Read Philippians 3:8–11 I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ. Philippians 3:8 Remember Jim Elliot’s words: “He is no fool who gives what he...
Read 1 Corinthians 7:25–40 A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord. 1 Corinthians 7:39 It is God’s will that the marriage union be permanent, a...
Read Philippians 2:1–8 But [Jesus] made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Philippians 2:7–8 Jesus did not pretend to be a servant;...
Read 1 Peter 4:1–3 Since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. 1 Peter 4:1 Our attitudes are weapons, and weak or wrong attitudes will lead us to defeat. Outlook determines outcome, and...
Read James 2:1–4 My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism. James 2:1 The religious experts in Christ’s day judged Him by their human standards, and they rejected Him. He came from the wrong city. He was not a graduate of their accepted schools. He...
Read 1 Timothy 1:12–20 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 1:14 The grace of God turned the persecutor into a preacher, and the murderer into a minister and a missionary! So dramatic...
Read Colossians 3:1–2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2 How do we set our hearts on “things above”? The secret is found in a literal translation of verse 2: “Habitually set your mind—your attention—on things above, not on things on the earth.” Our feet...
Read Colossians 2:16–23 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Colossians 2:18 The word translated “disqualify” means “to declare unworthy of a prize.” It is an athletic term: The umpire disqualifies contestants who do not obey the rules....
Read Isaiah 13—18 How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! Isaiah 14:12 Jeremiah had prophesied that the Babylonian captivity would last for only seventy years. So, the capture of...
Read Romans 5:1–21 We know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. Romans 5:3–4 Suffering builds Christian character. The sequence is: suffering— perseverance—character—hope. Our English word tribulation comes from the Latin word tribulum. A tribulum was a heavy piece of timber with spikes in it, used for threshing...