Viewing entries tagged
wisdom
When life feels overwhelming, it’s easy to question God’s decisions or imagine we could do better. This message looks at how God confronts that attitude in Job and helps us to step back, see our limitations, and prepare for the day when we’ll meet Him ourselves.
Job 40:1-9; 42:1-6
When tragedies hit, sometimes religious people offer simplistic remedies that only add to our pain. This message looks at how we can avoid the dangerous counsel we’re tempted to cling to when difficulties come.
Job 8:1-10
The Christian life is a lifelong marathon with plenty of ups and downs. The opening of the Letter of James offers us instruction for running and finishing this race.
James 1:2-12
It’s hard to live life well without making plans: what career path to take, who to marry, where to live. People make plans all the time; but what does God have to say about that? Our text speaks specifically to this part of our lives.
James 4:13-17
We all have questions about life, and there are many voices in our world offering answers. This message looks at how to discern wisely and know whether the people we’re following and the answers we’re getting are going to help of hinder us.
James 3:13-18
We all face trials, and it can be frustrating when God doesn’t take them away. This message looks at how God uses suffering in our lives and what we can do to partner with Him.
James 1:1-18
Events in Moses’ early adult life show that he has the makings of a great leader, but that isn’t enough. He’s been raised in privilege, and he has a passion for justice, but pride and self-sufficiency must be rooted out of him before he can be used by God.
We live in the information age where keeping up with the latest is everything and no one has time for God’s ancient truth. But we lack wisdom as a result and can hijack our happiness and sabotage God’s blessings. This message looks at the power of wisdom and how to pursue it.
It’s easier than ever to live in denial of the unpleasant realities of life. But a life of denial makes life’s painful realities almost unbearable when they hit. This message teaches us how to see life as it is when we’re tempted to look away and shows us the benefits that we receive when we do.
We all long to be happy, but often happiness feels beyond our reach. This message looks at a person who made the pursuit of happiness an extended research project and considers the wrong paths and ultimate direction of the joy that we all seek.
Prayer is a universal phenomenon that can be seen in almost every culture. Even many atheists pray. The question is how? How should a Christian’s prayers differ from the world? This message looks at principles to guide our prayers from the Apostle Paul’s prayer for the Colossians.
Many people find the Bible’s teachings about the Holy Spirit confusing. The command to be filled with the Holy Spirit is at the heart of how we are to live the Christian life, but it is a command that is often misunderstood. This message looks at how to be filled with the Holy Spirit and what you can expect to see when you are.
Intelligence and know-how is rewarded in our society. But when people start to applaud our contribution, we can use our wisdom selfishly and lose sight of who we are and what we’ve been created to do. This message, focused on the Queen of Sheba’s famous visit to King Solomon, gives us 3 questions to ask when people start to applaud.
People who are skilled in organization and administration are critical to the blessing and effectiveness of the church. But they’re often misunderstood and face unique temptations. This message looks at what we can learn by understanding Solomon’s skills as a leader and the blessings and inclinations that accompanied them.
We all have times in our lives when we feel like we don’t measure up. In the life of Solomon, he realized as a young king that the shoes of his father David were just too big to fill on his own. This message looks at what we need to do in these moments, the importance of humility before God, and what true wisdom looks like when it is applied.
Parents are busier and more stressed than ever. But in our race to help our children lead happy, successful lives, we can lose sight of what’s most important. This message looks at a simple prayer for parents and what it can teach us about how to pray for our parenting and see the role that God has given us through His eyes.
People sometimes struggle their circumstances and a God who often doesn’t seem to make sense. In this message, God meets our questions with some of His own, helping us to see that meaning in life comes in embracing the mystery of a God who is greater than any of our questions might fathom.
We need courage for many things in life, but perhaps nowhere more than in the area of parenting. It takes courage to trust God’s wisdom for our children, especially when others are steering us in other directions. But it’s that wisdom that can lead them into a life of blessing.
