Tag: sharpen
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Willing to be Sharpened
Whether in church, work, or home, there will be times where people do not agree in approach. All too often, the only option seems to be separation. Yet, when two such “opposites” sharpen each other, that which comes from it will often be greater than the only one.
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Mighty
Judges 2:6–15; 2 Corinthians 10:1–11 At this point, there are a lot of stirred up people. You might even be one of them. The question is, what really is stirring you? Is it a belief that the current president is a lunatic and must be destroyed (metaphorically or in reality)? Is it a belief that…
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Discipl…
Psalm 94; Proverbs 13:18; Matthew 18:15–17; 2 Corinthians 13:1–4 Discipleship is a buzzword these days. In church circles, digital and physical, there are regular (and worthwhile) conversations about discipleship. There are fancy names such as “discipleship pathway” or “growth tracks” or any number of others. All of them are one of many ways to think…
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Getting Out
Acts 12:1–12:19; Acts 16:23–34 The story of Peter being freed from prison is often used when talking about the power of praying for others. Even scientific studies have shown a correlation between a person being prayed for and improvements in health. There is power in prayer. There is also power in being freed from prison,…
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Wholesome Speech
Leviticus 19:11–18; 2 Corinthians 12:19–21; 1 Peter 2:1–5 (read online ⧉) Slander is one of the biggest things that divide people whether it be in families, churches, the internet, the world. Slander can be small things, it can be large things. The reality is that it often hurts the innocent and the guilty the same.…
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People Needed
Isaiah 30:8–17, 1 Thessalonians 2:2–12 “To make Christlike disciples in the nations.”—Church of the Nazarene Mission Statement “Iron sharpens iron and one person sharpens another.”—Proverbs 27:17 Discipleship is not a program, nor is it a class. It is a lifestyle. If we are not careful, Sunday School, Life Groups, Youth Group, Children’s Church, even Sunday…
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Spirit Grades
Jeremiah 23:30-40, 1 John 4:1–6 What is a spirit? In the Scriptures, there is the Holy Spirit. That is certainly one. However, often the time spirit is used, it is not a good thing. There are evil spirits. There are deceptive spirits. It is the deceptive spirits that make an appearance all too often. What…
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Second Wednesday of Lent
Deuteronomy 9:13–21, Luke 21:34–38, Hebrews 3:12–19 The culture wars are over. Or are they? Just this week, the Chinese government reaffirmed its attack on Christianity, promising to root out any “Westernizing” characteristics to Chinese culture. The conference last month held by the United Methodist Church was a conflict of cultures (particularly US/Canada versus the Southern…