One of the questions that drives many people away from God is a variation of: “Why does God allow suffering?” Because our human mind doesn’t understand why a good God would allow bad things to happen, especially to those who are called His. The last few weeks, we’ve been talking about righteousness and justification. This week, we begin to dig deeper into the fruit of what it means to be justified before God and what type of character is produced through suffering.
Read MorePaul knew his audience - we see that as he regularly references the Jewish law and, this week, he brings in Abraham and David, both of whom would have been acclaimed as founding fathers for Paul’s intended audience. Like a lawyer presenting his case before a jury, Paul builds on his earlier points by bringing in influential witnesses to prove his points. So, let’s see if we can follow Paul’s case here.
Read MoreIn a way, this week’s passage is the climax Paul has been building up to. Chapter after chapter, Paul tries to get the reader to understand God is righteous but none of us are righteous; that the law makes sinners out of all of us. And honestly, it feels like a hopeless cause, a dead end, like we’re all doomed. “But” - that one word turns the tide. It’s the first word in verse 21 that transitions from Paul’s earlier point to this week’s lesson: how an unrighteous person can get access to the righteousness of God through faith.
Read MoreWhen Jesus opened the door for Gentiles to be numbered with the Jews as those who will one day receive an eternal inheritance, the New Testament Jews appeared to think they had a special advantage because they were Jewish. But in chapter 3, Paul attempts to level the playing field, reminding the Roman church that both Jews and Gentiles are sinners before God.
Read MoreLegalism in religion is a tale as old as time. When Jesus walked this earth, he would often engage in discussions with religious leaders who very publicly spoke of just how good they were at following religious rules. But Jesus came preaching something new: being justified by faith apart from works of the law (Romans 3:28).
Read MoreLast week, we learned that Paul’s desire to visit Rome stemmed from his eagerness to preach the Gospel. New and mature Christians both often forget what exactly the Gospel is, so this week will be a good reminder for us on living by the Gospel and the fruit that it brings into the lives of believers.
Read MoreThe first paragraph of Paul’s letter (v. 1-7) is essentially an outline of the book of Romans as Paul summarizes the Good News about Jesus Christ who (1) came as a human by natural descent, (2) was part of the Jewish royal line through David, (3) died and was raised from the dead, and (4) opened the door for God’s grace to be poured out on us.
Read MoreOne of the cornerstones of Tirzah’s mission is to inspire and equip women to be rooted in God’s word. It is why every article on our website includes Scripture and why our shop is primarily focused on Bible study. As we start a new year, we wanted to try something new: a weekly Bible study series.
Read MoreI love the recounting of Jesus calming the storm in the gospel of Luke. I read it again yesterday, as I read in my chronological Bible and caught up from the days I'd fallen behind. I thought I'd write it out for you.
Read MoreI’ve always wanted to be the kind of woman who starts her day off by reading the Bible, praying, and drinking coffee. When I see photos on Instagram of girls posting highlighted Bible pages alongside a cozy coffee cup, I always wish that I had that kind of life.
Read MoreThe simple thought of introducing myself to a room full of people makes my heart race. Even though this is something I have done countless times, it never gets any easier. I usually go over what I’m going to say to introduce myself in my head, and it usually ends up being something short and sweet with the possibility of getting a bit awkward.
Read MoreAs I was writing out Scripture the other day, I settled in Philippians 2:12-18. I'm going to write it out for you because I love the passage in its entirety, but if you have a Bible, open up on your own and read it in your version. Any time we can open up the word of God on our own, we need to do that, even if it's on a screen in front of us. Here are some things the Holy Spirit taught me through the study of this passage.
Read MoreThere are seasons when it’s tempting to give up and simply stop reading the Bible and praying entirely. Because you’re just not feeling it, so what’s the point? You try to pray, but your mind just wanders anyways. You try to read the Bible but get nothing out of it - it’s just words on a page. Maybe it will fix itself tomorrow. So, how do you get out of this funk? How do you find your way back to your first love?
Read MoreAs redeemed daughters of God, we spend our days on earth constantly passing between two worlds: our personal lives and the secular workplace. In the morning we leave our home where we are free to paint our lives with the joy and freedom that Jesus brings. But then as we arrive at work we step into a very different place where Jesus is unwelcome and our selves unwelcome because of him.
Read MoreFor two days in a row now, I have had such excellent time with the Lord each morning. I always do this, but some days are better than others...you know what I mean. I've been trying not to rush on these days when I don't have to rush off somewhere, and in that time, I've really been praying some specific things regarding those I know and love.~
Read MoreEvery year I pick a word to focus on - something that sums up my goals for the coming months, while also being more flexible than a new year’s resolution. For 2020, I’ve chosen the word invest.
Read MoreThis year, I am reading through the Bible chronologically again, along with a lot of the women in my church. I am an avid reader, and I think the chronological order makes more sense, at least to me. You can purchase a Bible that is already divided up for such reading, or you can read along on an app. Whichever way you read is fine; the main thing is that we all need to be reading the word of God on a daily basis. One day last week I came across the story of Sarai and Hagar, in Genesis 15-16.
Read MoreDo you ever find yourself asking God what He wants you to go, and feel like you are not receiving a response? Do you ever pray through a monologue with all your requests to God, but never stop to listen to what He may need to say? Just me?
Read MoreI was a young Christian and dutiful to follow the Christian checklist exactly. I glued my eyes to the page. I read this verse with all my might and slowly, so that I would not miss one single word of it. But however hard I tried to read and get it in my head, I could not seem to understand it with my heart.
Read MoreAnyone else find the word "theology" intimidating? Please, speak up if you do. I can't be the only one, right? Yes, I know, I write about what I learn from the Bible all the time and I lead a Christian online magazine where we talk about God and the Bible, but if anyone brings theology or theological concepts into the conversation, I panic. It feels way out of my depth. I've even debated going to seminary just to avoid having that feeling.
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