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Finding Peace Through Humility in the Book of Judges

by Joel Muddamalle, PhD

Joel Muddamalle
Joel Muddamalle

I hate being lost and losing my way. It leaves me disoriented, and honestly, it can be a really scary feeling to not know where you are. Today, we have modern tools like smartphones that give us maps and directions at our fingertips. But before that technology was available, one of the most vital tools that people used to keep from getting lost was a compass.

A compass shows us which direction we should go and keeps us from going where we should not. God’s Word is a type of compass. It points us to where Jesus is and reveals when we start to falter, or get distracted, or are going in a direction that will take us away from him. Yet a compass is only good if we use it. If we fail to keep our focus on it, we will lose our way.

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Redefining and Cultivating Christlike Humility Like Paul

By Dr. Joel MuddamalleJoel Muddamalle

Let’s look at how the Greek word for humility was used in Paul’s setting. One of the prominent Greek words we translate as “humble” (tapeinophrosynē) could also be translated as “self-abasement” or “lowliness.” In Greek, there are words that are related to each other that convey the concept of humility, and this type of thing is referred to as “word groups.” Markus Barth, a renowned Swiss New Testament scholar that lived during the second half of the 1900s, shared this insight about the humility word group: “The entire word group which belongs with tapeinophrosynē, according to its usage in common Greek, is used in a negative sense and means a low slavish orientation.”[1]

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Zondervan Releases Amplified Journal the Word Bible

Zondervan, a division of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, is pleased to announce the release of the Amplified® Journal the Word® Bible. Zondervan published the first Journal the Word Bible in 2016 and is now making it available in the Amplified translation for the first time.

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God Wants to Hear Us Say Yes

Zach Williams: God Wants to Hear Us Say YesBy Zach Williams

One Sunday after church, the pastor found me and said, “Zach, we’ve been watching you and Crystal for a while now as you’ve been involved with the prison ministry and Celebrate Recovery. We’ve seen how much your family has grown and matured. We all feel like God has placed you here. We’ve been wanting to launch a new campus for a long time, but we’ve not been able to find the right fit for some of the leadership positions. We feel like with your story, you two can reach people we can’t. Zach, would you help us launch this campus by being involved with the worship and the music? Would you come on staff with us here part-time at the church?”

I had a lot of questions, especially about our past and how that would affect our involvement with the church staff. Plus, at that point, I didn’t consider myself a “worship leader,” either as a role or as a job title. To all my rapid-fire questions, the pastor just kept saying, “Don’t worry, Zach, we’ll figure that out.” Finally, he offered, “Starting out, we won’t call you a pastor, we’ll call you a director. There’s a full-time pastor you’d be working with.” The plan was to keep my construction job with Dad but also to have specific music responsibilities with this new service. Fast-forward—the church staff made it happen, and I helped them launch a new service called the Refuge.

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Meet the Women of God’s Story: Zondervan Releases NIV Kingdom Girls Bible

Zondervan, a division of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, is proud to announce the release of the Kingdom Girls Bible in the bestselling New International Version (NIV) translation.

The NIV Kingdom Girls Bible is specifically crafted to highlight the stories and lessons of the inspiring, famous, and sometimes infamous women of the Bible. With more than 400 engaging features, illustrations, and notes, this Bible is perfect for girls ages 8 to 12 as they learn about the strong and faithful women who came before them. From Eve to Ruth, Esther to Mary, this Bible brings the stories of these women to life and shows how their faith and strength can still inspire girls today.

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The Power of Pre-Decision

Craig Groeschel: Do you like the direction your decisions are taking you? If not, it’s time to take back your life. How? Through the power of pre-decision.By Craig Groeschel

It’s safe to say that life is the sum of the decisions we make. Why? Because a successful life is based not on a few big decisions made at a few big moments but on thousands of normal decisions made at thousands of normal moments.

As James Clear says, “Every decision you make is a vote toward who you will become.” That’s why we need to think ahead. That’s why we have to think ahead. Each seemingly inconsequential decision has such value because our decisions are rarely isolated. Have you noticed how good decisions tend to compound in the right direction and bad decisions tend to compound in the wrong direction?

I bet you’ve made a bad decision thinking it was only a one-time thing, then later realized it put you on a slippery path. It felt like that choice gave you permission to keep making the same choice or similarly bad ones. Somehow your bad decision multiplied.

You’ve also made good decisions that seemed isolated, but weren’t at all. Your choice seemed normal, but it was actually enormous. You made the right choice and somehow it had a compound effect. It’s like this: We make our decisions, and then our decisions make us.

The decisions you make today determine the stories you tell tomorrow.

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Jesus’ Last Words on the Cross: It Is Finished

By Charles MartCharles Martinin

If the death of Jesus means something, then I think the doorway to a better understanding is one word. Spoken by Jesus with His last breath, just before He gave His Spirit to His Father. The mushroom cloud rising out of the kingdom of darkness was ignited by one word. Tetelestai—“It is finished” (John 19:30)—may be the most significant word ever uttered across the stratosphere. The single most important statement in all of human history. Spoken by the innocent and dying only begotten Son of God. Tetelestai is a stake driven into eternity, which stands there still, and the kingdom of darkness is powerless against it.

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Build a Biblical Foundation for Your Marriage with the NIV Couples’ Devotional Bible

Spend time every day with two of the most important elements in your life – your partner, and God’s Word. The NIV Couples’ Devotional Bible from Zondervan includes 260 weekday devotions, perfect for beginning or ending the day with an inspiring lesson from Scripture. These devotions to share will spark conversations about important topics, and get you reading the Bible together throughout the entire year. On the weekends, the devotions include advice from bestselling writers, marriage therapists, and pastors, including Les and Leslie Parrott, Gary Thomas, John Townsend, Henry Cloud, and Gary Smalley. These longer weekend readings also include tips, quizzes, activities, and a “Let’s Talk” section that will help you and your partner apply the Bible to your own lives.

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The World God Loves Has a Face

Terry Crist. Why did Jesus have to go to Samaria? Why couldn’t the Samaritans come to him as so many others did throughout the Gospels?By Terry Crist

We all come from places. We live in places. In first-century Israel, the land was dotted with approximately 240 closely knit communities, much like modern neighborhoods. These small villages ranged in size from just a handful of families to around one hundred residents, covering three to four acres—a scale comparable to a modern high-rise.

Jesus himself resided in one such community in a place named Nahum’s Village, which is known to most of us through our Bibles as Capernaum. This was Jesus’ neighborhood, the setting for his daily life. He selected the majority of his disciples from within these intimate communities, performed the majority of his miracles there, and delivered most of his sermons and parables in these settings. In every sense, Jesus was a product of his neighborhood, deeply rooted and engaged in the life of his community. He was a neighborhood kid through and through.

Though he was embedded in a neighborhood, Jesus saw a world of mission and ministry beyond it. Refusing to be confined to the block, he ventured into other communities throughout Galilee and beyond, which is how he ended up in Samaria.

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Zondervan’s Teen Study Bible Speaks to Today’s Teens

Being a teen in today’s changing world is hard. Pressure to perform in school, sports, and extracuricular activities can be stressful, while unrealistic expectations from social media damages self confidence. Bullying can cross platforms, from real life to virtual communications, and post-pandemic, teens are feeling more isolated and lonely than ever. In this difficult environment, it’s important for teens to remember that there is always someone who is at their side, no matter how challenging life may seem.

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