others. You just need to focus on yourself. While these things may provide a modicum of relief, discontentment sets in soon afterward. What is the problem? Why are women so unhappy? In her book Enough About Me, Jen Oshman suggests that the problem is that women are focusing on themselves too much.

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In Bible Study, Blog, Philippians on
May 3, 2021

All Things Through Christ

One of the most popular and well-known Bible verses is Philippians 4:13. It’s a particular favorite of many Christian athletes, and it appears on numerous Christian Instagram bios. But Philippians 4:13 is also one of the most misused and abused verses of the Bible. Christians often take it out of context and use it in a way that attempts to manipulate God’s power to serve their own wants and desires. But when we look at the context of this popular and misused Bible verse, we will see that its true message is far more comforting and encouraging.

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