John Chasteen
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Keeping the Sabbath
So God's rest is there for people to enter.
—Hebrews 4:6, NLTLet's explore a biblical principle God set in motion at the close of creation week—the principle of Sabbath. It's so important that the violation of it in Old Testament times meant certain death.
I'm not going to suggest that we change the day of our religious activities to Saturday. Nor do I propose that we ban all Sunday activities. I simply want to introduce a concept that is valid, relevant and necessary in our contemporary society—the Sabbath rest.
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Seeking Wisdom in Proverbs
The purpose of these proverbs is to teach people wisdom and discipline, and to help them understand wise sayings.
—Prov. 1:2, NLTAre you looking for “ancient wisdom” with a modern application? Look no further; the book of Proverbs contains your answer! Proverbs is a unique collection of short, pithy sayings designed to impart wisdom, understanding and knowledge.
Proverbs is undoubtedly one of the most practical books in the entire Bible. Why? Because it deals with the practical, everyday issues of life. Oddly enough, little if any mention is made in the book about heaven or the afterlife. Rather, it is packed with information about living in the here and now.
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What to Wear Today?
In the conclusion of his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul wrote: "A final word: Be strong in the Lord. ... Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil" (Eph. 6:10-11, NLT). How often do you feel "strong in the Lord"? Many Christians more frequently feel "small and puny" or "frail and afraid."
The good thing is, Paul wasn't telling the Ephesian believers (or us) that through self-effort we could just be strong-he wasn't saying, "Just do it!" as the Nike commercial says. He goes on in verses 13-18 to explain that being strong in the Lord requires getting suited up for battle. Spiritually speaking, he compares it to dressing like the professional soldiers in his day.
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The Secret Blessing
In Genesis 13, Lot chose selfishly and moved his family to the choicest land-near the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, whose inhabitants sinned greatly. Abram, Lot's uncle, generously let him go; and for his generosity, God blessed Abram and allowed him to settle his family in a safe area. Later, God used Abram to rescue Lot from the evil cities before He destroyed them. Abram learned the blessings of being generous and following God's plan.
We often think of giving as being limited to money or things. We need to give our time or talents to the Lord as well. The abilities the Lord has given you can be offered as a special gift.
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To the Jew First
The book of Romans would be incomplete without a masterful treatise on the plight of God's people, the Jews. Paul provides this treatise in chapters 9-11 of the book. The setting for the story is this: The Jews, God's chosen people, are about to be temporarily displaced from their active role in God's kingdom. Their continued disobedience finally had run its course, and the result was an awful price to pay:
"Did God's people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves. Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God's offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it" (Rom. 11: 11-12, NLT).
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Learn to Move On
Many of God’s people are not schooled in the art of moving on. We spend a lot of our time stuck, not able to move beyond what happened yesterday. Now the Lord said to Samuel, ‘You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with …
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Take Charge of Your Fleshly Desires
What’s up with Paul and the struggle with his flesh? Shouldn’t this spiritual giant have been beyond such a struggle? Why would he need to take drastic measures to control his body?
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by John Chasteen At a Glance So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”—1 Corinthians 9:26-27, NLT What’s up with Paul …
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Need Wisdom?
Need wisdom for daily living? Most of us do! Wisdom is the predominant theme of the book of Proverbs. That’s why it has been referred to as the “wisdom manual” for daily living. It’s designed to provide common sense and skill in dealing with everyday problems. Wisdom brings balance to our lives as we endeavor …
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Living a Holy Life
by John Chasteen Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.”–Hebrews 12:14, NLT What comes to mind when you hear the word “holiness”? For most of us, it conjures up all kinds of negative associations related to …
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December 2008
"Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord."
—Hebrews 12:14, NLT.What comes to mind when you hear the word "holiness"? For most of us, it conjures up all kinds of negative associations related to legalistic rules and behavior.
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November 2008
Now the Lord said to Samuel, ‘You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem.’ ”
—1 Samuel 16:1, NLTThis passage from the Bible indicates that Samuel had reached a place in his life from which he needed to move on. Ever been there? Like it or not, we all hit this type of place periodically in our journey of faith.
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October 2008
"When Adam was 130 years old, he became the father of a son who was just like him—in his very image. He named his son Seth.”
—Genesis 5:3, NLTHere is a sobering thought: Whatever you are during your lifetime lives on in your sons and daughters after you die. It’s a question not of whether you will leave a legacy but of what kind.
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September 2008
How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be outnumbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!
—Psalm 139:17-18, NLTGod delights in sharing His innermost thoughts with His people. The Scripture passage quoted above seems to imply that His thoughts are constantly directed toward us—it says “they outnumber the grains of sand.”
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August 2008
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work."
—Genesis 5:3, NLT2 Timothy 3:16-17, NLTHave you ever received a timely letter from someone who cared for you? The Scripture above is from just such a letter, addressed to a young evangelist named Timothy. It is from his spiritual father, the apostle Paul.
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