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BIBLE READING: Luke 18. 18 Some people are used to multiple-choice tests. Certain questions do have more than one answer, while some do not. In the field of religion, many feel that there are multiple answers to the above question asked by this “certain ruler.” Let’s notice: Could the answer be….. 1) Do Your Own Thing — The humanist philosophy promotes this idea since every man is his own god. Beware! These undermining heresies are being taught in our schools, our colleges and in many, many churches in our country. They are also being taught in too many Bible classes. 2) Follow Men’s Doctrines — The plural “men’s” is used to emphasize the plurality of doctrines, all claiming to be “of God,” but which are, in fact, contradictory to the Bible and each other! 3) Obey The Gospel Of Christ — If Christ is to judge us ( John 12:48 ). If His Word leads us to salvation ( Romans 1:16 ). If we do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, we will be punished with everlasting dest...

BIBLE READING: Acts 19. 15      On one occasion when Paul was preaching the gospel in the city of Ephesus, a certain group of vagabonds sought to emulate Paul by taking it upon themselves to cast out a demon. When these men sought to do such, the evil spirit turned on them and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” ( Acts 19:15 ).      “Who are you?” This is such a simple question, yet profound at the same time. In its most simple form, we usually answer that we are such and such who works here and lives there. For most, that is the extent to which they desire to know who we are; but are we personally satisfied with knowing ourselves in such a superficial manner? I hope not. There is so much more that we ought to know about ourselves than what our name is and where we work.      “Who are you?” When we seek to answer this question in a deeper way, we may start examining some of the relationships that we...

BIBLE READING: Deuteronomy 6. 8-9 There is a growing number of health-conscious folks who are discovering that wearing a pedometer helps them increase their level of daily exercise.  Some have even bought an expensive wrist gadget called a “Fitbit” to track heart rate, exercise, activity and sleep.  These devices are both a recorder and a motivator for them; knowing how many steps that take per outing, encourages them to walk more. One woman’s goal was ten thousand steps a day. To accomplish her goal, she began parking farther away from her workplace, walking up the stairs instead of taking the elevator, and doing more active tasks around her office. Her visible pedometer reminded her of her daily need to produce a healthy lifestyle change. Visible reminders have a place in our Christian walk as well. When God instructed the Israelites to keep His commands in their hearts ( Deuteronomy 6:6 ), He also told them to make visible reminders of His Word: “ You shall bind ...

BIBLE READING: Mark 7. 1-9                                   Shopping for a good watermelon is difficult because no matter how good it looks on the outside, it's hard to tell what it's really like on the inside.  We can tap it, thump it, and squeeze it, only to take it home and discover that the inside is not edible.      In our Bible reading today, we see Jesus' disciples didn't wash their hands before eating.  The Pharisees became extremely irritated because it violated one of their man-made traditions.  Jesus immediately challenged them by saying:  "You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!" (v. 9 ESV) He went so far as to call them "hypocrites" (v. 6) and explained that what comes from the inside of an individual is what "defiles" him, not the other way around. (Mark 7:14 - 23).  ...

BIBLE READING:    Hebrews 4.1-11 DISCUSSION: Read over Hebrews 4.1-11 before you go to bed tonight.   Then discuss how important it is for us to get into that “rest” that the writer is talking about.  Imagine what that rest will be like, and then discuss it with your loved ones.  Try to think of it as a family vacation that never ends, and how it would be a shame if we were not all there together.  Each member of your family is responsible for themselves when it comes to being accountable for our sins.  Talk about some things that we can do to stay motivated as a family to receive this wonderful “rest”. Remember we will not be judged as a family, but we can do our best to take our family with us. APPLICATION: Spend some time in prayer asking God to help your family stay motivated together so we can enjoy that rest together.

BIBLE READING:   John 20:28 DISCUSSION: Jesus said to her, ‘Give Me a drink’” (John 4:7). How many of us are expecting Jesus Christ to quench our thirst when we should be satisfying Him! We should be pouring out our lives, investing our total beings, not drawing on Him to satisfy us. “You shall be witnesses to Me . . .” (Acts 1:8). That means lives of pure, uncompromising, and unrestrained devotion to the Lord Jesus, which will be satisfying to Him wherever He may send us. Beware of anything that competes with your loyalty to Jesus Christ. The greatest competitor of true devotion to Jesus is the service we do for Him. It is easier to serve than to pour out our lives completely for Him. The goal of the call of God is His satisfaction, not simply that we should do something for Him. We are not sent to do battle for God, but to be used by God in His battles. Are we more devoted to service than we are to Jesus Christ Himself? I praise You for that word—“Like as a father ...

BIBLE READING:        Galatians 1:15-16 DISCUSSION: The call of God is not a call to serve Him in any particular way. My contact with the nature of God will shape my understanding of His call and will help me realize what I truly desire to do for Him. The call of God is an expression of His nature; the service which results in my life is suited to me and is an expression of my nature. The call of the natural life was stated by the apostle Paul—“When it pleased God . . . to reveal His Son in me,that I might preach Him [that is, purely and solemnly express Him] among the Gentiles . . . .” Service is the overflow which pours from a life filled with love and devotion. But strictly speaking, there is no call to that. Service is what I bring to the relationship and is the reflection of my identification with the nature of God. Service becomes a natural part of my life. God brings me into the proper relationship with Himself so that I can understand His...