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All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessionswas their own, but they shared everything they had (Acts 4:32). The Christian school that I used to teach at in Uijeongbu, South Korea, was very unique. Every teacher who worked there came as a missionary and saw their students and families as their mission field. This mindset create...
Keep ReadingActs 4:32-34 Sharing doesn't come naturally to us. Just look at toddlers. I think of my 3-year-old granddaughter and how she will grab things, sometimes out of my hands, and declare that the item is "my special _______ "(you can fill in the blank with anything here!). At present, it seems like most things are her "special things" and I must coax her to be more generous, t...
Keep ReadingNor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need (Acts 4: 34-35). [Editor's note: This week, as part of our Inner Strength series, we're exploring generously hearted,the fourth of o...
Keep ReadingListen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going t...
Keep ReadingWrite these commandments that I've given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the door...
Keep ReadingHear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about themTie them as symbolsWrite them on the doorframes of your houses (Deut. 6:4-9). When we visited Jerusalem earlier this year, a...
Keep ReadingHear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on...
Keep ReadingHear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on...
Keep ReadingThen we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). Babies are so cute (s...
Keep ReadingTherefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here(2 Corinthians 5:17)! If we want to have a resilient core, that kind of inner strength that allows us to bounce back from difficult life events, work through emotional pain and suffering, and be able to tap into the strength that God provides, we must be transformed. Two of the...
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