“[Anna] did not leave the temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayers.”

Luke 2:37 (CSB)

Over the past couple of days, we’ve been looking at the wise women in the Christmas story. Today you’ll meet the third wise woman, Anna. When her circumstances would have made it easy to…[Read more]

“My God, I want to do what you want.”

Psalm 40:8 (NCV)

We’re continuing our look at the three wise women of Christmas. Today you’ll meet Mary, the young woman who became the mother of Jesus. She showed wisdom beyond her years when she chose to believe God’s Word instead of her own fears.

P…[Read more]

“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

“Every word I’ve spoken to you will come true on time—God’s time.”

Luke 1:20 (The Message)

You know about the wise men, but the Christmas story also includes three wise women: Elizabeth, Mary, and Anna.

They came from three different stages of life. One was married,…[Read more]

“There is only one God, and Christ Jesus is the only one who can bring us to God. Jesus was truly human, and he gave himself to rescue all of us.”

1 Timothy 2:5 (CEV)

Christmas is all about Good News. But it’s not the good news of special gifts. It’s not the good news of a big meal. It’s not the g…[Read more]

“But the wisdom from above is pure first of all; it is also peaceful, gentle, and friendly; it is full of compassion and produces a harvest of good deeds; it is free from prejudice and hypocrisy.”

James 3:17 (GNT)

More than ever, the world needs you to be a peacemaker.

In the Ser…[Read more]

“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”

“God is fair; he will not forget the work you did and the love you showed for him by helping his people. And he will remember that you are still helping them.”

Hebrews 6:10 (NCV)

We’re all given the same number of minutes in a day. And we’re all given the same goal—to become more like…[Read more]

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God with us’).”

Matthew 1:23 (NIV)

Because of COVID-19, this Christmas is unique and unprecedented within our lifetimes. Yet, we can still experience great joy, knowing that Im…[Read more]

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

“Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives rig…[Read more]

Isaiah 41:10
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

“Out of sheer generosity God put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ. God sacrificed Jesus on the altar of the world to clear that world of sin…[Read more]

Psalm 40:1-3
“I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him”

“Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others.”

James 3:17 (The Message)

Do you get offended easily? Are you always looking for a fight? Does your defense mechanism kick in during every other conversation?

The Bible says that, if you are wise,…[Read more]

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?”

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

John 10:28 (NIV)

When I took my kids to the Grand Canyon when they were young, my two boys were especially wiggly. I held on to their hands as we walked up to the edge, and they wanted to…[Read more]

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

“Never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’”

Romans 12:19 (ESV)

Life is not fair. God never said it would be!

Life is unfair because there is sin in the world. Jesus came to make things right, and, one day, th…[Read more]

“When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up—the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord your God.”

Isaiah 43:2-3 (TLB)…[Read more]

“The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”

“Without faith it is impossible to please God.”

Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

I would rather attempt to do something great with my life and fail than attempt to do nothing with my life and succeed.

Yet, that’s where most people are! They’re drifting through life. They have no goals. They’re…[Read more]

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”

“Wherever God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love drives out fear.”

1 John 4:18 (NCV)

A lot of people think the opposite of fear is faith. It’s not! The opposite of fear is love.

Love moves against fear. When love comes in the front door of your heart, fear go…[Read more]

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

“God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power and love and self-control.”

2 Timothy 1:7 (NCV)

Just three months after Kay and I got married, I had a total physical and mental breakdown and ended up in the hospital. I was filled with the fear of failure, and…[Read more]

“So we set our eyes not on what we see but on what we cannot see. What we see will last only a short time, but what we cannot see will last forever”

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

Galatians 6:9 (NLT)

If you want to be a righteous woman or man of God, then you have to learn how to be resilient. That means when you stumble—and it’s guaranteed that you will—yo…[Read more]

“Whatever your hands finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of death, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom”

“I want you to have the good that comes from giving . . . My God will use his wonderful riches in Christ Jesus to give you everything you need.”

Philippians 4:17, 19 (NCV)

God promises in the Bible that if you learn to give like him, then he will meet all your needs.

Does that sound too goo…[Read more]

“When Peter saw him, he asked Jesus, ‘Lord, what about this man?’ Jesus answered him, “If I want him to live until I come, what is it to you? Follow me!”

“Why spend money on what does not satisfy? Why spend your wages and still be hungry? Listen to me and do what I say, and you will enjoy the best food of all”

“This is all that I have learned; God made us plain and simple, but we have made ourselves very complicated”

“I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News.”

Philippians 1:12 (NLT)

Your witness to the world will come out of your weaknesses, not your strengths.

A lot of people have it backwards: They thi…[Read more]

“It is useless; it is like chasing the wind. It is better to be satisfied with what you have than to be always wanting something else”

The Best Use of Your Deepest Pain
CURRENT TEACHING SERIES
A Faith That Works When Life Doesn’t Part 3

Listen to Today’s Broadcast
The Best Use of Your Deepest Pain
By Rick Warren — 11/29/2020
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“[God] comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort oth…[Read more]

“So when you make a promise to God, keep it as quickly as possible. He has no use for a fool. Do what you promise to do. Better not to promise at all than to make a promise and not keep it.”

“Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.”

Galatians 6:2 (NLT)

Suffering changes you. It can turn you away from self-centeredness and toward caring more about other people in pain.

One important way you can use your pain for good is to draw closer to other…[Read more]

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either if them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity for anyone who falls and has no one to help them up”

We were really crushed and overwhelmed . . . and saw how powerless we were to help ourselves; but that was good, for then we put everything into the hands of God, who alone could save us, for he can even raise the dead. And he did help us.”

2 Corinthians 1:8-10 (TLB)

When anything painful h…[Read more]

Ecclesiastes 3:1
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity”

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)

How do you let go of the hurt in your life? You heal it with grace.

When you heal a hurt with grace, it doesn’t just mean you let someone off the hook. You forgive the person who…[Read more]

“The best thing we can do is eat and drink and enjoy what we have earned. And yet, I realized that even this comes from God.”