NEWS, ARTICLES, DEVOTIONS AND MORE FROM BttB...

Published 11/8/19 Read Acts 15:8-9 "And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith." Reflect Read Acts 15:1-35 and answer the following questions: In verses 1-2, what were the "men of Judea" teaching the new gentile Christians? In verses 6-11, what evidence does Paul give that these Jewish traditions are unnecessary? There's never a t

Published 11/7/19 Read Psalm 139:17-18 "How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you." Reflect How does it make you feel that God is always present? Why? What comfort is there in these verses? Joseph was a prisoner. If you asked him why, he'd say he was innocent just like everyone else. But Joseph was innocent. While serving in the household of an Egyptian officia

Read Genesis 50:20-21 "'As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.' Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them." Reflect How has Joseph suffered? How has God provided for Joseph? Sin is essentially an act of pride, of selfishness. Rather than doing something God's way, acting sinfully is acting our own way. And ev

Published 11/6/19 Read Genesis 50:20-21 " 'As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.' Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them." Reflect How has Joseph suffered? How has God provided for Joseph? Sin is essentially an act of pride, of selfishness. Rather than doing something God's way, acting sinfully is acting

Published 11/5/19 Read Matthew 6:25 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?" Reflect Though Jesus was talking to people who didn't have enough, how can this apply to people who have too much? What worries prompt you to want to diet? Many people, when faced with dieting, feel as if dying might actually be easier. Th

Published 11/3/19 Read John 3:16-18 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." Reflect What are some of the world's

Published 11/1/19 Read "From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view, even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself,

Published 10/31/19 Read "Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace." (NIV) Romans 6:13 Reflect Through Christ, we are no longer a slave to it. In fact, we have a new identity in Jesus. Do you believe thi

Published 10/30/19 Read "No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be

Published 10/29/19 Read "One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, 'Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!' But the other rebuked him, saying, 'Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.' And he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' And he said to him, 'Truly, I say to you, today you will b

Published 10/28/19 Read "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (ESV) Philippians 2:5-8 Reflect How can I better understand Jesus as both fully human a

Published 10/25/19 Read “Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and...

Published 10/24/19 Read “I therefore looked for good to come. Evil came instead. I waited for the light. Darkness came. My heart is...

Published 10/23/19 Read “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do, I give to you. Let not your hearts be...

Published 10/22/19 Read “The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry. The face of the Lord is against...

Published 10/21/19 Read “I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom...

Published 10/18/19 Read “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has...

Published 10/17/19 Read “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old...

Published 10/16/19 Read “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us....

Published 10/15/19 Read “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,...

Published 10/14/19 Read “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy...

Published 10/11/19 Read "Is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don't try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete." James 1:2-4 (TLB) Reflect What can help us to be happy in spite of life's difficulties and temptations? Last summer--right after she ca

Published 10/10/19 Read "In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem." 2 Samuel 11:1 Reflect What can happen when we're in the wrong place and the wrong time? What can happen when we have too much idle time on our hands? Perhaps that's where the problem began. David wasn't where he was supposed to be. The scrip

Published 10/9/19 Read "But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod, so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. Prompted by her mother, she said, 'Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.' And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given. He sent and had John beheaded in the prison, and his head was brought on a platter and given to th