The Father’s Joy in Cheerful Givers
We ought to be motivated to give cheerfully because of the bold promises God makes to generous Christians, especially his revelation that he takes special joy in joyful generosity.
sacrifice
When Giving Seems Impossible
Godly generosity is grounded in what God has done for us and begins when our hearts are gripped by it.
Strengthening Our Unity
We should continually pursue an affectionate and joyful unity within the church—willing to stretch for it even when others aren’t—appealing for it through loving, sincere words and actions.
Narrowing Our Audience
Because Christ paid the ultimate price to redeem us, our love for him should compel us to put aside our old desires and live wholly for him.
Holding Tightly to His Faithful Promises
Keep being sacrificial and confident as you hold up God’s powerful word, knowing this his saving promises are guaranteed by his faithful character.
The Unsettling Concerns of Love
We need to be ready for the challenges, sacrifices, and emotional discomfort that come with truly loving other Christians the way God calls us to.
April 2, 2025
Questions in this episode: – Why did God require a perfect sacrifice to satisfy the penalty of sin? – When do we stop believing doctors and start believing God will heal? – What does it mean that pastors, leaders, husbands, etc. will be judged more harshly? – How do we respond to a pastor that …
Serving with Sympathy
To keep a clear conscience before both God and people, we must serve them with love and sympathy as God defines, not as we or they might prefer.
September 17, 2024
Questions in this episode: – Is there extra biblical text on Paul’s early life and on his parents as in Acts 22:28, and how did Paul obtain his Roman citizenship? – What does it mean in Mark 9:40 when Jesus tells John, those who are not for us are against us? – What are your …
Real Biblical Love
“Love” may be a word we hear every day, but it’s rarely employed to describe anything resembling the virtue the Bible calls us to emulate. While there is nothing wrong with feeling good about the things, places, or people who make us feel good, the biblical concept of “love” is something entirely different…
Cost of Discipling
The Bible is realistic in presenting us with the costs of having a godly impact on others. God compares this work to that of a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer in 2 Timothy 2:3-6. Farmers, of course, are known for…
Help Wanted
God tells us in 2 Corinthians 9 that when we serve, sacrifice, or give for the good of his church there is a cascading series of positive effects that should encourage and motivate us to keep at it. He begins with…
Living Sacrifice
After an extended and detailed explanation of the amazing transaction that obliterates our debt before God, and graciously grants us the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ, Paul calls for a simple yet profound response: “present your bodies as a living sacrifice” (Rom.12:1). How strange and extreme it must have sounded…
Generosity
We all love generosity—that is, when others are generous to us. Christians, of all people, should appreciate the value of generosity, being the recipients of the most extravagant and undeserved generosity from…
Sacrificial Love
When we read the word “love” in the Bible we should always be careful to remind ourselves that it bears little resemblance to what passes for love in today’s world. When the people of our culture speak of “love” they are usually referring to something that impulsively springs from feelings of happiness, warmth, attraction, affection or pleasure. But the Bible uses the word…
Our Mindset
The Bible persistently calls us to fix our attention on Christ (Heb.12:2), to set our minds on Christ’s agenda (Col.3:1-2), and to keep thinking about and praying for the triumph of Christ’s return (Mt.6:10, 33). Add to this a long list of exhortations for Christians to be mindful of the needs of others and thoughtful regarding…
When It Motivates Sacrifice
Love and devotion to Christ motivates serious Christians to sacrifice much in their pursuit of being maximally useful to the Lord.
Making Strategic Sacrifices
Knowing God desires to utilize our lives for his purposes, we must be eager to make whatever strategic sacrifices needed to live out and hold out his unchanging truth.
Love
Love is not as easy or pleasant as it sounds. It is effortless to say “I love you” but so hard to demonstrate in real life. The Bible calls Christians to love “not with words or speech but with actions and truth” (1Jn.3:18). It is not that the words are wrong, but they…
City of Joppa: Prepared by a Godly Example
We must appreciate and pursue the evangelistic power of a selfless, sacrificial, and generous Christian life.
Christ’s Preparation for Burial: Extravagant Gratitude
Becoming fully acceptable to God by the fragrant sacrifice of Christ ought to lead us to extravagant gratitude.
Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness
We must learn the definition and application of kindness from an ongoing biblical study of God’s character, in prayerful hope of reflecting that same godly kindness in our relationships.
Fruit of the Spirit: Love
The presence and activity of God’s Spirit in our lives is displayed by the increasing expressions of Christlike love, which don’t come easy, but will come, as we understand and cooperate with what God is working to do through us.
Love Like Jesus
Having spent years walking through Israel with Jesus, having listened to him teach, and having seen him heal the sick and even raise the dead, the Apostle John distilled Christ’s love into this intriguing statement: “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16a). Without reference to any warm feelings or emotions, John elevates the painful sacrifice
God is Good
Because we are all natural ingrates we, as God’s beloved children, must regularly resolve and diligently work to engage our hearts and minds in giving credit to the abundantly-worthy Source of all good things.
Serving Like the Angels
The angelic beings who directed the shepherds at Christ’s birth provide us with a challenging example of humble service to Christ’s people for Christ’s sake.
Sacrificing Like the Wise Men
The wise men, who sacrificially left their country to worship the Christ child, provide us with an exemplary motivation to sacrifice the world’s pleasures and comforts to follow and serve Christ.
Giving Gifts Fit for Royalty
We must understand and always thoughtfully consider that our Christian financial giving is an extension of our loyalty, love, and submission to the King of kings.
Worldly Comforts & Godly Sacrifices
Jesus, with every right to establish the terms, makes clear that to be on his team we must give up the worldly norms of managing our own lives and putting our own interests and loves above his sovereign leadership.