It's only 2 words, but it contains a powerful truth.  The first word is "resist".  The second word is "gives".  They are in stark contrast to each other, but they are both the action of God.  The determinate factor is human behavior.  These words are also opposites.  The phrase is in two places in the Bible: (James 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:5).  God resists the proud. When I read that I think:  "The world is hard enough, I don't need God resisting me too) The rest of the phrase says "God gives grace to the humble". What a contrast!  What a difference that turns only on our behavior.  I'm into God giving grace, personally.  He is willing if we are.  Praise God! 

Sometimes old and antiquated language really communicates.  I'm thinking today of the great salvation history song "Still Sweeter Every Day" written close to 100 years ago by W.C. Martin.  You can read about him here. Watch the youtube channel Minstrelcraft sing it; The refrain of this song is talking about Jesus and the wonders that the new life in Christ bring:

1 To Jesus ev'ry day I find my heart is closer drawn,
He's fairer than the glory of the gold and purple dawn;
He's all my fancy pictures in its fairest dreams, and more,
Each day He grows still sweeter than He was the day before.
Refrain:
The half cannot be fancied, this side the golden shore;
O there He'll be still sweeter than He ever was before.
2 His glory broke upon me when I saw Him from afar,
He's fairer than the lily, brighter than the morning star;
He fills and satisfies my longing spirit o'er and o'er,
Each day He grows still sweeter than He was the day before. [Refrain]
3 My heart is sometimes heavy but he comes with sweet relief,
He folds me to His bosom when I droop with blighting grief;
I love the Christ who all my burdens in His body bore,
Each day He grows still sweeter than He was the day before. [Refrain] (Special thanks to www.hymnary.org) 
The half truly cannot be fancied.  Praise God! 

Can it be true? That the mystery of Christ is that Christ can so change a person's life, that they become the hope of glory by sharing that good news?  Yes it can!

Dramatic and lasting change for all who believe! Praise God! 

On this great Sunday I'm thinking about the Church!  Jesus said He would build it! (Matt 16:`18).  As the Good News spread around Jerusalem and Judea, Luke tells us that it increased in numbers (Acts 9:31) Paul said God has an affection for His church (Ephesians 5:23-25. Jesus had John right a direct message to real churches in Asia minor as He unfolded His end times plan (Revelation (Rev 2:1).  Paul made a grand statement to one of his favorite churches in Ephesus.  

That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (Eph 5.27) 

The church is made glorious because of the sanctifying work of the Spirit in believers!  (Hebrews 10:14) Praise God! 

Who owns the church?  That's the question my 8 year old self asked my dad as we drove into the church parking lot with my pastor.   There was a moment of hesitation as my father deferred to the pastor, who declared the Lord owns His church.  I would discover later that the Bible clearly says it. (Eph 5.23).  The proliferation of denominations in our day tells me there is some disagreement about how that ownership is worked out in the day to day. I like the way that Paul told the Colossians.  

18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Col 1:18-20)
​
Because Christ is the one who redeemed the world, the church is His special possession.  Praise God! 

There was a moment in the New Testament when the impossible happened.  God changed the life of Saul and the mission of the Church went viral! 

It's not just Paul, when Christ enters a life, it is dramatically changed for a grander purpose!  Praise God! 

When Joel wrote to the people of Judah, he spoke clearly about the hope that was coming for God's people.  He challenged them to move beyond mere religious observance. He called for careful, thoughtful obedience.  It starts by saying "Rend your heart and not your garments..."  This gets your attention, but the wonder is found later in the verse.

Joel 2:13     Rend your heart
        and not your garments.
    Return to the LORD your God,
        for he is gracious and compassionate,
    slow to anger and abounding in love,
        and he relents from sending calamity.
That's our God!  Always the Redeemer, always the Restorer of relationships.  Praise God! 

Many think Jesus only spoke about things concerning theology.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Jesus walked the desert roads of Galilee with 12 and others who were hard workers.  When He spoke the beatitudes, it was about relationships with others.  On one day, Jesus said this to His disciples:

John 16:33 I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”

Jesus did not promise that things would go easy.  Difficulties are certain.  As real and poignant as that truth is, He spoke another with even deeper meaning.
Look Up!  Be of Good Cheer!  "I have overcome the world" -Jesus.

No matter the difficulty, that one fact remains.  Jesus has conquered the world!  Praise God! 

The hope in Hebrews is hope for all of us!  Praise God! 

Proverbs are such a treasure because they simply state one principle that is true.  An often quoted set of verses is found in Proverbs 3:5-6.  Here is an act of the will followed by an act of behavior. 

Prov. 3:5    Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.

A promise for now and the days to come!  Praise God! 

Sometimes the journey from the ancient world to our modern world is difficult when you read the Bible.  We think we know what the application is of one of Jesus's parables, then we look closer and discover something we never noticed.  ​

The VALUE of the treasure was everything.  When we found Christ! the transaction was Priceless! 
​Praise God! 

Peter had seen the miracles of Jesus.  One word and the storm stopped. One touch and eyes were opened, one encounter with the paralytic and his sins were forgiven and he could stand up and walk. It's now over 30 years since Jesus ascended.  Peter is writing to encourage Christians who are placed all over the known world and he gives a powerful encouragement.
“He himself bore our sins”w in his body on the cross,x so that we might die to sinsy and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”z 25 For “you were like sheep going astray,”f a but now you have returned to the Shepherdb and Overseer of your souls.
What a statement!  He carried our sins and we get to live victorious.  In addition we have spiritual healing and the promise of physical healing!  Our past was dysfunctioal and evil.  Our future is glorious and grand!  Praise God! 

The next best thing to touring the land of the Bible is to see up to date pictures from where all the events described in the Bible happened.  This is the blessing of the Holy Land Study Bible that gives you abundant pictures alongside the biblical passages. 

Praise God! 

What if there was a business that took high quality pictures in the land of Israel? What if they made them available with information captions and accurate detail for use with presentations and the license to use in documents and even sermons? Here it is: 
www.bibleplaces.com
Bible software integrates well with the availability to upload the images into user files and notes!  This is a resource that will be a blessing and keep on giving.  Praise God! 

The year was 1947.  Some shepherd boys were throwing rocks into the caves at Qumran.  They discovered the greatest archaeological piece in modern history.  The Dead Sea Scrolls were located above the Dead Sea in Israel in the caves of the Qumran community.  Every single book of the Old Testament is represented in it except the book of Esther.  They are dated close to the time of Jesus.  It was a phenomenal discovery.  Today they are in a museum on display in Jerusalem, Israel. The Shrine of the Book museum by itself is wonder to behold.  God's word on display for all the world to see. You can visit that website right now. Explore the Dead Sea Scrolls.  Praise God! 

It's only 2.2mb but it contains God's full revelation to mankind.  The word of God is now more available than ever!

The speed at which you can consider the wonderful words of God has never been faster.  You can learn much more about the Bible with computer and online tools.  Praise God! 

If you just want to stay with one version, there is a great way to do it with today's technology.  There is a website for many versions and it's just that version.  Sometimes it's the unique publishers like the Christian Standard Version (CSB), Zondervan manages the NIV website and Tyndale does the same with the New Living Translation  There is  a robust search engine for the King James Version.  Also for many study Bibles, they have a code or specific unique website where you can have the version plus all the features, maps, tables and notes on their website.  Once you go there, you can put them in a folder on your browser named "Bibles" or "My Bibles" or whatever you wish.  Enjoy Reading the word of God! Praise God! 

Anyone who has payed attention since the advent of the Bible software industry knows that with some exception,  Logos has been the innovator most of the time.  When they created the Faithlife Study Bible This was designed to be a digital study Bible from the ground up and has many great resources available. They also provide a faithlife.com community where the user can setup their church, small group, or other ministry with a private social media space where they can share teaching notes, prayer requests, and announcements.  It's literally the best kept secret in the digital Bible study world.  I don't know why all church leaders take advantage of this free digital source.  In addition, they are the makers of the Logos Bible Software which thousands enjoy to house their library of digital sources.  Praise God! 

 Everyone has a different workflow and thus, people study in their own way.  Many prefer a 2 page at a time paper Bible they can hold, underline, and pass on to the next generation.  I completely believe in that and focus most of my monthly reviews about how to do that at Bible on the Go.  There are also abundant options digitally.  I introduced a couple yesterday. 

If you want to just browse online in a fee free experience there are also many ways to study the Bible online.  Bible Hub is a good source. You will have to be able to tolerate ads at Bible Gateway Like the King James Version, Bible gateway is the preference of many because it was one of the first and most robust options available.  Another trouble free space is Blue Letter Bible. It's really convenient when you find one of these online tools that works for you, that you bookmark it so you don't have to remember the address or type it in each time.   Tomorrow we'll show another online option that includes "social media". Praise God! 

There are so many timesaving ways to study the Bible these days.  We get in a hurry and ask Siri or google about a Bible verse, or we use the great apps on our phones like Gideons, Youversion, Accordance or Logos. There is so much more.  There is my favorite: desktop Bible software.  Using either Accordance or Logos you can study multiple Bibles at once, record your notes, highlight the Bible text, and turn the highlights off.  One of my favorite features is turning a two-page open paper Bible experience, into a 5 pane synced digital space.  Tomorrow we'll talk about online study options.  Praise God! 

My favorite Bible translation is the Christian Standard Bible, mainly because of the way they lay out the text. They have a commitment to a faithful rendering of the word of God from its Greek and Hebrew origins. I love the fact that the quotations from the Old Testament in the New are in bold.   There is an online space where you can study it right now.  It is an easy to use interface. You can adjust the font size to your preference. Here it is:
Christian Standard Bible online
Praise God! 

The start of a new school year brings excitement as students and teachers look forward to the magic that happens in the teaching and learning encounter!  We all don't know what we don't know and the possibilities for learning abound.  This is why it's important to keep learning, growing and discovering.  

A Great enhancement to Bible Study happens when we zoom out and see the big picture.  Praise God! ​

When you think about all the ways that God speaks, there are several.  God has spoken in a very general way through His creation.  (Job 38:4) God has spoken through the human personality.  He has also spoken through His Son (Hebrews 1:1-3). Another way He has spoken is through His word! 
1 Sam. 9:27; 1 Kings 12:22; 1 Chr. 17:3; Prov. 30:5; Mark 7:13; Luke 3:2; 4:4; 5:1; 8:11, 21; 11:28; John 10:35; Acts 4:31; 6:2, 7; 8:14; 11:1; 12:24; 13:5, 7, 44, 46; 17:13; 18:11; 19:20; Rom. 9:6; 10:17; 1 Cor. 14:36; 2 Cor. 2:17; 4:2; Eph. 6:17; Col. 1:25; 1 Th. 2:13; 1 Tim. 4:5; 2 Tim. 2:9; Titus 2:5; Heb. 4:12; 6:5; 11:3; 13:7; 1 Pet. 1:23; 2 Pet. 3:5; 1 John 2:14; Rev. 1:2, 9; 6:9; 19:13; 20:4. Consider the power of learning more and growing closer to God every time you open up His revelation!  Praise God!