How much do we actually want to help someone? It might be (but not always) found in how we word our willingness to help. If we tell someone—“Let me know if I can help”—then they may never ask, as it’s on them to initiate the request. If we ask someone—“Do you need any help?” or “Is there something…
It is one thing to begin doing what is right—it is another to keep doing it. That is why Peter says to “add…to self-control perseverance” (2 Pet. 1:6). Perseverance (or “steadfastness,” ESV) means endurance. The Greek word carries the idea of “remaining under” or bearing up under pressure. It is the ability to stay faithful through trials and difficulties. This quality is…
I saw this little shoe in a parking lot all by itself this morning. It made me sad to think about the little toddler who got home without a shoe and for the parent who probably searched the car and bags diligently looking for a lost shoe. All the while, the shoe is here by itself, of…
We may not normally think that our actions are inviting the devil to “come on in,” but do they? Eve would have never dreamed of the consequences that would follow eating that fruit. She just saw something that, in her mind, was “good,” “pleasant” and “desirable” (Gen. 3:6). Yet, in so doing, she was inviting the devil to…
Once we know what is right, the next challenge is doing it consistently. That is why Peter says to “add…to knowledge self-control” (2 Pet. 1:6). Self-control is the ability to govern oneself—to master desires, impulses and appetites rather than be mastered by them. The Greek word carries the idea of “holding oneself in,” having power over one’s passions. It is strength that…
Much has been made of whether Isaiah 40:22 teaches that the earth is a sphere or not. The verse says that God “sits above the circle of the earth.” The Hebrew word for “circle” probably does not itself indicate a spherical shape, but (1) there is other sufficient evidence for the earth as a sphere, and (2)…
Kids learn through verbal instruction—that’s why we send them to school for 13+ years. But just as much, kids learn from observation. In fact, if the instruction and the observation do not coincide with each other, they will follow what they observe over what they hear. Parents, you may not realize just how much your kids are…
Faith gives us conviction, and moral courage gives us the determination to do what is right. But without knowledge, we would not know what is right. That is why Peter says to “add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge” (2 Pet. 1:5). Knowledge, in this context, is not merely information—it is understanding God’s will. The Greek suggests a seeking, an inquiry,…