Text: Philippians 4:4 Why does Paul tell the brethren in Philippi to rejoice? It is easy to be distracted by the negative things in this life (Job 14:1), which are a threat to our spiritual wellbeing (Luke 8:14). We may suffer pain, endure hardship and loss, be persecuted, etc. We may not always be happy, […]
March 18, 2013
Does God Want Us to be Happy?
People often try to excuse sin by saying, “I just think God would want me to be happy.” The reasoning is that is a certain behavior makes one happy, God must accept it, no matter what the Bible says, so we should accept the behavior too. We must ask the question: Does God want us […]
November 29, 2011
Handling the Trials of Life
Text: James 1:2-4 “When You Encounter Various Trials” These trials are different than the temptations mentioned later (James 1:13-15) James says, “when,” not “if” — this is a certainty “Consider it All Joy” Not a natural reaction — this is why James had to tell them to do this Suffering has benefits — endurance (James […]
