Staff/Lifeway Christian Resources

Thankfully, our greatest need can be met by the One who is truly the greatest.

Have you every scrolled through social media and been embarrassed by another Christian’s post? Maybe you saw the head of the usher board at a concert in a compromising position, or a church leader’s post that was full of malice and gossip.

If you plant an apple tree, you will get? Apples! If you plant an orange tree, you will get? Oranges! If you plant a lemon tree, you will get? Avocadoes?

Anyone who has instructed teenagers has likely been asked some form of this question: “Why do I need to know this?” They want to know its purpose for their lives. Having a sense of purpose is fundamental to us all.

Benedict Arnold was perhaps the best general America had during the Revolutionary War. Arnold was a good leader and he knew it. And when the Continental Congress promoted five men to major general, he wasn’t one of them.

The world presents us with its version of the good life at every turn, through any medium with the power to influence the masses. Even our own friends are selling a version of the good life via their curated social media accounts.

“Great Is Thy Faithfulness” has been a favorite hymn of believers for over a century. It was written in 1923 by Thomas Chisholm, a pastor in Kentucky. The title comes from Lamentations 3:23, but throughout the Bible it is evident that the people of God recognized His faithfulness.

David was quickly discounted as a rival for the giant Goliath in the biblical account, but David viewed the challenge differently. Perhaps the story is widely known because David’s reliance on God tipped the scales.

Could walking by faith in contemporary times yield such adventures as Joshua encountered? The 10 plagues? The parting of the Red Sea? Forty years in the wilderness? Has God called us to take such risks?

 "The heart wants what the heart wants." This is a saying in our culture, reflected in movies and music, and is at the core of humanity’s downfall since Adam and Eve.