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“Each of us will give a personal account to God." Romans 14:12 (NLT) At the end of your life on Earth, you will stand before God and he’ll evaluate how well you served others with your life. The Bible says, “Each of us will give a personal account to God” (Romans 14:12 NLT). Think about the implications of that. One day God will compare how much time and energy you spent on yourself compared with what you invested in serving others. The Bible warns unbelievers, “He will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves” (Romans 2:8 NLT). And Christians who live for themselves will lose eternal rewards. The Bible says that you’re only fully alive when you’re helping others. Jesus said it like this: “If you insist on saving your life, you will lose it. Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live” (Mark 8:35 TLB). Then he repeats a similar truth twice in the book of Matthew and twice in L...

“It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others." Ephesians 2:10 (TLB) God calls you to a service far beyond anything you could ever imagine. You were put on Earth to make a contribution. God designed you to make a difference with your life. You weren’t created just to consume resources—to eat, breathe, and take up space. You were created to add to life on Earth, not just to take from it. God wants you to give something back—to help other people. The Bible says, “It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others” (Ephesians 2:10 TLB). Whenever you serve others in any way, you are actually serving God. As Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Do your work willingly, as though you were serving the Lord himself, and not just your earthly master. In fact, the ...

“For the Holy Spirit, God’s gift, does not want you to be afraid of people, but to be wise and strong, and to love them and enjoy being with them.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (TLB) When you’re full of fear and anxiety, you don’t get close to other people. Instead, you back off. You fear being rejected, manipulated, vulnerable, hurt, and these fears cause you to disconnect from the people around you. This fear is as old as humanity. When Adam and Eve sinned, God came looking for them. Then Adam said, “I was afraid . . . and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10 ESV). People have been hiding ever since. We pretend to be someone we’re not. This fear leads to three things that will damage our relationships: Fear makes us defensive. You’re afraid to reveal yourself, but people inevitably spot some of your weaknesses. And when they point out those weaknesses, you defend yourself and retaliate. Fear keeps us distant. You’re afraid to be open and honest—to let people get close to you. Instead, you withdraw and pull ...

“It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others." Ephesians 2:10 (TLB) God calls you to a service far beyond anything you could ever imagine. You were put on Earth to make a contribution. God designed you to make a difference with your life. You weren’t created just to consume resources—to eat, breathe, and take up space. You were created to add to life on Earth, not just to take from it. God wants you to give something back—to help other people. The Bible says, “It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others” (Ephesians 2:10 TLB). Whenever you serve others in any way, you are actually serving God. As Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Do your work willingly, as though you were serving the Lord himself, and not just your earthly master. In fact, the ...

“Each of us will give a personal account to God." Romans 14:12 (NLT) At the end of your life on Earth, you will stand before God and he’ll evaluate how well you served others with your life. The Bible says, “Each of us will give a personal account to God” (Romans 14:12 NLT). Think about the implications of that. One day God will compare how much time and energy you spent on yourself compared with what you invested in serving others. The Bible warns unbelievers, “He will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves” (Romans 2:8 NLT). And Christians who live for themselves will lose eternal rewards. The Bible says that you’re only fully alive when you’re helping others. Jesus said it like this: “If you insist on saving your life, you will lose it. Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live” (Mark 8:35 TLB). Then he repeats a similar truth twice in the book of Matthew and twice in L...

“Each of us will give a personal account to God." Romans 14:12 At the end of your life on Earth, you will stand before God and he’ll evaluate how well you served others with your life. The Bible says, “Each of us will give a personal account to God” (Romans 14:12). Think about the implications of that. One day God will compare how much time and energy you spent on yourself compared with what you invested in serving others. The Bible warns unbelievers, “He will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves” (Romans 2:8). And Christians who live for themselves will lose eternal rewards. The Bible says that you’re only fully alive when you’re helping others. Jesus said it like this: “If you insist on saving your life, you will lose it. Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live” (Mark 8:35). Then he repeats a similar truth twice in the book of Matthew and twice in Luke: • “If you cli...

“It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others." Ephesians 2:10 God calls you to a service far beyond anything you could ever imagine. You were put on Earth to make a contribution. God designed you to make a difference with your life. You weren’t created just to consume resources—to eat, breathe, and take up space. You were created to add to life on Earth, not just to take from it. God wants you to give something back—to help other people. The Bible says, “It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others” (Ephesians 2:10). Whenever you serve others in any way, you are actually serving God. As Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Do your work willingly, as though you were serving the Lord himself, and not just your earthly master. In fact, the Lord Chris...

“It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for . . . part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone." Ephesians 1:11-12 Mark Twain once said the two most important days in your life are the day you’re born and the day you find out why. God has created everything with a purpose. Every plant has a purpose. Every star has a purpose. Every animal has a purpose. If your heart is beating, God has a purpose for your life. The very fact that you’re alive makes your life meaningful. If you want to know your purpose, you won’t find it in a self-help book, on television, or in the movies. You also can’t find it in yourself because you didn’t make yourself. God made you. Only God—the one who created you—can tell you your purpose. The Bible tells you this in Ephesians 1:11-12: “It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for . . . part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone” (Ephesians 1:11-12)...

“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure." Ephesians 1:5 The whole reason the universe exists is because God wanted a family. He wanted children. He didn’t need us, but he wanted us so he could show his love. You are so valuable to God that he placed the Earth in just the right spot to sustain your life. He thought you up before he thought up the universe. You were the focus of his love. The Bible says this in Ephesians 1:5: “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure”. God wanted a family and wanted you to be a part of it. God never meant for you to go through life alone. The first thing God told Adam was, “It is not good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). Whether you marry or not is irrelevant to this issue. You’re made to be in a spiritual family that God created to take care of you—so you’...

“The Lord takes pleasure in his people." Psalm 149:4 God created you to love you. The Bible doesn’t say God has love. The Bible says, “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Love is the essence of his nature. The Bible says, “For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased” (Revelation 4:11). Everything was created because God gets enjoyment out of it. He wanted to love it. As Psalm 149:4 says, “The Lord takes pleasure in his people”. God takes pleasure in you all the time. Why? He created you. He’s your heavenly Father. Some people think God is only smiling at them when they’re doing something “religious.” Nothing could be further from the truth. God gets pleasure in watching you be you because he made you you. God planned you for his pleasure, and he wants you to learn to love him back. Jesus gave the ultimate summary of the Bible when asked, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” (Matthew 22:36). Jesus said: “Love the Lord your God with a...