Spiritual gifts like teaching, evangelism, or even prophecy get a lot of hype. But every Christian has a spiritual gift, and many of them are less visible. But even without a flashy gift, your role in the body of Christ is still invaluable, and working at it diligently, without praise, may be even more worthwhile in the long run.

James tells us that our lives are "even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." Does that mean that it's foolish for us to make any plans for our lives? Not exactly. Let's take a look at how we can make God-honoring plans.

Spiritual disciplines may sound intimidating or unappetizing to us when we first hear of them. But these habits are gifts to help us grow stronger in our walk with Christ. Discipleship, too, is something that all are called to participate in, building each other up in spiritual maturity.

The body of Christ is meant to include all ages, all genders, and all cultures. The people of God are wonderfully diverse! A church that just caters to one particular group isn't necessarily wrong, but it isn't as strong as it could be. Below are some solid tips for helping bridge the generation gap in your local church.

It sounds like a cliché-type question. What is the meaning of life? 

Philosophers and mystics from ancient times have sought to answer this question. Socrates claimed the unexamined life isn’t worth living, and he sought right moral living. Plato tried to participate in an ultimate Good. Aristotle continued with his eudaimonia: flourishing through right activity. Other philosophies like the Stoics, Epicureans, Cynics, and Skeptics have their own perspectives on a transcendent meaning of life, informing how we should live. 

Of course, religions have risen across the centuries to answer this question, too. They each define some type of upward aim and structure morality from it. 

Today, our culture has come to a place of “living your own truth.” To many, the “meaning of life” is individually ascertained, not universal at all. 

The first question we should ask is, why do we ask the question at all?

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Our modern society has increasingly questioned and confused the roles of men and women. Some challenges may be legitimate and more cultural than absolute. Yet the Bible clearly defines both sexes as important, each with their distinctive nature. God designed these differences for our good and his glory. To completely erase the distinctives goes against truth and life. 

At the same time, many of our definitions of masculinity could use some questioning. Is it truly masculine to fix cars and watch football? More importantly, do these characteristics align with biblical manhood? The Bible does reveal a masculine role. However, it’s not as defined by external elements. God finds the heart more important. 

Exploring biblical manhood, we must include a couple of qualifiers. First, the Christian life isn’t masculine or feminine. Accountability, community, spiritual disciplines, living and passing on a mission-oriented life – none of these depend upon being married or male or female. Second, as we look at important characteristics of biblical masculinity, a man shouldn’t and can’t fulfill these alone or apart from the feminine, whether married or in the Body of Christ. 

With this in mind, here are five biblical characteristics of manhood.

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Is God love, or is God so terrifying He drives us to our knees? It can be hard for us to separate the two, considering fear to be a good and healthy thing. But when we take a look at who exactly God is and what it means to fear Him, it changes everything.

Bring up artificial intelligence (AI), and you’ll get a host of opinions, many of them extreme. I know an author who received a ton of pushback when she admitted to using AI for some of her artwork. However, another friend teaches courses in AI. I also have friends who reject anything made by AI, even believing an evil exists behind it all. 

No matter what our perspective is, AI is here to stay. Artificial intelligence has and will further impact every industry, from education to construction. 

The Church isn’t immune to dealing with AI. Pastors have the same range of views. Some use AI a great deal, others won’t ever. What are the dangers and advantages of AI for pastors writing sermons?

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The Bible opens with the story of creation. The text introduces God as Creator, and he initiates the earth within galaxies and begins to fill it with plants, animals, birds, fish, and then humanity. The first chapter of Genesis divides God’s work into different days. On the seventh day, God “rested.” 

Many debate how literal or figurative the biblical creation process is, but either way, the Spirit means to teach us something about God and humanity throughout the first chapter of the canon. The Scripture also tells us that God is all-powerful. Why would he need to rest? 

Of course, he didn’t. Therefore, he took a day off for a reason. And if it wasn’t for him, it might be for us. 

Where Does the Bible Talk about God Resting on the Seventh Day?

The Bible mentions God resting on the seventh day in Genesis. After six days of creation, Genesis 2:2-3 says, “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”

In Genesis’ first chapter, God speaks creation into existence. He creates light, separates waters from land, establishes the celestial bodies, fills the seas with creatures, and brings forth animals on the land. Finally, on day six, God creates humanity in his own image. Each day of creation ends with the words, “And there was evening, and there was morning …” By the end of the sixth day, God recognizes and declares all creation as “very good.” The seventh day is unique. God chose to rest. 

The Hebrew word for “rested” here is shabat, literally to stop. This means God wasn’t tired. His act of resting was an intentional cessation from work. Genesis 2:2 connects the finished nature of the work to God’s choice to rest. The Lord deliberately stopped, manifesting completion and his satisfaction. The shabat reveals creation was whole and didn’t lack anything. The same Hebrew word is used for Israel’s Sabbath day of rest. 

God’s choice to stop points first to his authority over creation. This wasn’t a struggle for him but an intentional, structured work he completed by the Word of God speaking. God’s shabat shows not weakness but how God brings things to completion, inviting Adam and Eve into this rest and finished work. 

However, the first humans sinned, rebelled, and got kicked out of the Garden of Eden. Along with broken relationship with the Creator, the man and woman — and every human since — lost the rest intended for them. Under the curse, there would be no rest. 

In his love, God sought to bring us back to shabat.

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Did you know that phrase, to "glorify God and enjoy Him forever," isn't actually from the Bible? It's from the Westminster Catechism, but it is inspired by scriptural truths. That said, what would it look like in our day-to-day lives to glorify and enjoy God?

Studying King David’s life, we naturally grow curious about his mother. The biblical silence creates a mystery, which makes us even more curious. 

So which one is it? Are our good deeds filthy rags, or are Christians called to "be good"? Before answering this question, it's important to look at what we mean when we say "good deeds," and examine why we are doing them in the first place.