Psalm 147
Core Theme: For when your heart is broken, and you need reminding that God notices the wounds no one else can see (Related Theme: This psalm is also a sweeping song of praise for God’s power over creation — see “Carrying this forward” below.) Background This psalm was likely written after the Israelites returned from…
Psalm 116
Core Theme: For when you’ve come through a brush with death, and you don’t want to let the moment pass without giving thanks (Related Theme: This psalm also carries a strong note of gratitude and praise — see “Carrying this forward” below.) Background This is a personal thanksgiving psalm, written by someone (traditionally David, though…
Psalm 41
Core Theme: For when you’re sick, and the people around you seem to be waiting for you to fail (Related Theme: This psalm also touches on betrayal by someone close, and a personal acknowledgment of sin — see “Carrying this forward” below.) Background Most commentators read this as a psalm David wrote while genuinely ill,…
Psalm 38
Core Theme: For when suffering and guilt feel tangled together, and you’re not sure where one ends and the other begins (Related Theme: This psalm carries a deep note of repentance and confession — see “Carrying this forward” below.) Background Most commentators read this as a real physical illness that David interprets theologically as chastening…
Psalm 30
Core Theme: For when you’re recovering — from illness, from a dark season, from a fear that lingered too long (Related Theme: This psalm also carries a strong note of gratitude and praise — see “Carrying this forward” below.) Background David wrote Psalm 30 after recovering from a serious illness — one that had brought…
Health: When the News is Bad
There’s a particular kind of silence that follows a phone call like that. The kind where the room doesn’t change, but everything in it suddenly feels different. Maybe it’s a diagnosis you thought was settled, come back to reopen itself. Maybe it’s a word from a doctor you weren’t prepared to hear. Whatever the shape…
Reading the Bible at Least 4 Times a Week May Transform Your Life
A large survey from the Center for Bible Engagement found a dramatic difference in reported outcomes between people who engaged with the Bible one to three times weekly and those who engaged with it four or more times weekly. Here is what the study found and what its results may mean for establishing a consistent…
Propitiation
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”Romans 3:23, KJV Sin is not merely making a mistake or failing to live up to our own standards. Sin is rebellion against a holy God. Because God is righteous, sin brings judgment. The Bible says, “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans…
Nebuchadnezzar’s Inscriptions at Kish: Archaeological Links to the Bible
Deep beneath the shifting sands of Iraq, near the ruins of ancient Kish, archaeologists pulled a series of one-inch clay cylinders from the earth. To the untrained eye, they are mere curiosities. But to the historian and the believer, they are a psychological profile in clay—a tangible echo of the very voice that once challenged…
Water Baptism Will Not Save You
It was the second best day of my life. Standing before the church and the whole congregation, I had to answer the question of why I wanted to be baptized. I remember saying something to the effect of, “Because Jesus died for my sins and rose again to offer me eternal life.” I remember coming…
How Do We Know That Christianity is True?
All credit for this post goes to Pastor Thomas M. Cucuzza of Northland Bible Baptist Church. We urge you to watch his video below which thoroughly covers four of the points in this post, and check out their Youtube page. Every worldview asks you to believe something. But not every worldview gives you reasons. Christianity…
5 facts about God
All credit for this post goes to Pastor John Hembree of Northside Church Athens. We urge you to watch his video below which thoroughly covers all five facts, and check out their Youtube page. God is not distant or unknowable. He has revealed Himself through His creation, His Word, and His saving work. These five…