Daily Articles

The End of Toxic Pride

I’ve fed on pods, I must confess,
Out in the field, when hunger pressed,
What’s meant for swine I’ve feasted on,
Midst dung I dined, my gusto gone.

I took my fill of stagnant swill,
Ingested things that might have killed,
I found myself in distant land
Fresh out of luck, life out of hand.

There should have been an ending there
In blending with the empty stares
But something woke and pushed aside
The prison of my toxic pride.

When given strength to journey back
I found the fruit I sorely lacked,
The wine that’s poured from royal blood,
A Father’s feast, prepared in love.

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The Bible: Chapter And Verse?

Do you ever think about the chapter and verse divisions of the Bible?

It’s pretty obvious that the Bible’s chapters and verses weren’t part of the original manuscripts. We’re so accustomed to them that we take them for granted.

It’s not a big issue–except when it is.

The books of the Bible are stories, letters, and poetry. The original writers didn’t divide their work into the chapters and individual verses of modern Bibles.

The current system of chapter divisions was adopted during the 13th century. The Geneva Bible of the 16th century included the verse divisions still used today. If you’re interested, a quick Google search will give you as much detail as you can handle.

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When We Have to Wait

Tarry in the city of Jerusalem, until you are endued with power from on high. Luke 24:49

He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father. Acts 1:4

These waiting days were necessary to enable the disciples to realize their need, their nothingness, their failure and their dependence upon the Master. They had to get emptied first, before they could get filled.

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Stages Leading to Relapse

Research has confirmed that the following behvioral stages are accurate predictors of alcohol and drug relapse. If you are trying to obtain long-term sobriety and avoid having a relapse, know the following warning signs. If you see them in your own behavior, take action to prevent a relapse. Change in AttitudeFor some reason you decide

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Are You “Fully Persuaded?”

And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised,
he was able also to perform. Romans 4:21 KJV

It has been said of Abraham that he was a friend of God and the father of many nations, but what impacts me most about this biblical patriarch is that he was “fully persuaded” that God could and would fulfill His promises, regardless of seemingly impossible circumstances.

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Heading for the Finish Line

Galatians 1:3-4 NKJV
Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.”

Every good story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Every life, though, has a beginning, a middle, an end, and an ever after, an eternity. Paul here talks about the end of the Christ’s life and the ever after of ours as believers.

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A Lifelong Reconstruction Project

One of the most sobering chapters in all of Scripture can be found in Deuteronomy 6. In this well-known portion of the Old Testament, we are informed that the Law of God is more than just a series of directives handed down by a Divine Deity. In fact, we learn that obeying the Law is not only a life-long pursuit, but a pursuit that can actually lead to a longer life (6:2). We are also told that obeying the Law is “for our good always and for our survival” (6:24). Further, we are tasked with the mission of not only obeying this Law ourselves, but of passing it on and teaching it to our children (6:6-7). Any one of these three components, when considered on its own, should be enough to convince us that God takes His Law seriously.

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Take Your Time: Step Knowledgably into Marriage

by Andrea Schwartz
Love at first sight may seem to work out perfectly in novels and film, but rarely are first impressions true or lasting. Along with this myth comes the illusion that family background, religious orientation, and lifetime experiences are of little-to-no importance when it comes to committing to lifelong marriage. Young people smitten by the love bug believe the age-old lies that love will keep them together and that love is all they need. However, doing things God’s way remains the touchstone for successful covenant marriage.

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