It’s difficult for parents to find things for their kids to watch on TV. What sources do you trust? How do you vet programs? Do you prescreen all the material you give to your kids, or find reviewers you trust to give you a summary? There are a range of merely inoffensive shows available, but where can you go to find consistently great kids’ content about the Bible? (more…)
The Bible identifies many groups of people close to God’s heart, but of tender importance to him are orphans:
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (Jas 1:27; see also Deut 10:18; Ps 68:5–6)
Today is Orphan Sunday—a day set aside for “Christians to stand for children who’ve lost the protection and care of [a] family.”1 As you read this excerpt from Fields of the Fatherless by Tom Davis, take a moment to pray for orphans in your community and ask God how you can care for these children for whom God loves.
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It shouldn’t surprise us that God would take direct action to ensure his intentions for the fatherless were carried out. God commanded his people to set aside a portion of their fields for the sole purpose of providing for this group. The line that designated this special area was called the ancient boundary. It created a field, figuratively and literally, in which the alien, orphan, or widow could find the provision necessary to survive.
You shall not pervert the justice due an alien or an orphan, nor take a widow’s garment in pledge. But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and that the LORD your God redeemed you from there; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing. When you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow, in order that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs again; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow. When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not go over it again; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing. (Deut 24:17–22 NASB)
This passage opens with a call to biblical justice. While that may not be a particularly popular topic for a Sunday sermon, God is very concerned with justice, specifically when it involves the lives of people who suffer. Here, justice means taking care of the physical needs of aliens, orphans, and widows. . . .
One of the best definitions of justice I’ve heard is implied by the definition of its opposite: evil. Edmund Burke, an eighteenth-century British philosopher, said this: “The definition of evil in the world is when good men and women see injustice and do nothing.” Here’s another way to look at it: When it comes to caring for the people on God’s heart, indifference is a sin. . . .
What God was saying to the Israelites was simple: Harvest your fields without delay and enjoy the goodness you’ve worked hard for. But don’t think only of yourselves. You know all that excess you have lying around? The extra sheaves, the olives that remain on the trees, the grapes still on the vine? Leave that for the widow and orphan, and you’ll be blessed. This wasn’t just a passing thought, it was how God’s people were supposed to live their lives.
And it’s also how he wants us to live ours.
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This post was adapted from Fields of the Fatherless by Tom Davis. To learn more about God’s heart for orphans, consider reading A Compassionate Call to Counter Culture in a World of Orphans and Widows, Orphan Justice, or Pastoral Counseling for Orphans and Vulnerable Children.
Even though believers may approach generosity from different theological viewpoints, we can all agree that generosity is close to the heart of God. The Bible contains thousands of verses about money, stewardship, and generosity. [Read more…]
By Kay Arthur
Before I share with you how I study God’s word using the inductive Bible study method, I want to share with you why I study it this way.
As Moses said in Deuteronomy 32:47, it is my life! Jesus, quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3, said we are to live on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Like manna, it is our daily sustenance. There are 66 books in the Bible, and I believe God wants us to know all 66. In Peter’s final letter, he told us it is everything we need for life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3). The word of God is my plumb line by which I measure everything I hear and read. His word is truth! [Read more…]
By Leland Ryken, excerpted from J. I. Packer: An Evangelical Life.
The idea of calling or vocation is important to [J. I.] Packer.
It could hardly be otherwise for a latter-day Puritan, inasmuch as no subject occupied the Puritans more than the idea of vocation. Having written extensively on Puritan attitudes toward work myself, I will take the prerogative of summarizing what they said so voluminously about vocation: (1) God calls people to their tasks in the world; (2) the goals toward which work must be directed are the glory of God and service to humanity; (3) all honest work is a calling as pleasing to God as the work of a minister preaching in the pulpit; and (4) all work offered to God is a form of worship. [Read more…]
Here are this week’s top deals, brought to you by Faithlife Ebooks. For more deals, visit our sale page or get our Free Book of the Month. Some of these deals are only good for a few days, so act fast to get these books at the sale price! [Read more…]
The brand-new Bible Study Magazine Podcast launches today. The theme of the first season is “Biblical Literacy”—how to achieve it and how to promote it.
Many people Faithlife serves have already achieved biblical literacy; they know how to get around in their Bibles. That’s why they value Logos Bible Software, Bible Study Magazine, the Faithlife Study Bible, Lexham Press, and all kinds of other resources Faithlife makes for the Church. [Read more…]
By Dayton Hartman, excerpted from Church History for Modern Ministry: Why Our Past Matters for Everything We Do from Lexham Press.
“Martin Luther was a chump.” Yes, I said it. I used to believe it. . . .
So what if Martin Luther (1483–1546) ignited the Reformation? Who cares that he preached a biblical gospel? Today many evangelicals consider much of Luther’s thought to be in error, or at least in poor taste. Worse yet, although he was arguably one of the greatest theologians of his time, the most average of theologians today seems undeniably superior. [Read more…]
Faithlife Giving has been serving churches throughout the United States for just over a year and, already, the giving stats we’re seeing are staggering. The biggest lesson coming out of all of it is this: If you’re only collecting gifts on Sunday morning, you’re missing out on a lot of giving for your church.
But that’s not all. Wait until you see the impact recurring giving has on above-and-beyond giving (gifts given outside of a recurring schedule that’s already been set up). [Read more…]
Here are this week’s top deals, brought to you by Faithlife Ebooks. For more deals, visit our sale page or get our Free Book of the Month. Some of these deals are only good for a few days, so act fast to get these books at the sale price! [Read more…]