Life Application Buts
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The Pivot: But If Your Heart Turns Away …
Every day places us again at a quiet crossroad. Most of the choices before us won’t feel nearly as dramatic as “life and prosperity, death and destruction.” They arrive disguised as ordinary moments—what we give our attention to, what we allow to shape our thinking, how we respond to someone who frustrates us, whether we nurture resentment… Continue reading
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God Has Spoken
“In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…”—Hebrews 1:1–2 Sometimes the first few words tell you almost everything you need to know. Hebrews begins with two: “God spoke.” No lengthy argument for His existence. No… Continue reading
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When God Comes Near
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.”—John 4:13–14 She must have known something about distance. She was a Samaritan, and centuries of religious and cultural hostility separated Samaritans from Jews. Even where worship was concerned, there was distance. Her people worshiped on Mount Gerizim.… Continue reading
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The Pivot: But Caleb Silenced the People
“The people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large… But Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, ‘We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.’”—Numbers 13:28, 30 The other spies weren’t wrong. The people really were powerful. The cities really were fortified.… Continue reading
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Loosening Our Grip
Acts 4:32–37 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.—Acts 4:32 What a beautiful picture Acts paints of the earliest believers. They shared a life-changing bond in Jesus. They had become a family of faith, moved by grace and… Continue reading
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Attention Writers: They May Forget What You Said
Dr. Buttersworth has encountered a problem. Perhaps you’ve seen this quote floating around the Internet: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” It is almost always attributed to Maya Angelou. There’s just one little problem. She probably didn’t say it.… Continue reading
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But in the Future He Will Honor Galilee
Read Isaiah 9:1–7 & Matthew 4:12–22 Sometimes familiarity causes us to miss the wonder. Jesus walks beside the Sea of Galilee and sees Simon and Andrew casting their nets. “Come, follow me,” He says. Farther along He finds James and John working with their father, and He calls them too. We’ve heard the story so many times… Continue reading
