Basic Course 4 | Relationship with God
A Love Story
In the Bible, God often uses metaphors or word pictures to describe our relationship with Him; for example, a shepherd and sheep (John 10:7–15), a father and child (2 Cor... »
Seeking First His Kingdom
When Jesus was preparing His disciples for His imminent death, He reassured them with these words: “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him,... »
Communicating with God in Prayer
Prayer is a key component in our relationship with God, as it is our main means of communication with Him. It is in prayer that we are able to converse with our Creator.... »
The Model Prayer: Our Father
The Bible records many instances of Jesus praying. Sometimes He prayed all night (Luke 6:12). Other times He got up before dawn to pray alone (Mark 1:35). On occasion He... »
Priorities
If today was your last day of life and you knew it, how much time would you spend on things that are insignificant in the scope of eternity? Your minutes would be extreme... »
Prayer Pointers
Praise and thank the Lord before presenting requests to Him. Psalm 95:2: Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of... »
God’s Delays Are Not Denials
Each of us has experienced disappointment when things didn’t work out the way we wanted them to, and if we had prayed for that outcome that didn’t happen, we were doubly... »
Faith Now and Forever
We can go through life and miss some of the things that God is trying to teach us if we don’t intentionally seek to learn from God. Some things are obvious, but others ar... »
Heroes of the Faith: Warts and All
One thing that seems to be unique to the Bible is how the “heroes of faith”—with the exception of Jesus, of course—were far from perfect men and women. As the saying goes... »
The Joyful Heart
As followers of Jesus, “grateful” should be our default setting when we consider that Jesus died to redeem us from an eternity of being separated from God. This should pu... »
Communion Through Worship
When we dwell on the goodness of God, His goodness surrounds us and pervades our thoughts and attitudes. When we think faith-filled thoughts and speak faith-filled words,... »
A Communion Prayer
O Lord, my God, my inseparable companion—nothing can sever my branch from Your vine (John 15:5). Whether or not I feel You near, You are always with me. Thank You that Yo... »