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What kind of trials are you struggling with right now? What causes you pain throughout the day? What keeps you up at night? In order to triumph over the trials in your life, you must understand and trust this idea: You are never alone. If you have chosen Christ and are living faithfully to Him, the God of the universe promises to be with you always. As a Christian, you are never alone. Do you feel like trials are overtaking…

When we watch movies, we usually expect them to have positive endings. Even though there are many conflicts, difficulties, and twists throughout the movie, a lot of movies end in the “perfect, fairy tale ending.” The main characters often live “happily ever after.” All of us understand that these perfect endings do not reflect what real life is like at all. In life, we go through situations that are so hard, painful, and challenging. We look for perfect resolutions to…

People cannot progress in life until they are challenged. Consider how that is true in the world around us. Athletes will never progress in their respective sports if they do not challenge themselves. As the saying goes, “No pain, no gain.” Young children will not progress in knowledge if they are not challenged by their teachers and parents to learn. Relationships can deepen significantly under the pressure of challenges; pain is something that can quickly draw people very close together.…

As the Israelites were in slavery in the land of Egypt and Moses and Aaron stood before Pharaoh for the very first time, they announced the message, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness’” (Exodus 5:1). Pharaoh not only refused their request (Exodus 5:2) but also made the Israelites’ labor far more intense (Exodus 5:4-15). When Moses and Aaron first came to the Israelites, they…

When we go through difficult circumstances in life, we sometimes hear something like, “Don’t just talk about what you are going through; go out and do something about it!” In certain situations, the Bible agrees with that statement. When we see a world that has never experienced the love and truth of Jesus, we cannot simply talk about how we want people to come to know Christ; we actually have to put time and effort into sharing the good news…

Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted to help a struggling person, but you were not really sure what to say to them? I think that we sometimes struggle with what to say to people who are in the midst of trials. In the past, I have said things to people who are hurting like, “I am so sorry,” “I am praying for you,” “I am going to be thinking about you,” “I love you,” and “Let…

I read a story about a man who was about to board an airplane. Because he had never been on an airplane before, he was really nervous and worried. He worked his way through security and eventually got to his terminal. As soon as he got to his terminal, an announcement was made that his flight had been delayed because of bad weather. This only added to his nervousness, as he began to pace around the terminal. During his pacing,…

One reality that all of us understand and have experienced is that life can be very difficult. In life, we encounter so many different kinds of trials. In Job 14:1, the Bible says, “Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble.” Job states two things about life that we know to be accurate. First, life is short; oftentimes, in many tragic situations, we feel that life is too short. Second, while there are certainly…

In last week’s bulletin article, we saw from Psalm 78:1-6 that the primary responsibility for teaching children about God and the Bible lies with parents. We all acknowledge the need for family Bible study. But what is the goal of that time spent together? What are families working towards when they have spiritually based conversations? Let’s go back to Psalm 78 and find out! First, we do not want to forget God’s works. Parents are to share with their children…

I read a story by a man named Larry Fowler where he talks about a mission trip that he went on to Kazakhstan. During his first worship service in Kazakhstan, he had an eye-opening experience. He remembers that the assembly lasted for three hours and included three full-length sermons. When he looked up into the balcony of the church building, he saw all of the children. When he saw the children, he immediately started to wonder why there wasn’t any…

In Matthew 6:33, Jesus says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” As we are walking through a series of lessons about believing God’s plan for the family on Sunday mornings, it is important that we always keep God first. According to Jesus, God’s righteousness and kingdom should always be at the center of our households and families. How can we do that? How can we make that…

I watched a video this week where kids were asked the question, “How would you describe mom?” Their answers were very insightful. One boy said, “A mom is always there for you and is always caring. She is like Superwoman.” Another boy answered by saying, “When I think of mom, I think of a loving, caring person who will take me to all of the places that I need to go.” A girl answered, “A mom is someone who looks…