Christianity is exclusive in that the God of heaven will change man's heart ... it is His work, completely without human works.

Unlike any other religion, Christianity represents a forgiving God Who seeks to change man’s heart … it is supernatural and requires no works:

From TimelessTruths.org:
If you are interested in finding what is really truth—what the Bible really teaches, then the subject of this article will be of great interest to you.

After dealing with the backsliding of the children of Israel, warning them of sure judgment for their sins and transgressions, the Lord promised a remedy for their unconverted and hardened hearts. “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”* (Ezekiel 36:26-27)

We see from this promise that God is in the business of actually changing people’s hearts. God is able to operate on the cold, hard, stony heart with no love for right or for Him and change it into a soft, warm, responsive heart, full of love for the things of God and everyone else. What a mighty God we serve! A willful, wicked heart into a submissive, obedient heart. Praise His Name!

…

A Godly Life as Distinguished From a Good, Moral Life

Many people are trying to live a Bible life without a changed heart. They are attracted to the beauty and virtue of a godly life and try their very best to live such a life. It does not work as it reads in their Bible. Their faith stands in the wisdom of men instead of the power of God (I Corinthians 2:5). The blessing is not there as it should be. There is no real victory.
The Changed-Heart Religion.

READ MORE AT THE LINK.

Book of the Bible

This letter is the most biographical and least doctrinal of Paul’s epistles. It tells us more about Paul as a person and as a minister than any of the others. That being said, there are a few things we can take from this letter and apply to our lives today. One thing is stewardship, not only of money, but of time as well. The Macedonians not only gave generously, but “they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will” (2 Corinthians 8:5). In the same way, we should dedicate not only all we have to the Lord, but all that we are. He really doesn’t need our money. He is omnipotent! He wants the heart, one that longs to serve and please and love. Stewardship and giving to God is more than just money.

READ MORE HERE.

Book of the Bible

This letter is the most biographical and least doctrinal of Paul’s epistles. It tells us more about Paul as a person and as a minister than any of the others. That being said, there are a few things we can take from this letter and apply to our lives today. One thing is stewardship, not only of money, but of time as well. The Macedonians not only gave generously, but “they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will” (2 Corinthians 8:5). In the same way, we should dedicate not only all we have to the Lord, but all that we are. He really doesn’t need our money. He is omnipotent! He wants the heart, one that longs to serve and please and love. Stewardship and giving to God is more than just money. Yes, God does want us to tithe part of our income, and He promises to bless us when we give to Him. There is more though. God wants 100%. He wants us to give Him our all. Everything we are. We should spend our lives living to serve our Father. We should not only give to God from our paycheck, but our very lives should be a reflection of Him. We should give ourselves first to the Lord, then to the church and the work of the ministry of Jesus Christ.

READ MORE AT GotQuestions.org

30 Second Devotional

Colossians 3:4 — When Christ, [who is] our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Jesus Christ, the sinless Lamb of God and the Christian’s Bridegroom shall soon return! The true life of our very soul is hidden in Him and when He appears at His Second Coming, then an eternity of REAL life will be fulfilled in Him. His obedience unto death has given us that eternal life (cf. Romans 5:19 and Hebrews 5:8). His suffering and death was invested on behalf of all men. And His resurrection has yielded new life to those who call on Him in belief. Finally, His personal appearance at the final day shall be a glory for all His saints. So consider as dead the earthly things that easily beset us until His coming and we shall be crowned in His glory.

Book of the Day

The Corinthian church was plagued by divisions. The believers in Corinth were dividing into groups loyal to certain spiritual leaders (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:1-6). Paul exhorted the Corinthian believers to be united because of devotion to Christ (1 Corinthians 3:21-23). Many in the church were essentially approving of an immoral relationship (1 Corinthians 5:1-2). Paul commanded them to expel the wicked man from the church (1 Corinthians 5:13). The Corinthian believers were taking each other to court (1 Corinthians 6:1-2). Paul taught the Corinthians that it would be better to be taken advantage of than to damage their Christian testimony (1 Corinthians 6:3-8).

Many of the problems and questions the Corinthian church was dealing with are still present in the church today. Churches today still struggle with divisions, with immorality, and with the use of spiritual gifts. The Book of 1 Corinthians very well could have been written to the church today and we would do well to heed Paul’s warnings and apply them to ourselves. Despite all the rebukes and corrections, 1 Corinthians brings our focus back to where it should be—on Christ.

READ MORE HERE.

The Bible is the most widely printed and published book in the world. It is the source of the Christian religion and contains what Christians need to know about God, Jesus, salvation, and the Christian life.

Truth is not a feeling. Truth is not an idea. The truth is found in the Bible. The cults are wrong because they do not have the truth. That is, they have a false understanding of God the Father, of God the Son, of the Holy Spirit, and the work of Christ on the Cross. Because they are in error in these things, they are in error concerning the doctrine of salvation.

Sincerity and good works do not bridge the gap of sin between God and man. Only the blood of Jesus can cleanse a person (Heb. 9:22; John 14:6). Sincerity and good works are merely the reliance upon what is in the individual to merit favor with God. Sincerity is a form of pride when it is appealed to as a justification for being accepted by God: “But God, look at my heart. See how sincere I was? I deserve to be in heaven.”

No. If sincerity and good works were good enough to satisfy God, then He wouldn’t have given us the Bible to correct our sincerely wrong ideas, and He wouldn’t have sent His Son to do what our good works cannot.

Truth is what God says is true.

The truth is important not because it is simply true. It is important because truth is what defines whom and what we believe. Is Jesus the brother of the devil as in Mormonism? Is he an angel who became a man? Or, is He the creator of the universe, second person of the Trinity? Only one is right.

Faith is vital. But faith placed in something false is the same as having no faith at all. Faith is only as good as the object in which it is placed. That is why it is important to have the true Jesus. The one of the Bible, not the one of Mormonism, nor the one of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Eternity is a long time to be wrong. Especially about Jesus.

READ MORE HERE.

Quote of the Day

He used to talk to farmers about corn and mustard, wheat and tares, sheep and goats, and such like matters, all purely agricultural, and which they thoroughly understood. He used to talk to fishermen about matters widely different, and such as belonged to their craft—nets and fishes; to gardeners about vines and fig trees; to women about domestic matters, such as come within their province—kneading dough and sweeping houses. By means of these familiar figures He teaches lessons unheard of before—lessons of Divine wisdom, of supreme value, of sweet interest, of infinite love, and of eternal importance. ~ Griffith Thomas

Bible Names of God

The Hebrew Name of God – El

The name for God meaning “strength, might, or power.” The basic form El appears over 250 times in the Tanakh. Appears primarily in construct relation when describing the God of Israel.

In Scripture, the primary meanings of this root are “god” (pagan or false gods), “God” (the true God of Israel), and sometimes “the mighty” (referring to men or angels). When used of the true God of Israel, El is almost always qualified by additional words that further define the meaning that distinguish Him from false gods.

El Echad.
The One God (Mal. 2:10).

El Hanne’eman.
The Faithful God (Deut. 7:9).

El Emet.
The God of Truth (Ps. 31:5).

READ MORE HERE.

Prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is of life. -- Jonathan Edwards

One of the most effective ways you can minister to your pastor is to pray for him. As normal, ordinary men, pastors are fallible and must consistently pursue the character God requires of them, as well as faithfully completing the many duties attached to their roles. Knowing that others are praying for him is an encouragement to the heart of a man who longs to give his best to God! As you seek to pray for your pastor, consider praying for two areas of his life: his personal needs as well as his spiritual needs.

Personal Needs

• Effective use of time. There are many tasks to accomplish during your pastor’s workday. Pray that he will use those hours in a way that will allow him to accomplish much.
• Strong relationship with his wife and children.
• Time with family. Often church activities occur in the evenings or on weekends. Ask God to provide other times when your pastor can have quality time with his wife and children.
• Physical and mental strength. Pastors often work much more than a forty-hour week studying and preparing for speaking and counseling, being available to those who need advice or friendship, and attending church meetings and functions. It can be an exhausting life.
• Opportunities to relax. Ask God to give your pastor time away from the rigors of ministry to do things that he enjoys.
• Wisdom. We often think of this as a spiritual need, and it is. However, pastors have to make decisions for their own families for which they need guidance from God.

Spiritual Needs

• For Christ to live through him (Galatians 2:20)
• Faithfulness to spend time reading God’s Word every day (Psalm 119:11)
• An intimate knowledge of God (Philippians 3:10)
• Fear of God — respect and awe for Him (Proverbs 1:7)
• Strength to stand firm for the principles of God’s Word (Ephesians 6:10-11, 13)
• To live according to the Holy Spirit’s direction (Galatians 5:25) and worthy of his calling (Ephesians 4:1) as a good soldier of Christ (2 Timothy 2:3-4)
• Accuracy as he presents the truths of Scripture (2 Timothy 2:15)
• Contentment in his present ministry (Philippians 4:11-13)

From AllAboutPrayer.org

Book of the Day

The apostle Paul founded the church in Corinth. A few years after leaving the church, the apostle Paul heard some disturbing reports about the Corinthian church. They were full of pride and were excusing sexual immorality. Spiritual gifts were being used improperly, and there was rampant misunderstanding of key Christian doctrines. The apostle Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians in an attempt to restore the Corinthian church to its foundation—Jesus Christ.

Many of the problems and questions the Corinthian church was dealing with are still present in the church today. Churches today still struggle with divisions, with immorality, and with the use of spiritual gifts. The Book of 1 Corinthians very well could have been written to the church today and we would do well to heed Paul’s warnings and apply them to ourselves. Despite all the rebukes and corrections, 1 Corinthians brings our focus back to where it should be—on Christ. Genuine Christian love is the answer to many problems (chapter 13). A proper understanding of the resurrection of Christ, as revealed in chapter 15, and thereby a proper understanding of our own resurrection, is the cure for what divides and defeats us.

READ MORE AT GOT QUESTIONS.