When you’re in love, it can be easy to overlook warning signs. Emotions are strong, wedding plans may already be underway, and friends and family may be excited about the relationship. But ignoring wisdom before marriage can lead to years—even decades—of heartache afterward.
God’s Word gives us principles that can help us make wise choices, and sometimes that means being willing to slow down, seek counsel, and take an honest look at the person we’re considering marrying.
So, what are some premarital red flags we shouldn’t ignore? What behaviors should cause us to put the brakes on a relationship? And is there one issue that, for a believer, should be more than a red flag—a biblical deal breaker?
Even if you’re already married, these are important truths to understand when counseling your children, grandchildren, or others about dating and marriage.
Also, we’ll look at what Ecclesiastes says about delayed justice, what it really means to “eat, drink, and be merry,” the value of wisdom even when people refuse to listen to it, and some important questions to ask before exercising our freedoms in Christ.
Betrayal hurts differently than almost any other kind of pain.
When an enemy attacks, we expect it. But when the wound comes from someone we trusted—a close friend, a spouse, a family member, or someone from church—it can shake us to the core.
So what does God want us to do?
Should we confront them? Walk away? Protect ourselves? Fight back? Or simply pretend it didn’t happen?
Today’s readings introduce us to one of the Bible’s greatest betrayals and reveal a surprising strategy that is far more powerful than revenge. It isn’t natural, but it has the power to transform both our hearts and, sometimes, the heart of the one who wounded us.
Have you ever watched someone make a terrible decision and thought:
“What were they thinking?”
Maybe it was a friend. A family member. A politician. A pastor. Or perhaps, if we’re honest, it was ourselves.
What’s surprising is that foolish decisions aren’t limited to foolish people. In fact, some of the worst decisions in history were made by people who knew better.
Which raises an uncomfortable question:
If wisdom alone were enough, why did Solomon fall?
God gave him extraordinary wisdom. People traveled from around the world to hear him speak. Yet despite all he knew, Solomon eventually ignored God’s clear instructions and suffered the consequences.
How does that happen?
And why do we often listen to bad advice, follow our feelings, or believe what we want to believe—even when God’s Word says otherwise?
Today’s readings reveal a dangerous trap that catches far more people than we realize.
If you’re like most people, friends and family members talk to you all the time. They share struggles and hurts, and they are looking to you for input. “How did you handle a similar situation?” or “What would you do?” Those are questions people often ask. What it boils down to is that we are all counseling.
If you’re a parent, you are constantly advising your children. You may be talking to your daughter about that mean girl at school or the pain of not being invited to the party. Or to your son about his first love and how she broke his heart.
The question is, “Are we counseling well?” Are we giving godly or worldly advice? And how can we be better equipped to do it well?
Many people have attended church for years. They’ve gone to Bible studies and heard the Bible preached, but they reject the wisdom of God and live in foolish ways. It’s as if they view God’s Word as merely divine suggestions.
Others reject God’s truth altogether claiming they can decide what is right and wrong and wise for themselves. They have decided they can’t worship the God of the Bible so, if they claim a belief in God at all, create a god of their own making, one who is more tolerant and simply loves everyone.
But what about those who actually want God’s wisdom? Does God only give it to a select few or is it there for everyone to hear and apply? And is there a way to grow in wisdom?
Do you ever feel like evil is triumphing all around you? Do you wonder why ungodly, even openly evil people, are allowed to succeed? Where is God when evil seems to get the upper hand? Is He still in control? If so, why would He allow it to happen? How do we maintain hope and trust that He will deal with evil and the people behind it? How do we trust what He’s up to in our lives when our prayers seem unanswered and life is hard and confusing?
It has been a while since I’ve done a newsletter and round-up of what’s been going on and we have covered a lot of ground over the last few months. Recently we’ve talked about honoring imperfect parents, even those who...
A few years ago I taught a lesson during a summer ladies’ Bible study. The posters promoting the study were very eye-catching, but it was the tagline that caught my attention, “A woman of God can never be like a woman of the world.” My lesson was on wisdom versus foolishness which has everything to do with being a woman of God rather than a woman of the world. I’d like to share some of those truths today and in the next few lessons in this series.
The Bible has a great deal to say about wisdom and the flip side, foolishness. In this series, we’ll look at what it means to be wise and, by comparison, what it means to be foolish and how to recognize the difference.
A few years ago I taught a lesson during a summer ladies’ Bible study. The posters promoting the study were very eye-catching, but it was the tagline that caught my attention, “A woman of God can never be like a woman of the world.” My lesson was on wisdom versus foolishness which has everything to do with being a woman of God rather than a woman of the world. I’d like to share some of those truths today and in the next few lessons in this series.
The Bible has a great deal to say about wisdom and the flip side, foolishness. In this series, we’ll look at what it means to be wise and, by comparison, what it means to be foolish and how to recognize the difference.
