Life Questions

The words of Scripture are living words. Meditation allows God’s Word to live in your heart and enables Scripture to become a personal conversation between you and the Lord. Jesus promised, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you [live in you], ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (John 15:7–8).

When a person receives Christ as his Savior, he experiences the delight of “first love” for the Lord. God’s Spirit witnesses with his spirit that he is a child of God, and this newfound relationship brings great wonder, joy, and freedom.

God wants each believer to grow in his knowledge of Him and in his understanding of His ways. He will use situations and circumstances to reveal His love for us and our need for Him. God will use disappointments, hindrances, and what seem to be “dead ends” or hopeless situations in life to motivate us to look to Him for His strength and timing for fulfilling a vision. As we wait on Him, God often works in ways that we never would have expected.

As we look in Scripture, we cannot help but be staggered with the reality that God is calling us to live a life that we could never live. I have seen that striving to be like Christ in my own strength simply leads to more failure. So what is the answer?

Are you born again? This is one of life’s most important questions. Jesus Christ said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

Just as any human relationship can grow cool and distant, so can our relationship with the Lord. Understanding why we lose our first love will give us insight into finding it again. So, how do we lose our first love?

Every Christian should be aware of the danger of leaving his first love for the Lord. Long ago, the church in Ephesus was busy doing many things for God, yet Jesus told them, “I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” Let’s consider some indications that you may be wandering from your first love for Christ.

The gifts mentioned in Romans 12:4–8 are seven motivational spiritual gifts. Each Christian receives one at the time of salvation, and it is the tool through which God works in him or her to see needs and to do something to meet them. These gifts equip believers to take a vital role in the Church.

Friendships are some of the most powerful influences in life, because friends greatly impact a person’s development and decisions. Scripture instructs us with these words: “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: But a companion of fools shall be destroyed” (Proverbs 13:20).

Your name represents you, your life, and who you are. It speaks of the work you do and how you do it. Your name embodies your reputation. Having a good name requires honorable motives and priorities. It also involves living with a clear conscience by taking responsibility for your actions and making restitution when you have offended someone or done something wrong.

Birthmarks, disabilities, perceived blemishes, “defects,” or abnormalities cause us to ask searching questions. Why would a loving, all-powerful Creator God allow imperfections to exist?

When we experience abuse from others, our natural response is to strike back. Pride prompts us to return hurt for hurt and insult for insult. However, God instructs us to love our enemies.

Tithing is one way to worship God—to honor Him as your provider and to remind yourself that all of your resources belong to Him and are provided through His grace.

We live in a world that is marred by sin, so difficulties and disappointments are bound to cross our path. Nevertheless, if you ask God for discernment, you can begin to understand why He might have allowed the painful experience to occur.

Sin brings destruction into your life and relationships. A clear conscience prompts you to live honorably in order to avoid the painful consequences of sin and the humiliation of confessing wrongdoing, asking for forgiveness, and making restitution.

Losing a job is rarely seen as a good thing, especially since financial pressures can cause tremendous tensions in a marriage and family. When someone loses a job, he or […]

When suffering comes into your life at the hands of others, it can be extremely difficult to thank God for allowing it. Yet, this is precisely what God asks you to do.

What is a Christian to do when faced with disappointment, disaster, and despair? Scripture teaches us that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). Yet when we encounter difficulties, we often wonder, Why?

A teacher’s basic motivational drive is to discover and validate truth. Teachers are very sensitive to doctrinal integrity, they have great research skills, and they are sincere.

A server’s basic motivational drive is to demonstrate love by meeting practical needs. A server is diligent and willing to sacrifice his time and energy in order to complete a task.