Rahab considered the red cord a symbol of her faith and hope that she and her family would be rescued from destruction. Her faith was not wasted but rewarded.

In the unsettling letter to the Laodiceans, Jesus paints a picture of Himself in relation to the church that reveals His people care about other things.

Jesus Christ was not just an extraordinary man, but also possessed the massive intellect needed to create, design and implementing all manner of life—He was God.

It behooves God's called-out ones to recognize Jesus Christ as providing the access to God the Father, the Way and the Life.

We must trade our impulsive and capricious carnal natures for a controlled, sacrificing nature, imitating Christ in an intimate, expanding relationship.

Christ is uncertain how much the Laodiceans really desire what He has offered them. Other things are competing for their attention. Will they open the door?

John 1:1-3 reveals Jesus' pedigree as the Logos (Spokesman), whose function was to declare or reveal the Father. He had existed with His Father from eternity.

Jesus as High Priest was blessing His disciples with peace, as well as declaring Himself to be the Messiah. If we lack peace, we must examine our connection to Him.

Christ endured many more than three temptations; rather, He was tested continuously, and perhaps the intensity increased as He neared the end of His life.

Participation in Christ's life is the source of all good. Regardless of what church group we are in, we must establish a relationship with Christ.

We cannot become weary of well-doing, allowing our first love to deteriorate, looking to the world for satisfaction. Here are 8 tests of our love for Christ.

Jesus puts a condition on our friendship: We are His friends if we do what He commands, unlike the assumption that belief on His name is the only requirement.

In Laodicea, the people judge, but they are judging according to themselves. They are not seeking the will of Christ, and thus their judgment is distorted.

The Bible emphasizes marriage as the primary bond of society. The purpose for the marriage relationship is to depict the marriage of Christ and His bride.

Our lives parallel what Christ experienced: crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and glorification. The death of self must precede resurrection and glory.

Luke's gospel portrays Christ as the son of man, the high priest of man, and the savior of man, having all the feelings, compassions, and aspirations of man.

There is a direct relationship between loving Christ and doing the right works. God's love for us places us under a compelling obligation to reciprocate.

Having experienced the turmoil of the Catholic—Protestant clash, the framers of our Constitution did not want any sect dictating religious doctrines or practices.

The brazen altar symbolized total sacrifice. We have to be willing to give up everything, bearing our own individual cross, forsaking all to follow Him.

Our goal is to know Christ on a personal basis, knowing the power of His resurrection. This knowledge should be a practical understanding of His power.

Like with the heroes of faith, our testing will be commensurate with the job God has prepared for us. We must make our relationship with God our top priority.

Jesus has already suffered the things we have, and now serves as our compassionate High Priest and Advocate. He provides the pattern we are to emulate.

When we mortify the flesh, refusing to feed the hungry beast of our carnal nature, we suffer. Suffering for righteousness' sake helps us to know Christ.

The Paracletos (Helper or One who goes alongside) clarifies the biblical metaphor of taking Christ's yoke, which eases burdens because He shares them.

Marriage prepares God's called-out ones to collectively become the bride of Christ. God hates divorce but allows it on grounds of adultery and violence.

The epistle of Hebrews is so vital to Christians in the first century and now because it explains the unique place and power of Christianity's High Priest.

We tend to avoid acknowledging our weaknesses, but at some point, each of us will admit our powerlessness and inability to carry out God's will on our own.

The Jewish converts to the Way, although having had the benefit of Messianic prophecies, did not recognize the powerful significance of Psalm 8.

How can we build a relationship of such intimacy that God and Christ know it is a relationship that will last for an eternity?

At day's end, ask how much time we spent communicating with God and Christ and how much time They were in none of our thoughts (Psalm 10:4).

The Book of Hebrews is a must-read for all members of God's church who seek the key for spiritual growth through a meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ.

Producing fruit is not simply a matter of having Jesus Christ or being forgiven. He says we will not produce anything unless we go on growing in Him.

God personally communicated with Adam, Eve, Abraham, Moses, the prophets, and to us through His Son. With the Scriptures, God teaches His faithful today.

To counteract complacency, Hebrews warns against neglecting God's invitation of salvation, which He does not guarantee until sanctification has run its course.

Hebrews emphasizes that spiritual growth and glorification depends on an individual's relationship with Christ, the centerpiece of the Book of Hebrews.

Should we only pray to God the Father, given Christ's words in the model prayer and His proclamation that the Father was greater than He?

The book of Hebrews' audience consisted of converts from Judaism, suffering estrangement from family and community, excommunicated from the temple.

Eternal life is to live a quality life as God lives, having developed a close relationship with God, living by faith and accepting His sovereignty over all.

Living faith has its roots in fervently, diligently seeking God and His righteousness with intense desire (like a passionate lover) through habitual prayer.

Without a meaningful relationship with Christ, God's people cannot possibly bear fruit. Our responsibility is to yield to God's creative work in our lives.

Fruit is not produced immediately; it is produced only when a plant is both mature and stable enough that mere survival is no longer its top priority.

Christ's resurrection is of paramount importance to us, because Jesus alone has the keys to our own resurrection and eternal life as firstfruits.

The most effective way to develop a relationship with God is by developing a continuous prayer dialogue, conversing with Him through Bible study and prayer.

God is sovereign over time; nothing happens without His superintending. Birth and death are divine events which God alone controls.

In answer to the question, 'How can a mere human being fulfill the difficult expectations of God?', Jesus instructs us to 'Ask, seek, and knock.'

The frightful conditions during the 1st century are typical of the times ahead. To weather these circumstances, we need the encouragement of Hebrews.

As members of Christ's body, we must function for the good of the whole body, not competing with other parts. We must continually function as a son of God.

Works demonstrate our faith, our response to God's calling and His freely given grace. Reciprocity is always a part of our relationship with God.

The offerings have a great deal to do with our relationship with God. How closely do we identify with Christ? Are we being transformed into His image?

When we examine two important connotations of the word 'fellowship,' we see that the meaning radiates far beyond the activity of talking with one another.

Here are five easily neglected doctrines, which, if carelessly observed or distorted, could jeopardize the salvation of God's people.

While we are all different, we are all vulnerable to something, such as fear of deprivation, harm or shame. In response, we all create protective defense mechanisms.

Paul's body analogy illustrates the interconnectedness of all members to Jesus Christ and to each other. Not one is unimportant or useless.

The 'all in all' process has already begun. Our obligation and responsibility is to obey and yield to Christ and God the Father, conforming to their image.

The book of Hebrews systematically proves Christ's superiority to patriarchs, prophets, the Levitical Priesthood, and angels, establishing His credentials.

The church exists because of what God has purposed and done, not because anything we have done. When pride exists within us, God can do nothing with us.

Far from being just a book about married love, the Song of Songs relates to the present condition of the church of God.

The valley-of-shadow imagery symbolizes the fears, trials, and tests needed to produce character, quality fruit, and an intimate trust in the shepherd.