Bible Education

Summary: What does this verse mean when it says "exercise yourself toward godliness"? Verse: "But reject profane and old wives' fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness." —1 Timothy 4:7 For more daily devotionals, visit www.itiswritten.com/betterway

Summary: When it comes to sharing our faith with the people around us, most of us are really good at pre-qualifying candidates and finding some reason not to start a discussion. What can this verse teach us about pre-qualifiying? Verse: "And he departed from there and entered the house of a certain man named Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue." —Acts 18:7 For more daily devotionals, visit www.itiswritten.com/betterway

Summary: I suppose in some ways, we just can't help it—we're irresistibly drawn to the rich and famous. For some reason, we seem to think if we can only get close to those kinds of people, it says something about our own status in life. But what does the Bible say about the issue? Verse: "For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, 'You sit here in a good place,' and say to the poor man, 'You stand there,' or, 'Sit here at my footstool,' have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?" —James 2:2-5 For more daily devotionals, visit www.itiswritten.com/betterway

Summary: We make a big mistake when we treat our Christian experience like an achievement instead of a relationship that involves an ongoing process of learning and growth. In the words of Paul, you can’t just point to the past and say you’ve arrived. The Christian experience is more than that. When you serve an infinite God, the potential for growth is also unlimited! Verse: "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." —Philippians 3:13-14 For more daily devotionals, visit www.itiswritten.com/betterway

Summary: According to the Bible, marriage isn’t some outdated institution dreamed up by men who lived in the dim, ancient past. It’s an idea dreamed up by God Himself. Marriage is not just a ceremony or a legal status. It literally changes who you are. Verse: "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." —Mark 10:7-9 For more daily devotionals, visit www.itiswritten.com/betterway

Summary: We live in a sinful world and the air is thick with moral pollution and temptation. But according to the Bible, you don’t have to let it pollute your faith. You have a choice! Verse: "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." —Jude 1:20-21 For more daily devotionals, visit www.itiswritten.com/betterway

Summary: How can we exhibit spiritual common sense and stay away from fools that may lead us astray? Verse: "Like the legs of the lame that hang limp is a proverb in the mouth of fools." —Proverbs 26:7 For more daily devotionals, visit www.itiswritten.com/betterway

Summary: One has to wonder what went through Noah’s mind as he sat inside the ark for seven long days, listening to the laughter of his critics. Were there moments when he doubted himself? You’ve got to wonder why the Bible records that pause before the flood waters hit. Maybe it’s so we can see that when we don’t hear from God, it’s only a pause—a chance to build our character and develop a deeper faith. Verse: "And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth. In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened." —Genesis 7:10-11 For more daily devotionals, visit www.itiswritten.com/betterway

Summary: How does the Bible describe real love? What advice does this verse have for husbands? Verse: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her." —Ephesians 5:25 For more daily devotionals, visit www.itiswritten.com/betterway

Summary: For most people, one of the toughest lessons in the world is learning to say "no." And it's important to understand that what's urgent is not always what’s important. Verse: "And he came to Ephesus, and left them there; but he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to stay a longer time with them, he did not consent, but took leave of them, saying, 'I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; but I will return again to you, God willing.' And he sailed from Ephesus." —Acts 18:19-21 For more daily devotionals, visit www.itiswritten.com/betterway

Summary: God knows the people who trust Him. It’s a characteristic that gets His attention and puts a smile on His face, because people who trust what God has to say are on their way back to the relationship we used to have before sin got in the way. Verse: "The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him." —Nahum 1:7 For more daily devotionals, visit www.itiswritten.com/betterway

Summary: How much do God's people actually take pleasure in making God happy? How do our lives reflect our priorities? Verse: "Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him." —2 Corinthians 5:9 For more daily devotionals, visit www.itiswritten.com/betterway 01/30/08

Summary: What does this verse mean when it says that we should conduct ourselves "in fear"? Is the Bible saying that we should be scared of everything? Verse: "And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." —1 Peter 1:17-19 For more daily devotionals, visit www.itiswritten.com/betterway 01/31/08

Summary: How does the Bible describe pure and undefiled religion? Verse: "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." —James 1:27 For more daily devotionals, visit www.itiswritten.com/betterway 02/01/08

Summary: Whenever we face a problem in life—no matter how serious—we have a choice when it comes to how we're going to face it. Verse: And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, and said, "Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. —2 Kings 6:15-17 For more daily devotionals, visit www.itiswritten.com/betterway 02/04/08

Summary: Just as the junk food in the grocery store is taking a heavy toll on public health, all that junk we put in our minds is also taking a toll on the general moral temperature of the nation. What are you feeding your mind and heart? Verse: "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things." —Matthew 12:35 For more daily devotionals, visit www.itiswritten.com/betterway

Summary: Choosing to live by God's moral principles doesn't restrict your happiness or freedom—it enhances it! Verse: "For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does." —James 1:23-25 For more daily devotionals, visit www.itiswritten.com/betterway 02/07/08

Summary: Some people spend their lives packing their heads full of information, but it doesn’t make their lives any better because they don’t know what to do with it. Your brain is the greatest computer in the world, able to store unbelievable amounts of information, but unless you learn to organize that information in a meaningful way and use it to live a better life, most of it is completely useless. Verse: "The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness." —Proverbs 15:2 For more daily devotionals, visit www.itiswritten.com/betterway 02/08/08

Summary: You don’t want to come to the end of a day with things you regret and decisions you wish you could unmake. How can we live our lives with certainty? Verse: "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." —1 Corinthians 2:7-8 For more daily devotionals, visit www.itiswritten.com/betterway 02/12/08

Summary: Not only does the Bible say that Christ created this world, but it also says He holds it together! Verse: "For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist." —Colossians 1:16-17 For more daily devotionals, visit www.itiswritten.com/betterway 02/13/08