Forgiveness is really hard. As fallen humans, it is not our natural response when we are hurt by others. But without forgiveness, bitterness, hatred, and a desire for revenge can arise within us, and they are heavy burdens to carry.  While forgiving others is...

“Your eyes saw me when I was inside the womb. All the days ordained for me were recorded in your scroll before one of them came into existence.” – Psalm 139:16 In Genesis 49, we see Jacob at the end of his life speaking words over his sons’ lives. These words...

I was mindlessly scrolling through Facebook the other day when I stopped on a video a friend had posted. She was telling a story about a time when she made the mistake of trying to clean her solid wood dining room table with a steam cleaner. To be honest, I had...

Today’s verses bring me both comfort and conviction. This segment of Genesis details how God brought Jacob and his family to the land of Egypt. It allows us to connect back to Genesis 15 when God told Jacob’s grandfather, Abram (Abraham), “Know for certain that your...

For almost two decades, I taught high school English and spent most of my day reading stories with teenagers. I created a handout for my students to learn the key elements of a great story. Together, we would analyze the plot, identify the key moments, and discuss...

I struggle with perfectionism in my flesh, and this often seeps into my relationships. For the longest time, I thought that I had to be “perfect” to be loved. Along with this belief, I thought that my friendships could be “perfect,” too. I can remember many times when...

I love a good story. One full of ups and downs, twists and turns. A story of "rags to riches," usually with a hero, some bad guys, a bit of romance, and definitely a happy ending!                                 I love the story of Joseph. A huge chunk—twenty...

Joseph’s story is an encouraging example of how God’s plans are better than our own, even when we don’t understand what is going on.  Joseph had dreams, literally, about what God had promised to do in his life. He dreamed He would be a leader and that even his...

“For our momentary, light suffering is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison because we are not looking at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen. For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.” –2...

I sat in the school drop-off line with my daughter the morning after one of her soccer games. We were both weary and frustrated by the outcome of the game, and she was telling me about all the things that didn’t go according to plan. It was an extensive list that...

Deuteronomy 30 touched me deeply when I read it. It is a powerful passage in which Moses gave the Israelites final encouragement before he died. They had been wandering for forty years in the wilderness at this point, and I cannot imagine how tired and confused they...

I recently spent a weekend away with a group of friends, some of whom I’ve known deeply for decades and some of whom I knew less intimately at the time. I read today’s verses while I traveled, in anticipation of this study, and I was struck by how often the topic of...

I can remember sitting in Sunday school when I first heard the story of Jacob wrestling with God. I was confused by the idea of a man wrestling with Almighty God and I was even more confused at the purpose of the story. Why did God wrestle with Jacob? Why did Jacob...

“Now this is his commandment: that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he gave us the commandment. And the person who keeps his commandments resides in God, and God in him. Now by this we know that God resides in us: by the...

Can I ask you a question? Are you indecisive? Are you hesitant in making choices? Perhaps you are like my friend who agonizes over the menu in a restaurant because she just can’t choose, and when we go shopping she comes home empty-handed because she couldn’t make up...

“Do not be deceived. God will not be made a fool. For a person will reap what he sows, because the person who sows to his own flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So we must not grow...

Ten years before I met my husband, I thought God had planned for me to marry another man. I moved forward in this relationship believing that I knew exactly what God’s will was—except it wasn’t. I ended up alone and heartbroken and wondering what went wrong. I realize...

I was born and raised in a Christian family, in a small village called Kinyinya in Tanzania. We were taught to go to church and give an offering, but I did not know why I was going to church.   While in high school, I met a friend who shared the gospel of Christ with...

God is sovereign. I can understand that truth in my mind, but putting that truth into practice in my life is much harder. I know God’s ways are higher than my ways, but when I can’t see or understand His ways and His decisions, then it is harder for me to accept and...

We are constantly making choices. Often, our choices involve choosing the things of the world or choosing the things of God. We can easily be tempted to choose what is easy, what allows us to get ahead quickly, or what we believe is best. The lives of Jacob and Joseph...

The Choosing God Instead of the World study journal is currently available in 20 languages, with more in process!  Choosing God Instead of the World for Kids is available for download in 8 languages! Help us spread our translations around the world by sending this...

We are one week away from our next study, Choosing God Instead of the World! We begin the Choosing God Instead of the World Bible study on Monday, August 8, and we couldn’t be more excited to dig into God’s Word with you! We're thrilled you've joined us this fall to...

Our lives are a series of choices. We are constantly making choices, both good and bad, and all of our choices have consequences and outcomes. It can be overwhelming to question our choices or wonder if we are doing the right thing.   “Therefore, if you have been...