Search This Blog

Thursday, May 07, 2026

Backsliding & Falling Away

A small boy was riding an open trolley home from Sunday School years ago with a tract titled "Faith in God" clutched tightly in his hand. He lost that grip, however, trying to maintain his balance and a gust of wind carried his tract out the door and down the street.

The boy cried, "Oh no! I've lost my Faith in God!"

Adult passengers nearby laughed at his unusual choice of words. One, more sober than others, observed, "Most people couldn't tell you just when they lost their faith in God.  It just slipped away without much notice."

How firm a grip do we have on our faith? Could it slip away without much notice?


Falling


Wednesday, May 06, 2026

Unselfishness illustrations

Devotional Thoughts and Teaching Illustrations About Unselfish
W. Oregon Sara Tucholsky first HR - ultimate sportsmanship
Western Oregon Sara Tucholsky hit her first career HR with the help from Central Washington - ultimate sportsmanship. She tore her ACL running back to 1st as she missed it initially. Ump if she didn't run the bases by herself, the HR wouldn't count. If her teammates touched her, it would be void.

The opposing team saw her pain and did the unexpected, they picked her up and helped her touch each base.
Central Washington lost the game, 4-2 
Sportsmanship at its best.


https://youtu.be/jocw-oD2pgo

Constant Consumption Produces a Creeping Dissatisfaction that Nothing Will Fix

*Clickable Quick Links Are Below:

#Unselfish
#Unselfish
#Selflessness
#Unselfishness
#Unselfishly
#Generosity

Proverbs 22:9 (MSG) Generous hands are blessed hands because they give bread to the poor.
Ecclesiastes 11:1 (MSG) Be generous: Invest in acts of charity. Charity yields high returns.
Psalms 100:5 (MSG) For God is sheer beauty, all-generous in love, loyal always and ever.
Proverbs 19:6 (MSG) Lots of people flock around a generous person; everyone’s a friend to the philanthropist.
Proverbs 11:24 (MSG) The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.
Philippians 2:4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
Philippians 4:5 Let your gentle spirit [your graciousness, unselfishness, mercy, tolerance, and patience] be known to all people. The Lord is near.

unselfishness

Putting the concerns and interests of others before one’s own. Jesus Christ was the supreme example of this and believers should follow his example, denying themselves in order to serve others.

  • The supreme example of selflessness is that of Jesus Christ himself
  • In his life and work Jn 5:30; Ro 15:3 See also Mt 15:32; Jn 13:3-5; 2Co 8:9
  • In his dying for others Mt 20:26-28 pp Mk 10:43-45 Php 2:5-8 See also Isa 53:3-12; Jn 10:17-18; Ro 5:6-8; 1Co 15:3; 2Co 5:14; 1Th 5:10; 1Pe 2:22-24; 3:18; 1Ti 2:6
  • Unselfishness is a result of a relationship with Jesus Christ
  • Christian discipleship begins with a denial of self-interest Mt 16:24 pp Mk 8:34 pp Lk 9:23 Mk 10:45 See also Ro 6:6; 2Co 5:15; Eph 4:22; Col 3:9
  • It springs from an experience of life with Jesus Christ Php 1:21-24 See also Php 3:7-11
  • It is inspired by the example of Jesus Christ Php 2:4-5 See also Jn 13:14-15; 1Jn 3:16; 4:19-21
  • It is the result of the Spirit’s work in the believer Gal 5:22-26
  • Putting others first is fundamental in Christian behavior
  • Ro 12:10; 1Co 10:23-24 This was particularly so when it came to the exercise of personal scruples. See also Ro 14:7; 15:1-2; 1Co 8:9; Eph 4:32-5:2; Col 3:13; 1Ti 6:18
  • Unselfishness involves a proper attitude to one’s own self-importance
  • Php 2:3 See also Ro 12:16; Gal 6:2-3; Eph 4:2; 5:21; 1Pe 3:8; 5:5
  • Unselfishness is expressed in Christian service
  • Lk 22:26; Gal 5:13 See also 1Pe 4:10; 5:2
  • Examples of unselfish behavior
  • Those who put others first Ge 13:8-9 Abraham; Ex 32:31-32 Moses; Ru 1:16-17 Ruth; 1Sa 12:3-5 Samuel; Ne 5:14-18 Nehemiah; Mk 12:41-44 a poor widow; Mt 15:21-28 a mother; Mt 26:6-13 pp Mk 14:3-9 a woman with a jar of perfume; Jn 3:27-30 John the Baptist; Ac 4:32-37 the first Christians; Ro 16:3-4 Priscilla and Aquila; 1Co 16:15 the household of Stephanas; Php 2:20-21 Timothy; Php 2:29-30 Epaphroditus
  • Paul’s ministry was motivated by the interests of others 1Co 10:32-33; 11:1 See also Ac 20:33-35; 1Co 9:3-15,19-23; 2Co 11:23-29; 13:4; Php 2:17; 1Th 2:8-9,19-20
Manser, M. H. (2009). Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies. Martin Manser.

You Think About It!
Kevin Rayner


Tuesday, May 05, 2026

Authenticity Illustrations

Illustrations about Authenticity / Genuine


Video



Songs



Authenticity without empathy is selfish.



You Think About it!
Kevin Rayner

Tuesday, April 28, 2026

Apologizing Illustrations

Devotional Thoughts and Teaching Illustrations About Apologizing

Picture

Devotional Thoughts


Apologize





Links to more resources about Apologizing

#Apologize
#Apologizing
#Apologized

James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
Matthew 5:23-24 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Luke 17:3-4 Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Matthew 12:25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.
1 John 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
Hebrews 12:14-15 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;


Greek Words

Logos Dictionary Themes


You Think About It!
Kevin Rayner


Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Unseen Illustrations

Unseen Realm Illustrations

Answering YOUR Questions on the Unseen Realm | Live Q&A #4



Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Hermeneutics

A text without context is a pretext for a proof text.

What is Hermeneutics?
Kevin Vanhoozer joins Kirk E. Miller to surface the question that quietly shapes every act of Bible reading: What does it mean to understand Scripture well?

Aiming to demystify the discipline, Kevin explores what hermeneutics is, what theological and metaphysical pre-commitments ought to inform our approach to Scripture, and why it matters for our Christian "reading cultures," the local church.

Episode outline: 00:00 Welcome and Introduction 00:40 Meet Dr. Kevin Vanhoozer 01:31 What is Hermeneutics? 07:06 The Importance of Hermeneutics in Christian Life 13:06 Hermeneutics and Other Theological Disciplines 20:13 The Role of Theological Pre-commitments 25:01 Understanding the Ontology and Teleology of Scripture 25:39 The Nature of Scripture: Human and Divine Discourse 28:33 Literal vs. Figural Readings of the Bible 34:39 The Meaning of Meaning in Biblical Texts 40:27 The Role of Hermeneutics in Addressing Interpretive Pluralism 41:49 The Importance of Interpretive Virtues 46:28 The Concept of Interpretive Communities 52:54 Practical Implications for Local Churches 53:35 Conclusion and Final Thoughts