Gospel Life Learning

God’s Plan is Taking SO Long! Should We Give Up Hope?

People are saying...it has been 2000 years. Maybe it's not going to happen. Instead, we should expect it to take so long.  A passage in Matthew gives an example why. 

What To Do While Waiting For God? Especially When It’s A Long Wait...

Recently, I asked God to reveal to me or to remind me what He wants me to do while waiting.  These are the promises, scriptures, and examples that His Spirit quickly brought to my mind when I lifted this question up to Him. I'm sharing these now.

Shoes of Peace: What Are They and How Do We Wear Them?

I couldn't come up with one inspirational word for this year for 2023; however I chose this phrase because my goal is to fully make use of the shoes of peace as referred to in Ephesians 6, in what is known as the "Armor of God" passages. 
Quotes from Priscilla Shirer are from the Bible Study book she authored, titled The Armor of God, published 2015 by Lifeway Press. 
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Should We Rename the Parable of the Sower? A Quick Daily Spiritual Self-Assessment

In my opinion,  I think this parable should be called "The Parable of the Seeds and Soils." It is a very important teaching of Jesus. Let's picture the scene...

”I Am the Resurrection;” What Did Jesus Mean?

 What did Jesus mean when he said, “I am the Resurrection and the Life”? (John 11:25)
It's the time of the year where we are coming into Holy Week and all Christians around the world will have their minds on the crucifixion of Christ and then his miraculous resurrection by which he showed us that death is not an ultimate end.
So let's tap our brains a bit and see what we already know or what we recall about what was happening when Jesus said this. When Jesus said, “I am the Resurrection and the life;” who was he speaking to, where was he, and what were the circumstances happening?

”Jesus Redeems.” What Does That Mean?

We Christians use a lot of "insider" terminology.  One of the words we frequently use is the word redeem. We say that we are "redeemed" by Christ, or that God is our Redeemer.  
Whatever does that mean? Usually in today's world, the only time we see the word redeem outside of a Bible study is on a coupon! For example, "Redeem this voucher for one free Chik fil A sandwich!"

”God’s Abounding Love,” What Does That Mean?

“You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call on you.” 
 
Isn't that beautiful and true? That is a reason we want to walk with God, a reason why we crave being near to him. The reason is because we know when we call on him, he will forgive us, he will be good to us and he will show us his abounding love

Will Only A Few Be Saved? How Did Jesus Answer? What Did He Mean?

There are two places in the New Testament where Jesus is recorded as teaching about the narrow gate, or the narrow door to life, and then states that few people find it.  In Matthew 7, in the same chapter as the Sermon on the Mount, we have a teaching from Jesus that reads in the English NIV: 
 
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matthew 7:13-14)
One thing that bothered me about this teaching of the narrow gate is that it does not seem consistent with what Jesus taught at other times....

Is There a Theology of Emotions?

Each episode of this series will be linked on our Emotions page tab at GospelLifeLearning.com.  Or the Gospel Life Learning podcast/blogcast through your favorite podcast provider or on YouTube. 
The purpose of Gospel Life Learning is to provide resources to help others draw near to God, and share his nearness with others. That is the mission purpose of this ministry. Here is where the ministry and the topic of emotions comes together. When we are having difficulty with our emotions – and that can include both over-reacting to our emotions or denying or stuffing our emotions – either end of it – then that can create a barrier to our level of closeness with God, and difficulties with our emotions can cause us to be ineffective in being a representative of Christ and a true source of help and support or encouragement to those around us.

Goodbye to the Grudge (Anger, Bitterness, Resentment) - How the Bible Tells Us to Use Anger for Good Purposes.

Do you have an anger problem and don't know it? Grudges, bitterness, and resentment are all emotions often related to anger. What are the biblical teachings on anger?
Find the teachings and resources for this series at gospellifelearning.com under the "Emotions Series" tab. 
Send an email to gospellifelearning AT gmail.com with "Personal Anger Survey" in the subject line to receive the copy of the anger checklist often used in Christian Counseling.