The hands of the master artist Michelangelo formed a shapeless block of marble into David, perhaps the most famous sculpture in the world. You may feel that your life has no purpose or direction, but if you come to God through faith in Jesus Christ, He'll gradually form you into the image of His bel

Many preachers and Bible teachers have defined God's foreknowledge as simply his ability to know all things in advance before they happen. They may say God looked down the corridor of time to see who would respond in faith to the gospel, and predestined them to salvation on that basis. But is this a

Perhaps you have heard someone express the popular common sentiment of our day by saying, "We are all God's children." But the Bible clearly states that only those who have come to God through faith in Jesus Christ can be called His children. The people of God are those who love God and who have bee

Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, and falsely imprisoned. He could have fallen into despair and wondered how God could ever bring forth any good from these circumstnaces. But God eventually worked in Joseph's life in such a way that he could say, "You meant evil against me but

Sometimes we experience great personal success and spiritual progress; other times we suffer setbacks and seem to take a step backwards. We pass through many watershed events--marriage, the birth of our children, the loss of a job, or a loved one. We also face countless experiences every day which m

The gospel of Matthew records that Jesus was moved with compassion for the multitudes because they were weary and scattered like sheep with no shepherd. Believers should be filled with joy when others come to Christ, but we must also be filled with compassion for those that do not know him. Do you t

We should not be surprised when unbelievers express hostility toward the teachings of God's Word. But surprisingly, there are many Christians who act with animosity against the biblical doctrines of election and predestination. What do the Scriptures teach us about the sovereignty of God and His ete

If you knew someone who always prayed in perfect harmony with the will of God and whose prayers were always answered, you would probably ask that person to pray for you. But if you are a believer, you already enjoy this privilege. Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit now pray for the people of God accor

Perhaps you have experienced a situation in your life that left you speechless. You simply could not find the words to express your thoughts, feelings, and desires. If our words often fail to express what is in our hearts, how much more inadequate are they to express the heart of God? It is impossib

In years past, a successful craftsman would hire a boy to serve as his apprentice. The apprentice might make many mistakes at the beginning, but as he took the instruction of the craftsman to heart, his work began to look more like that of his master. As we grow into the likeness of our Lord Jesus C

An immigrant who just arrived in America may be unfamiliar with our language and culture. He would probably be disoriented and would not know where to turn for help, but if you spoke his language, you could befriend him and help him find his way in his new country. Many times, we feel lost and do no

As they spread the gospel far and wide, the apostles often walked for long distances on rough, dusty roads. Their feet would have been smelly, caked with dirt and covered with callouses. We would hardly consider this to be an appealing sight. But to the Lord, there is nothing so beautiful as the fee

If you saw an old woman struggling to carry some heavy bags, you would probably want to help her. Our Heavenly Father knows that prayer can be a heavy burden for us and He sees us struggle sometimes because we do not know how or what to pray. But He has given us the Holy Spirit to come alongside and

A shark must continually go forward because if it stops moving, it will sink to the bottom of the sea. We will sink in our spiritual lives if we focus on the past or our present sufferings and circumstances. But we will grow strong if we keep moving forward with our eyes firmly fixed on Jesus and on