Showing results for "Life" in Bible Study

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." The very first words of Scripture reveal a reality that should fill us with awe. God, acting independently, spoke creation into existence. He made everything from nothing, and the entirety of creation depends on him for all of eternity. But sometimes we can become so focused on what is practical or plausible that we lose the childlike wonder to behold the living God.

Martin Luther entered a monastery as a youth and as a man shattered the structure of the medieval church, speaking out against the corrupt religious practices of the time. His demand that the authority for doctrine and practice be scriptures, rather than popes or councils, echoed around the world and ignited the great Reformation. Accused of heresy and threatened with excommunication and death, Luther maintained his bold stand and refused to recant. In his crusade to eliminate religious abuses, he did more than any other man to establish the Protestant faith.

Feeling trapped by unwanted thoughts and emotions can seem an inevitable part of life. But Eknath Easwaran, who taught meditation for 40 years, teaches us a way to break free. Just as a fitness routine can create a strong, supple body, spiritual disciplines can shape a secure personality and a resilient, loving mind. Easwaran takes the timeless teachings of the Buddha and other mystics and tells how we can train the mind not just during meditation but throughout the day.

A compelling exploration of the biblical foundations, contemplative practices, and spiritual path of Jesus himself—from the bestselling author of The Case for Jesus “What happens when a biblical theologian explores classic spirituality? This book. Pitre’s students have asked, Why have we...

In this book, Dr. Derek Thomas offers an encouraging portrait of Peter from the Gospels and the book of Acts, with insights from Peter’s own writings later in life. At every stroke, our eyes are drawn beyond the disciple to his gracious Master, who fashions stumbling believers into stalwarts of faith.

Keeping the end in mind shapes how we live our lives in the here and now. Living life backward means taking the one thing in our future that is certain—death—and letting that inform our journey before we get there. Looking to the book of Ecclesiastes for wisdom, Living Life Backward was written to shake up our expectations and priorities for what it means to live "the good life."

What does the Bible say about God's purpose for us, the witness of the church, and our mission to spread the message of the gospel? Chris Wright's pioneering 2006 book, The Mission of God, revealed that the typical Christian understanding of "missions" encompasses only a small part of God's...

A. W. Tozer was a man of remarkable knowledge, an avid reader of Christians and philosophers from throughout the ages. But he meditated on the Bible, making him - like John Wesley - "a man of one Book and a student of many". Combine this knowledge with his acclaimed writing style and you have works like this one, high thoughts of God brought low - yet no less moving - for the common listener. When you set out to study Christ, you want to behold his splendor the best you can. That's why writers like A. W. Tozer are excellent guides.

Is the desire of your heart to be close to God? Do you long for an intimate relationship with your Creator but He seems elusive? Perhaps it is because something essential is missing in your life—the fear of the Lord. Don’t let this frighten you. Fearing God is very different than being...

A masterpiece that combines the visions of four great Catholic mystics into one coherent story on the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Based primarily on the famous revelations of Venerable Anne Catherine Emmerich and Venerable Mary of Agreda, it also includes many episodes described in the writings of St. Bridget of Sweden and St. Elizabeth of Schonau.

In this book, Matthew McCullough offers a series of meditations that model how to draw on the hope of heaven for everyday life in the meantime. Chapters connect specific struggles of life in this world—from dissatisfaction and inadequacy to anxiety, grief, indwelling sin and more—to specific promises of the world to come. Drawing on insights from Christian writers of the past, McCullough shows how the Bible uses the hope of heaven to help us now.

A preeminent physicist unveils a field-defining theory of the origins and purpose of life. Why are we alive? Most things in the universe aren't. And everything that is alive traces back to things that, puzzlingly, weren't. For centuries, the scientific question of life's origins has confounded...

Revelation was written because God wants us to know what the future holds. For Christians, the prophetic truths within provide wisdom, reassurance, and discernment - while for unbelievers, Revelation is a plea to receive God’s grace while there is still time. Best-selling author Amir Tsarfati examines what Revelation makes known about the end times and beyond.

Many of us tend to live as though Jesus represents the "spiritual part" of our lives. We don't clearly see how he relates to the rest of our experiences, desires, and habits. How can Jesus, the Bible, and Christianity become more than a compartmentalized part of our lives? Highly regarded New Testament scholar and popular teacher Jonathan Pennington argues that we need to recover the lost biblical image of Jesus as the one true philosopher who teaches us how to experience the fullness of our humanity in the kingdom of God.

Listening and speaking to God. Prayer is communication. It is not a formula that we have memorized, or an empty repetition of words and phrases, but our conversation with God–with us first speaking and then listening to what God has to say to us in return. However, as Dr. Charles Stanley...

King Solomon had it all. Wealth. Power. Prestige. Yet despite having everything he could ever want, Solomon was still unsatisfied. He soon came to a startling conclusion: Even if we have it all, it is never enough. This revelation inspired the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon’s profound thoughts on the meaning of life. BE Satisfied examines Solomon’s remarkable insights on what holds real value in this world.

It can seem as though today's culture encourages weakness, not strength. And this attitude has crept into the church: Don't take a strong position of faith. Don't take a strong view of evangelism. Don't maintain strong moral values. Yet God's people are called to be soldiers, and to fight for His cause and kingdom. Based on the book of Joshua, Be Strong is an inspiring guide to pursuing a victorious life. Part of Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe's best-selling "BE" commentary series, Be Strong has now been updated with study questions and a new introduction by Ken Baugh.

There is no other book like the Bible. God used at least forty human writers over more than 1,600 years to compost the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments. They included kings and shepherds, a physician and a tax collector. They lived on three continents—Europe, Asia, and Africa. Yet the Bible is a single Book with a single Author, focused on a single theme: Jesus the Messiah, our Redeemer. From beginning to end, the Bible tells the story of the Kingdom of God and its King. The Old Testament tells us He is coming. The New Testament announces that He has arrived.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus told a simple story about a father and his two sons. This tale stands out because it is a story about each of us and our struggle with sin. Whether we identify with the rebellion of the younger son or the self-righteousness of the older brother, we all are in need...

Read by the author. Prayer is the lifeblood of the Christian faith--but many followers of Jesus still struggle to make prayer part of their daily lives. In Pray First, bestselling author and pastor Chris Hodges shows us how to make prayer a first response instead of a last resort. Why is it that...