We are Here by Divine Appointment, by Invitation. The question is When did God put the appointment on your calendar; Who is invited; What is the agenda of the meeting; What are the action items; and most importantly Why? 

What do you think is the most difficult sin of which to repent? The sin we don’t know we commit. God makes provision for our unintentional sins.

An aggregation of surveys of people’s priorities yields the following:

Close family relationships

Basic security

Health

Meaningful work

Personal relationships

Moral values, respect, integrity

Freedom

Faith

As Christians, what are our priorities? What priorities does God instruct us to have?

Adam and Eve were given the choice between two trees in the garden. Those who did not continue in the law were cursed, and hung on a tree. Jesus, becoming a curse for us, took our place on the tree for His crucifixion. We look at the connection of the trees and ultimate reconciliation. 

Reconciliation is a process made up of both forgiveness and repentance. It is explicitly commanded by God to forgive others if we want our sins forgiven. Likewise we need to repent in order to receive the remission of our sins. Once both of those are complete we can then reconcile our relationship with God.

One of the greatest single predictors of success is grit. What does the Bible say about grit? How is it defined? What are the four psychological assets that cultivate it? How is it developed? We answer these questions in light of Scripture, learning the answer to these questions so we can thrive in our spiritual endeavors.

We were created as emotive creatures. One emotion we have is shame – an emotion that might be helpful to us, if used properly to motive us for change.

Structure shapes culture. The structures that most profoundly shape us are so deeply embedded are so natural we rarely question them; they are so constant they feel natural. These natural structures are described in the first chapter of Genesis. We look specifically at the first of these structures which shape culture: time and the rhythm of time.

The Bible contains many surprises – many ways of thinking of the Scriptures that had not previously occurred to us. One such example is Joseph and Nicodemus securing the body of Jesus for burial. They lived in a world that was turned upside down and getting worse. Today’s time is like the time of Christ, where everyone does whatever is right in their own eyes. We are instructed to do what’s right, even if all seems lost. We look at scriptural examples of how to do what’s right, and to take encouragement.

Do you ever get angry? Do you ever get extremely angry? Have you ever been filled with rage, wrath or fury? What do the Scriptures state about these in our life?

Love is something we can wrestle with communicating to others. How can love be effectively given and received? God is love. How do we effectively express love to God? Gary Chapman wrote a book named the “Five Love Languages.” Does God speak these languages, and conversely, how do we express our love to Him?

What is the hardest thing we have ever done? Likely the most difficult thing we will ever have to do is to give up our will. It is common to hear in prayer for God’s will to be done. If we ask it, do we mean it? Are we pursuing God’s will? If not, how do we do it?

When drips continue without treatment, great water damage can occur. We must treat it early, before such damage occurs. This applies to our spiritual life, also. It can apply to our relationships and our sins. We must be alert to that sound. How does the Bible instruct us to deal with these situations? 

God often seems to choose people for His work who seem to be ill-suited for the task. This is a recurring pattern we encounter so often in Scripture, where God deliberately chooses the weak, the broken, and the unlikely for purposes that reshape the world, while supplying the very strength needed to prevail. We look at examples of this pattern where God turns these people into unlikely heroes, ending with the unlikeliest hero all of.

We live in a society where comfort exists in amazing abundance. Air travel, central heat, central air conditioning, modern vehicles, and modern medicine are among the incredible comforts we experience in modern times. Did God intend for this life to not have any discomfort? The fear of discomfort can interfere with our spiritual development. What does God state about this?

We are instructed to be an overcomer – a battle we must win, with Jesus providing an example of a lifelong commitment to this victory we must attain. What do the Scriptures prescribe for our victory? 

Family patterns exist in our practical experience, both in physical appearance but also in behavior. The Scriptures also show similar patterns; Abraham’s family providing an excellent example both good and bad. Our spiritual family also exhibits patterns, and we are to emulate the family pattern of our Father and Elder Brother. What are they?  

In the United States we have an annual national holiday giving thanks to our God for His blessings. However, our nation has commonly not shown gratitude to God and have assumed our national greatness resulted from our own hand.  We must not lack in our express need to thank the Creator, Who provided abundantly to us. Are we truly grateful to Him? We explore the subject of ingratitude versus gratitude.

Who was Jabez? Why is he mentioned? What did he do? What lessons can we discern from his story?

What does it mean to have God’s law written on our heart? Some may think this is to memorize the entire Bible. Are we to do this? What do the scriptures reveal about having God’s law written onto our hearts?