Showing results for "Living Treasure" in Christianity

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Grief can be so debilitating that it blinds you to God's presence. Many who grieve struggle to face the sudden loss, much less embrace it and rest in it. In this remarkably honest book, Sharon Betters tells us the story of her teenage son's sudden death in a car accident. Excerpts from Sharon's journal express her raw grief, anger, and hunger to understand how God can be good and loving and still take away her youngest child. Sharon Betters draws listeners to a passage from Isaiah that carries God's promise to provide treasures for his people in the very midst of darkness and trouble.

We are surrounded by the temptation to glorify ourselves. We post carefully curated selfies on Instagram, chase money and pleasure, and live the "image is everything" lifestyle. We've created a culture of envy, emptiness, and depression. Even the church has bought into worldly values of wealth and status. God put us on this earth not to seek our own glory but to shine the light of his glory on a dying world. Through the life of Moses, pastor and author Michael Youssef shows us how to store up treasure that lasts by living for God's glory.

Jesus challenges God’s man to throw all those words out the window. Because, when it comes to your faith, all the energy spent eliminating risk from your life actually becomes a barrier to progress in your spiritual journey. Jesus said, "If you try to keep your life for yourself you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake…you will find true life" (Mark 8:35).

It's amazing how the deep-down-inside knowledge that you're beautiful can transform your whole demeanor and the attitude of your heart. But what does it mean to be beautiful? The Proverbs 31 woman provides a vivid picture of the kind of loveliness that can only come from seeking God's will. Elizabeth George guides you in this woman's footsteps with practical tips to help you become a spring of refreshment to others and joyfully tackle your tasks each day.

The Christian life can be daunting, especially in a world hostile to the ways of God. But the good news is that the God who calls us to be holy has also appointed helpful means so that we can grow in godliness. In Holy Helps for a Godly Life, Richard Rogers shows what the means of godliness are, describes their nature, and explains how they should be used.

From the psalmist's assertion that no one in heaven or earth is like God, George Swinnock derives his principal doctrine namely, God is incomparable. Throughout The Blessed and Boundless God, he proves his doctrine by demonstrating God's incomparableness in His being, attributes, works, and words. Swinnock is a pastor-theologian who views theology as the means by which we grow in acquaintance with God and, consequently, in godliness.

The Puritans frequently talked about dying well. That is something we do not discuss much these days, though we should. In this book, George Swinnock presents modern listeners with valuable food for thought as he expounds Psalm 73:26, My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

Our minds are constantly flooded with unwelcome ideas in this age of information and entertainment. In The Vanity of Thoughts, Thomas Goodwin challenges us to fight these frivolous and sinful mental companions. This timely reminder about the importance of mind renewal paves a path to bringing every thought captive to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

On the surface, it seems unnecessary to instruct someone to be content in times of prosperity. However, times of prosperity and abundance provide some of the strongest temptations to pull our hearts away from God. Jeremiah Burroughs was keenly aware that the riches of this world compete for our affections and challenge our contentment in Christ.

The Puritans were greatly concerned with suppressing worldliness in the church. Today, worldliness is an even greater problem, exacerbated by the fact that so few dare to speak out against it. In this book, William Greenhill provides modern listeners with a healthy antidote to our love affair with the world. He explains what it means to love the world, exposes the dangers of cherishing it, shares how we ought to relate to it, and gives encouraging directions for removing our hearts from it.

God's call to the sinner to turn and live is serious and demands a response. In a clear, compelling, and passionate way, Nathaniel Vincent explains the foolishness of continuing in the pathway of evil, the stubborn disposition of natural man to continue in this way, the gracious and repeated call of God to turn, and the wonderful remedy found in Christ. In typical Puritan fashion, Vincent also draws out the several applications, or uses, of this doctrine.

When you bring a new dog into your home, a wash of great joy can become a trial of perseverance as your furry pal chews, digs, yaps, and yes, piddles her way through every room in the house. Allison Pittman learned this all too well when she adopted a "tiny, shiny puppy of indefinable breed(s)". What Allison didn’t expect was the spiritual benefit she would receive as each Saturday dog-training lesson revealed a fascinating spiritual metaphor.