Donna is a wife, mother, grandmother, writer, and Biblical counselor. She has been blogging through the Bible each year since 2012. She loves God's Word and sharing how freeing and practical it is. She is certified through the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors.
God commands us to honor our father and mother, and that command doesn’t end when we become adults. But what does honoring our parents look like when they have disappointed us, neglected us, or even sinned against us in serious ways?
None of us grew up with perfect parents. Some of us may need to look back on childhood disappointments with greater maturity and grace. But others have experienced genuine abuse and deep hurt. Does honoring a parent mean pretending those things didn’t happen, excusing sin, or putting ourselves or our children at risk?
Today we’ll look at what biblical honor does—and does not—require, why forgiveness is so important, and how we can obey God even when a relationship with a parent is difficult or painful.
We’ll also see why God’s truth is worth whatever it costs us: “Buy the truth, and do not sell it.”
Could some of our everyday habits actually be robbing us of God’s blessings?
Proverbs warns about drunkenness, gluttony, and laziness. We might read those words and immediately think, “That doesn’t apply to me.” But these heart issues can show up in ways that are much less obvious.
What about constantly escaping into our phones, entertainment, food, sports, shopping, or even leisure? What happens when good things become the things we look to for satisfaction, comfort, or escape?
We can end up trading the genuine blessings God has given us—our marriages, families, work, relationships, opportunities to serve, and most importantly, satisfaction in Him—for things that can never truly satisfy.
Also in today’s readings, can God use evil and suffering for good? How can an eternal perspective change the way we see what He allows in our lives?
And while it’s good to appreciate faithful pastors and Bible teachers, Paul has a warning for us: Are we following godly teachers—or are we in danger of following men instead of God?
If you died tonight, do you know where you would spend eternity?
Perhaps you have been in church most of your life. Maybe you were baptized, joined a church, walked an aisle, or prayed a prayer years ago. But do you truly understand the gospel? And can you know for certain that you have eternal life?
If you have doubts about your salvation, don’t ignore them or simply try to convince yourself that everything is OK. God doesn’t want us to leave our eternity to chance. His Word tells us how we can know that we belong to Him.
And if you are confident of your salvation, what do you need to remember when sharing the gospel with friends and family? How much depends on saying just the right words or making a convincing argument?
These are questions with eternal consequences, and today’s reading from 1 Corinthians has something important to say about both.
When we’re going through tests and trials, our emotions can take us on quite a roller coaster. One day we’re trusting God and confident in His promises. The next day we may feel discouraged, fearful, angry, or even wonder where God is.
Those emotions are real, and they can be powerful. But as believers, we don’t have to let our feelings determine how we think, act, and respond. So, how can we learn to live by God’s truth even when our emotions are telling us something very different? We’ll look at seven practical, biblical ways to keep our emotions from running the show.
Also, doing all the “right things” as parents—as much as humanly possible—doesn’t guarantee that our children will grow up to love and serve God. After all, God is a perfect Father, and look at what some of His children do. There are four forces at work in our children’s lives. Understanding them can help us think more biblically about both our responsibility as parents and our children’s choices.
Leaving a church can be a difficult and painful decision, especially when you’ve worshiped there for years, built relationships, served faithfully, and come to love the people.
Scripture warns us against being critical, complaining, stirring up division, or constantly moving from church to church because something doesn’t suit our preferences. But does that mean we should never disagree with church leadership? What if a church begins compromising biblical truth? When should we speak up—and when might it actually be time to leave?
We’ll look at some biblical principles that can help us distinguish between sinful divisiveness and legitimate concerns that should not be ignored.
Also, our reading in Proverbs raises another sometimes controversial question: Should spanking or physical discipline have a place in Christian parenting today? And if parents do spank, what should—and shouldn’t—be going on in their hearts when they do?
Can we really trust every word of the Bible? And does it matter whether we believe what Scripture says about creation, Adam and Eve, and other events that happened thousands of years ago?
It matters more than we might think.
Genesis doesn’t merely tell us how the world began. It explains where sin and death came from, introduces God’s promise of a Savior, and lays the foundation for the gospel itself. In fact, the Apostle Paul directly connects the historical Adam with the saving work of Christ.
So, what happens when we decide some parts of Scripture don’t need to be taken seriously?
And in Job, we’ll see some remarkable statements about the earth and creation recorded thousands of years before modern science understood them. Yet, Job said that everything we can observe—from the intricacies of the human body to the awesome power displayed in creation—is merely “the edges of His ways.”
If those are only the edges, imagine the greatness of the God behind them!
We fear saying the wrong thing, damaging a relationship, or being labeled judgmental. In today’s culture, speaking about someone else’s sin is more costly than ever.
So, isn’t it better to simply stay quiet?
Romans 15 says otherwise.
God has not only called pastors, elders, and biblical counselors to lovingly warn those who are wandering from the truth. Every mature believer has a responsibility to encourage, admonish, and, when necessary, lovingly confront a brother or sister caught in sin.
But there is a right way—and a wrong way—to do it.
Today we’ll look at when confrontation is necessary, what our motives should be, how Jesus instructed us to handle these situations, and a practical checklist to help determine whether it’s the right time to speak.
We’ll also consider what God’s sovereignty should mean for our civic responsibilities, how that truth should shape the way we vote and pray for our leaders, and why our confidence must always rest in God rather than politics.
Can something become sinful for you even if the Bible does not specifically forbid it?
Romans 14 says it can.
Christians sometimes reach different conclusions about alcohol, entertainment, food, music, holidays, and other so-called gray areas. Scripture may give believers freedom in those matters, but freedom is not the only issue.
What happens when you believe something is wrong but do it anyway?
Even if the action itself is not sinful, your willingness to violate what you believe God requires reveals a heart willing to disobey Him. That guilty conscience can produce spiritual unrest—and may even contribute to fear and anxiety that seem to have no obvious cause.
Today we’ll consider how to settle questions of conscience, why genuine freedom is found in surrender rather than self-indulgence, and why love may sometimes lead us to give up a legitimate freedom for someone else’s good.
We’ll also look at what Job believed about living faithfully during suffering, the one question that will matter when we stand before God, and why our worship songs and familiar prayers must remain grounded in biblical truth.
Most of us naturally resist being told what to do. Add our culture’s emphasis on personal rights, independence, and self-rule, and submission can begin to sound weak, outdated, or even dangerous.
And it is true that authority can be abused.
But does the misuse of authority cancel God’s design for it? Are Christians free to disregard parents, husbands, pastors, employers, police officers, or government leaders whenever we believe they are wrong?
Romans 13 gives us a clear but challenging answer. God is a God of order, and He has established human authority for our good. Yet no human authority is absolute. Every leader remains under God’s authority, and there are times when believers must respectfully refuse to obey.
So what does biblical submission look like? Where are its limits? And what does our response to authority reveal about the true focus of our worship?
Today’s readings challenge us to examine whether we are living under God’s authority—or quietly insisting on our own autonomy.
But what about the person who criticizes us, overlooks us, mistreats us, or makes life difficult? How do we honor others, prefer them above ourselves, return good for evil, and bless those who persecute us?
Romans 12 calls believers to a way of life that is impossible in our own strength.
We’re called to become living sacrifices—not merely through religious service, but in our ordinary relationships. We are to love sacrificially, serve gladly, remain patient in hardship, care for those in need, and overcome evil with good.
How can we possibly live that way?
Today’s readings remind us that God never intended us to live the Christian life through willpower. We need His Spirit, His Word, prayer, and the help of His people. We’ll also consider the danger of becoming comfortable with worldly favor, what Job and Paul understood about perseverance, and why God remains faithful through both the highest and lowest seasons of life.
