Following Christ English

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham The Bible says that “whom the Lord loves He [disciplines]” (Hebrews 12:6). Believers are not immune to God’s chastening. The Biblical story of Jonah reveals that before God could use Jonah, Jonah first had to humble himself and repent. Only then would God use him to preach the Gospel to a pagan culture. Jonah is one who thought he could escape from the Lord—he found out differently. He was called to preach to rebellious Nineveh (the area today that is known as Mosul, Iraq), but instead he rebelled against God’s call. This miraculous story proves that God’s eyes are everywhere and that He devises retribution and punishment to bring about eternal blessing in response to repentance. Jonah resented the fact that God was sending him to the “great city” (Jonah 1:2), the capital of Israel’s pagan neighbor, Assyria. He didn’t believe the people of Nineveh deserved God’s salvation. So he did the very thing he was called to preach against—he

How can we love people who aren't even very likable? I remember that Jesus told us to love everyone, but that's impossible, isn't it? You’re right when you say that Jesus told us to love others—including those who aren’t particularly likable. He said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). Why did Jesus command us to love others? The reason is because God loves them, in spite of their faults—and He wants us to have the same kind of love for others that He has. Think about this for a moment. The Bible says God loves the whole world—and yet for the most part the world isn’t very lovable. In fact, the world is filled with people who don’t want anything to do with God, and are living in sin and rebellion against Him. And yet God still loves them. How do we know this? We know it because God sent His Son into the world to give His life for us and call us back to Himself. If God didn’t love the worl

Quotion.. Why does our culture always talk about a broken heart or a glad heart? The heart is simply another part of the body like the brain that does our thinking and our lungs that give us breath. Answers.. From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham The human heart beats about 100,000 strokes every 24 hours. It contracts about 4,000 times an hour. Our entire blood supply circulates through our hearts every four minutes. No wonder doctors urge us to take care of our hearts! Scripture speaks of the heart, but not in the way of a life-sustaining muscle. It’s talking about our entire inner being. The heart is the seat of our emotions, the seat of decisive action, and the seat of belief (as well as doubt). The heart symbolizes the center of our moral, spiritual, and intellectual life. It is the seat of our conscience and life. And God knows our hearts well. The Almighty God searches our hearts, weighs our hearts according to Scripture, opens our hearts to His truth, and gives

“God made a woman…and…brought her to the man.” Before God gave Adam a wife, He gave him a calling. Then He explained to Adam that he would need help to fulfill that calling; he would never reach his maximum potential on his own because he was incomplete. Adam didn’t realize that until God revealed it to him. And how did He reveal it? Once Adam started naming the animals in the garden, he was in a position to see that each of them had a partner. Every creature had another creature just like him or her, whereas Adam didn’t. Notice: God didn’t give Adam a wife until he generated in him the realization that he needed one. We value something or someone once we realize how vital they are. One of the most common complaints counselors hear is that one of the partners in a marriage feels unneeded. But when God joins you, and you understand how each of you contributes to the relationship, you both feel needed. The first thing in Scripture God declared “not good” (v. 18 ) was that Ada

One of the wonderful rewards of being a believer in Jesus Christ–is never having to worry about anything! When you put your full trust in your Lord and Savior, you will experience peace such as you have never known, because God has your best interest in mind–always! And He is there for you 100% of the time! He makes Himself available to you any time of the day or night. And best of all, when you pray, He ALWAYS answers! You just need to relax and put your full faith and trust in Him–because He has it all under control. Sometimes His answer may be instantaneous, while other times you may have to wait days, weeks, or even years for your answer. But if you knew the end from the beginning–you wouldn’t want it any other way . . . than God’s way! The first time you experience a direct answer to your prayer, you might be tempted to think, “Hmmmm, that’s probably just a coincidence.” The second time you have more confidence to know something intentional is happening. But then you s

“The amount depends on how much the Lord has helped you earn.” 1Co 16:2  Jesus said, “If you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?” (Lk 16:11 NIV). In other words, if you are not faithful to Him with your finances, He will not trust you with greater blessings. What does it mean to be faithful in your finances? Paul writes: “On every Lord’s Day each of you should put aside something from what you have earned during the week, and use it for this offering. The amount depends on how much the Lord has helped you earn.” That means three things: (1) Regular giving. Note the words “every Lord’s Day.” This is systematic giving, not sporadic giving. It is not, “I feel good today, so I’m going to give to God.” If you try that with your mortgage holder, you will be without a house! You’re not supposed to give by impulse, but by a commitment to obey God’s Word. (2) Planned giving. “You should put aside something from what you have ear

Those who belong to Christ have nailed their natural evil desires to his cross and crucified them there. —Galatians 5:24  The strength for our conquering and our victory is drawn continually from Christ. The Bible does not teach that sin is completely eradicated from the Christian in this life, but it does teach that sin shall no longer reign over you. The strength and power of sin have been broken. The Christian now has resources available to live above and beyond this world. The Bible teaches that whosoever is born of God does not practice sin. It is like the little girl who said that when the devil came knocking with a temptation, she just sent Jesus to the door.