What a haunting, yet profound question. We’ve all found ourselves in situations where we have felt helpless to determine our next step if the unknown were to happen. Either due to lack of knowledge or lack of ability, we wonder what we should do.
And yet, that very act of wondering, of asking questions like, “What If You Suddenly Lose Everything?” or “What If You Need a Second Chance?” stands as a perfect opportunity to gain biblical wisdom about difficult subjects.
As you make your way through this series about the difficult questions and decisions we face, remember that it’s in wrestling with the questions that we come closest to the Lord.
In this message, we’ll meet an obscure, 80-year-old shepherd whose failure broke his spirit and left him feeling “over the hill” and washed up. Little did he know—he was on the verge of something great.
Picture someone who walks in integrity, loves God, and treats others with kindness and grace and mercy…and then, suddenly, loses everything. How could this happen? And could it happen to you? Who knows? The experience may be just around the corner.
In this lesson, we’ll briefly meet individuals in Scripture who were victims of stalking, and we’ll look closely at Elijah’s experience with Jezebel to learn how (and how not!) to handle this threat to our well-being.
In this message, we will meet a man in Scripture whom you’ve probably never met. Gehazi was once a longtime, trusted servant of the prophet Elisha. One tragic day all that changed…the day he replaced his diligence with deceit.
Even though it’s difficult, even though the person being confronted may not respond as we hope, and even though we may be misunderstood, we must, nevertheless, do the right thing—in the right way”at the right time.
There isn’t a single person reading these words who hasn’t been hurt by someone else. All of us can remember someone who planned something, said something, or did something ugly or unfair to us.
Each of us can remember a time when we failed to do something we said we would do. And then, somewhere along the way, our good intentions got sidetracked.
Paul called his disability “a thorn in my flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7). The downside of this “thorn” was the awful torment it brought. The benefit was that it kept Paul from being self-sufficient. The pain he endured forced him away from self-serving pride and toward an all-important discovery: “When I am weak, then I am strong” (12:10).
Throughout the history of the church, there have been those who stirred up trouble and caused dissension. Such troublemakers will always exist. To keep the unity that is so vital in a healthy church, those who habitually and persistently sow discord must be confronted, dealt with, and encouraged to repent.
Honestly, do you talk too much? Do you find yourself saying, “I shouldn’t say this…” and then going right ahead and spilling it out? Do you promise to keep information shared in confidence, only to leak it a few days (or even a few hours) later? Do you spend too much time filling the air with words yet saying very little worth hearing?
If you’re currently employed or were once engaged in the workforce, you understand what it means to answer to someone in authority over you. Since that’s true, you need no convincing of the value of a great boss…one who is caring, equitable, and respectful.
Death. The topic is strewn with the litter of fear, ignorance, denial, and superstition. For many, death is viewed as an unsolvable mystery, a vague departure from this life that leaves those who remain disillusioned and confused.
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