New Believer's Bible Sample - Flipbook - Page 22
CO R N E R S T O N E S
page A24
the Christian life is a long-distance run, you need to pace yourself, to persevere, and most of all, to finish the race. Look up the following passages that
describe how and why you need to persevere through the inevitable struggles
of life.
• God honors those who persevere see Joshua 14:6-14, page 218
• Don’t be surprised by suffering see Job 5:7, page 0000, and 1 Peter 4:12-13, page 1203
• Don’t be distracted by past victories or crippled by past sins see Lamentations
3:22-23, page 751
• Persevere in the task to which God has called you see Haggai 1:2-15, page 872
• Perseverance produces results see Luke 8:11-15, page 968
• Passing divine tests see John 6:6, page 1003
• God will show up right on time see John 11:5-6, page 1010
• Let us run the race with endurance see Hebrews 12:1-3, page 1188
• Life’s trials will make you stronger see James 1:2-4, page 1193
Purity
Purity is a quality we hear too little about today in the church, especially in
relation to the way we live. Usually when we do hear something about purity in
church, it is in reference to sexual purity. But purity goes beyond this to include
wholesome thoughts, a sincere desire to do what is right, and a commitment
to obey God’s Word. Jesus alluded to the importance of purity by promising
that those whose hearts were pure would see God (Matthew 5:8). In using the
word heart, Jesus was saying that the center of our being—our will, our emotions, and our thought processes—needs to be cleansed of sin. The Bible passages below examine the idea of purity and how it affects us as followers of
Jesus Christ.
• Don’t place yourself in the way of unnecessary temptation see 2 Samuel 11:1–12:14,
page 294
• If you fall, ask God to give you a clean heart see Psalm 51:7-15, page 526
• Beware of the sins of the heart see Matthew 5:27-30, page 897
• Live to please God see Romans 8:5-8, page 1074
• Guard the content of your thoughts see 2 Timothy 2:22, page 1169
Sin
Sin is a word that is often misunderstood. It has multiple meanings in Scripture.
One definition of sin is to “miss the mark.” Jesus said, “You are to be perfect,
even as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). God’s standard for
humanity is perfection. Of course, none of us can measure up to that standard.
