For the three years Jesus’ ministry was prominent, he taught and accomplished a lot. The gospels record a great deal of Jesus’ ministry, yet even they don’t hold everything Jesus did. As John wrote in his gospel:

“Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:25).

Thankfully, we do have the ability to see and glean from Jesus’ life and his teachings from the gospel records. Jesus spoke of many things, and I want to highlight five common themes you find in Jesus’ sermons.

My goal here is not just to mention the theme, but to highlight why that matters for you. It’s not enough to know the theme; it’s more important to understand how it applies to your life.

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When you can’t tell the difference between a person in the world and a person who identifies as a Christian, there is a problem. The problem is not with the person in the world because they are being true to who they are. The problem is with the one who says they are a Christian because their lives are not aligning with what they profess with their mouth.

Instead of praying “thy will be done” with fear or worry, pray this way confidently and with full faith and assurance. Here’s why. God's plan is the best plan for your life.

This is not easy and I have not gotten this right all the time. Yet, I want to. Not because I am ever going to agree with or like every president that gets elected. More so because I want my life to reflect Christ. If that means humbling myself, or obeying what God asks, then so be it.

If you are engaged, I want to congratulate you for desiring to get married. After your decision to follow Christ, the person you choose to marry is the next most important decision you will make in this life. Marriage will influence every aspect of your life, which is why you should never enter into this decision lightly.

While you are engaged, this is this is the time to lay some foundations for having a God-honoring marriage. As I write this, I am sharing some of what I have learned after more than twenty years of marriage. Some of these will be more spiritual truths, and some just some good practical suggestions. This is not meant to be all-encompassing; it is just seven pieces of advice that can help you as you prepare for this journey.

If you take these things to heart, I believe they will put you on the path towards a marriage that will be pleasing to the Lord.

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When you think about discipleship and mentoring, it’s easy to just picture this process as the older ones teaching the younger ones. While this is a model we see in Scripture, is mentoring or discipling limited only to a relationship based on age? Is it always the older ones teaching the younger ones?

If you think using crystals can help promote “good energy,” then the question you must consider is where is that energy coming from? I can assure you it is not the Holy Spirit.

To covet is an intense desire to have something that does not belong to you, and many times, you have no right to possess it. This sin poses a danger as it can conceal itself from others, live beneath the surface, and exist in the secret corners of your heart.

Sports betting falls into one of those gray areas that we wrestle with in Christianity. To define it accurately, betting on sports is gambling – it is no different from buying a lottery ticket or going to a casino. While many would want to condemn it right away, there are no specific verses in the Bible that explicitly state “thou shalt not gamble.”

I am a big fan of cooking competition shows where talented chefs go head-to-head trying to create masterful dishes while the clock is ticking. While watching one of my favorite competitions recently, I noticed one of the more popular chefs, who always competes, was not present. Curious to find out why, I went to the source we all go to when looking for information – Google. In doing this, I discovered this chef was facing some legal issues which is why they were not present. The issues were based on choices that were made by this person. As I read the stories, I thought about choices and, more importantly, how do we make better ones? 

There is a famous quote by Albert Camus that says “life is a sum of all your choices.” The Bible says it another way, “a man reaps what he sows” (Gal. 6:7). In either case, there is a cause and effect that happens in our lives based on the choices we make. What this simply means is we must learn how to make better choices, because the outcomes we experience are a product of the choices we make.

4 Keys to Making Better Choices

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Too often in our culture, the images and portrayals of sex that we see are unhealthy and not in alignment with God’s plan for sex. If we are not careful, we can put too much emphasis on these negative portrayals of sex and miss the beauty of the sexual relationship that God has designed for marriage.

Whether you are married, dating, or single, it is crucial to have a proper and healthy view of sex. The truth is God is not a prude, nor is he uptight about talking about sex. He wants us to practice it within the bounds of marriage, which is how He designed it.

To help you develop the right mindset about sex, it helps to understand what the Bible says about sex in marriage. Getting this right will go a long way in helping you develop a healthy sex life within your marriage if you are married or will get married, and it will help you understand God’s plan for his people even if you remain unmarried.

Here are seven things the Bible says about sex in marriage:

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While it is possible to be influenced by the secular culture, as Christians, we should not hide from it – we should engage it.