Question 1

How do I become a Christian?

Accepted Answer

Four things, and none of them cost money. Admit you have gone your own way and it is called sin. Believe that Jesus Christ is God's Son, that He died for that sin and rose bodily from the dead. Ask Him to forgive you and take charge of your life — out loud, in your own words, right now, wherever you are sitting. Then tell one other believer, and start reading one of the Gospels. There is no ceremony to buy and no worthiness to reach first. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." (Romans 10:9) "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" (Ephesians 2:8) "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:" (John 1:12)

Question 2

How can I know I am really saved?

Accepted Answer

Assurance does not come from remembering a strong feeling on a particular night. It comes from three things you can check today: you trust Christ rather than your own record; you find sin grieves you where it used to please you; and you love people you once had no time for. John wrote a whole letter so that believers could know, not hope, and the Spirit Himself testifies alongside your own spirit. "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." (1 John 5:13) "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:" (Romans 8:16) "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death." (1 John 3:14)

Question 3

I have doubts. Does that mean I have no faith?

Accepted Answer

No. Doubt is not the opposite of faith; indifference is. The father in Mark said both things in one breath — I believe, help my unbelief — and Jesus healed his son anyway. Thomas demanded evidence and was given it rather than scolded. Take your doubts seriously enough to look into them instead of burying them, and say them out loud to God, who is not fragile. "And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." (Mark 9:24) "And of some have compassion, making a difference:" (Jude 1:22) "Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing." (John 20:27)

Question 4

Why does God feel so far away?

Accepted Answer

Feeling and fact are two different instruments, and only one of them is reliable. Scripture records long dry stretches in people God plainly loved — the psalmists ask how long more than any other question. Check the ordinary causes first: unconfessed sin, exhaustion, no sleep, no food, no fellowship. Then keep doing what you did when you felt Him, because obedience in the dark is worth more than obedience in the light. "How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?" (Psalm 13:1) "Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God." (Isaiah 50:10) "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5)

Question 5

I cannot forgive myself for what I did.

Accepted Answer

Self-forgiveness is not actually a biblical category, and that is good news, because it means your peace does not depend on you being satisfied with yourself. What Scripture offers is better: a verdict from the only Judge whose opinion decides the case, already delivered. If He has removed it, holding on to it is not humility, it is arguing with the court. Confess it specifically, make restitution where you can, and then treat the matter as closed because He has closed it. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Romans 8:1) "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:12)

Question 6

Have I committed the unforgivable sin?

Accepted Answer

The people who ask this question are almost never the people in danger of it. The sin Jesus named was the settled, deliberate decision of men who watched Him heal and called the Holy Spirit's work demonic — a hardened refusal, not a moment of panic, a stray thought, or a shouted word in grief. Fear of having committed it is evidence of a conscience still alive, and a dead conscience is the actual condition described. "Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men." (Matthew 12:31) "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." (John 6:37)

Question 7

How do I forgive someone who is not sorry?

Accepted Answer

Forgiveness and reconciliation are two different things, and confusing them keeps people trapped. Forgiveness is your decision to hand the debt to God and stop collecting on it yourself; you can do that alone, today, about someone who will never admit anything. Reconciliation takes two and requires repentance, and Scripture nowhere commands you to restore closeness to someone still doing the harm. Release them from your hand, and keep the boundaries wisdom requires. "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." (Romans 12:19) "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." (Ephesians 4:32) "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." (Romans 12:18)

Question 8

I keep falling into the same sin.

Accepted Answer

Repentance that works is specific and structural, not emotional. Name the sin exactly. Cut the supply line — the device, the route home, the contact, the hour of the night — because Jesus spoke about amputation for a reason. Tell one mature believer and give them permission to ask you weekly; secrecy is the oxygen. And if what you are fighting is a genuine addiction, get proper help as well as prayer; God works through doctors and counsellors, and asking for that is not a failure of faith. "And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell." (Matthew 5:30) "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16) "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Question 9

How do I deal with my anger?

Accepted Answer

Scripture does not tell you to stop feeling anger; it tells you not to let it drive. Anger is a signal that something you value is being damaged — the question is whether the thing you value is God's honour or your own. Put a deadline on it: not past sundown. Slow the mouth down before the mouth speeds the anger up. And if it has ever reached another person's body, stop reading and get help today, because that is no longer a temper, it is a danger. "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:" (Ephesians 4:26) "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:" (James 1:19) "A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger." (Proverbs 15:1)

Question 10

How do I know if I am proud?

Accepted Answer

Three tests that are hard to dodge. How do you take correction from someone junior to you? How do you feel when a rival is praised? And do you talk to God more about what you need than about who He is? Humility is not thinking little of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less often, because your attention has found a better subject. "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs 16:18) "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves." (Philippians 2:3) "But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble." (James 4:6)

Question 11

How do I stop gossiping and speaking badly of people?

Accepted Answer

Put one gate in front of every sentence about a person who is not present: would I say this with them standing here, and does the hearer need it to help or to protect? If neither, it is gossip however true it is. The tongue is small and sets fires, and no one ever became holy by accident in this area — it takes a decided, daily refusal. "Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!" (James 3:5) "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." (Proverbs 18:21) "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." (Ephesians 4:29)

Question 12

I am anxious all the time. What does the Bible say?

Accepted Answer

The command not to be anxious is not a scolding; it comes attached to an instruction and a promise. The instruction is to move the thing out of your own head and into God's hands in specific words, with thanksgiving attached so the mind has somewhere to stand. The promise is not that the problem leaves but that a peace which does not make sense will garrison your heart while it stays. Do it in writing if your mind runs at night. And treat persistent, physical anxiety as something to take to a doctor as well as to God — Luke was a physician, and Paul kept him close. "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." (Philippians 4:6) "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." (1 Peter 5:7) "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." (Matthew 6:34)

Question 13

I am afraid. Where do I start?

Accepted Answer

Fear shrinks when it is named, because most fear is larger in the dark than in the light. Say the specific thing you are afraid of out loud to God. Then put the one who is with you next to the thing you fear and look at both at once — that is exactly what the fear not verses do, every time: they do not deny the danger, they name a Presence bigger than it. "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." (Isaiah 41:10) "What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee." (Psalm 56:3) "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7)

Question 14

Someone I love has died.

Accepted Answer

You are permitted to grieve, hard and for a long time. Jesus wept at a grave He was about to empty, which settles for ever whether tears show a lack of faith. Christians grieve differently from those with no hope, but we do grieve. Do not let anyone rush you through it, do not make big decisions this year if you can avoid it, eat and sleep, and let people carry things for you. The hope is not that the loss is small; it is that it is not final. "Jesus wept." (John 11:35) "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope." (1 Thessalonians 4:13) "The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." (Psalm 34:18) "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." (Revelation 21:4)

Question 15

I feel hopeless and I do not want to go on.

Accepted Answer

Please tell a real person today — a doctor, a crisis line in your country, a pastor, a friend who will sit with you. That is not a lack of faith; it is obedience to the God who sent an angel to Elijah with food and sleep before He sent him a single word of correction. Scripture is full of believers who said they had had enough of life, and God did not despise one of them. You are not a burden, and this feeling is not a reliable narrator of your future. "But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers." (1 Kings 19:4) "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." (Psalm 42:11) "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;" (2 Corinthians 4:8)

Question 16

I am lonely.

Accepted Answer

Loneliness is not a character defect, it is a signal working correctly — you were made for company, and the absence registers. God sets the solitary in families, and He usually does it through a door you have to walk through: a smaller room, a midweek gathering, a task where people work side by side rather than face to face. Ask to serve rather than asking to be befriended; friendship is mostly a by-product of shared work. "God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land." (Psalm 68:6) "And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him." (Genesis 2:18) "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25)

Question 17

I am exhausted and cannot keep going.

Accepted Answer

Before you look for a spiritual cause, look at the physical one. When Elijah collapsed, heaven's first response was a meal and a sleep, twice, before any conversation. Sabbath is not a reward for finishing; it is a weekly admission that the world runs without you for a day. Take the rest you have been refusing yourself, and notice how many things you called spiritual crises turn out to have been tiredness. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) "It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep." (Psalm 127:2) "And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat." (Mark 6:31)

Question 18

I feel worthless and I hate how I look.

Accepted Answer

Your value was set by two acts you had no part in: you were made deliberately, and you were bought at a price that tells you what the buyer thought you were worth. Neither of those can be revised by a mirror, a comment or a number. Comparison is the thief here — Paul says that measuring yourself by other people is simply not wise, and the arithmetic never ends because there is always another row. "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." (Psalm 139:14) "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Corinthians 6:20) "For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." (2 Corinthians 10:12)

Question 19

Why has God not answered my prayer?

Accepted Answer

Scripture gives several honest reasons and does not pretend there is only one. Sometimes the answer is no because the thing asked for would harm. Sometimes it is not yet, and the waiting is doing work the gift could not do. Sometimes there is a known sin or an unresolved quarrel in the way, and Scripture says so plainly. And sometimes, as with Paul's thorn, the answer is grace instead of removal, and that stays the answer. What is never true is that God did not hear. "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Corinthians 12:9) "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." (James 4:3) "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:" (Psalm 66:18) "And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;" (Luke 18:1)

Question 20

How do I pray? I do not know what to say.

Accepted Answer

Pray like a person talking, not like a person performing. Jesus gave a pattern short enough to memorise in a minute: God addressed as Father, His name honoured, His kingdom wanted, today's bread asked for, debts forgiven both ways, protection requested. Use that as a frame and fill it with your actual life. And if nothing comes, pray a psalm out loud — the Bible hands you words for the days you have none. "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name." (Matthew 6:9) "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." (Romans 8:26) "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." (Matthew 6:7)

Question 21

If God already knows, why pray at all?

Accepted Answer

Because prayer was never primarily a way of informing God. It is the relationship in which He has chosen to act — He ordains the asking as well as the answer, the way a good father genuinely gives because a child genuinely asked. Jesus, who had nothing to learn from anyone, prayed all night. If it were only about transferring information, that would be inexplicable. "Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." (Matthew 6:8) "Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not." (James 4:2) "And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." (Luke 6:12)

Question 22

What is fasting and should I do it?

Accepted Answer

Fasting is going without food for a set time in order to put weight behind prayer, and Jesus said when you fast, not if. It is not a hunger strike aimed at God and it does not purchase anything. Start small — one meal, one day — keep it secret, drink water, and spend the time you would have spent eating in prayer instead. Do not fast from food if you are pregnant, diabetic, unwell, underweight, or have any history of trouble with eating; fast from something else, and take medical advice first. "Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward." (Matthew 6:16) "Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?" (Isaiah 58:6) "So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us." (Ezra 8:23)

Question 23

How do I know God's will for my life?

Accepted Answer

Most of God's will is already published and not in question: be holy, give thanks, avoid immorality, love your neighbour. Do that, and the undecided part gets much smaller. For the rest, use the ordinary means — Scripture, wise counsel from people who will tell you no, honest assessment of your gifts, the door that is actually open, and prayer. God guides moving people more often than parked ones; make the most faithful decision you can see and trust Him to steer. "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:" (1 Thessalonians 4:3) "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5) "Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety." (Proverbs 11:14) "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way." (Psalm 37:23)

Question 24

How do I hear God's voice?

Accepted Answer

God's clearest and most reliable speech is the Bible, and everything else is tested by it. Impressions, counsel, circumstances and dreams may all be used, but not one of them outranks the written word — Isaiah's rule is that if it does not agree with the law and the testimony, there is no light in it. Be suspicious of any voice, inner or human, that flatters you, isolates you, contradicts Scripture, or demands money. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" (2 Timothy 3:16) "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." (Isaiah 8:20) "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:" (John 10:27)

Question 25

I have lost my job / I cannot find work.

Accepted Answer

Two things at once, and neither replaces the other. Pray specifically and tell your church, because provision in Scripture usually arrives through people. And work the problem like a job — hours kept, applications counted, skills added, help asked for by name. Your worth is not your wage, but your work matters to God, and the ordinary diligent effort is part of how He answers. Take honest work while you wait for good work. "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19) "The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat." (Proverbs 13:4) "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;" (Colossians 3:23) "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33)

Question 26

I am in debt and afraid about money.

Accepted Answer

Scripture is calm and practical about money. Owe no one anything you can avoid owing; pay what you owe rather than what is comfortable; tell the truth to those you owe rather than hiding. Make a plan on paper — it is a proverb, not just accounting, that you should know the state of your flocks. And do not let shame keep you from asking your church for help; that is one of the things a church is for. "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law." (Romans 13:8) "The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender." (Proverbs 22:7) "Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds." (Proverbs 27:23) "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5)

Question 27

Do I have to tithe? How much should I give?

Accepted Answer

Believers differ here honestly. Some hold that the tenth is a standing creation-order principle that predates the law and still stands; others hold that the New Testament replaces a fixed percentage with proportionate, planned, cheerful giving that for many should exceed a tenth. Both sides agree on this: give deliberately, give regularly, give with joy rather than under pressure, and treat any teacher who makes a blessing conditional on a payment as the Bible treats him. "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7) "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come." (1 Corinthians 16:2) "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." (Malachi 3:10)

Question 28

Is it wrong to be wealthy or to want a better life?

Accepted Answer

Wealth is not the sin; the love of it is, and so is trusting it. Abraham, Job and Lydia were all wealthy and all commended. The warnings are about what money does to the heart: it makes you feel safe, it makes you feel superior, and it eats the time you would have given to God and people. The test is not the size of the number but whether you can open your hand, and whether you would still be at peace if it were gone. "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." (1 Timothy 6:10) "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;" (1 Timothy 6:17) "And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth." (Luke 12:15)

Question 29

My marriage is in trouble.

Accepted Answer

Start with the part you control, which is never nothing. Confess your own share first and without a but attached. Stop keeping score, because love does not. Get a third party in early — a pastor or a counsellor — rather than when it is nearly over; most couples wait years too long. And if there is violence, or the threat of it, get to safety first and get help; that is not a marriage problem to be talked through in the living room. "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;" (Ephesians 5:25) "Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;" (1 Corinthians 13:5) "Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye." (Matthew 7:5) "And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken." (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

Question 30

What does the Bible say about divorce?

Accepted Answer

God's intention is permanence, and Jesus says so directly. He names marital unfaithfulness as a ground, and Paul addresses desertion by an unbelieving spouse as another. Christians who take the Bible equally seriously differ on remarriage after divorce, and on how far abuse and abandonment fall under these provisions — most hold that a spouse is not bound to remain in danger. If you are in that situation, get safe, then take real counsel from people who know your case rather than a paragraph in an app. "Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." (Matthew 19:6) "And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery." (Matthew 19:9) "But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace." (1 Corinthians 7:15)

Question 31

I am single and I do not want to be.

Accepted Answer

Singleness in Scripture is a state Paul actively commends, not a waiting room — he had more freedom to serve than a married man and said so. That does not make the ache imaginary. Ask God plainly, keep living a full life rather than a paused one, and refuse the two traps: settling for someone who does not share your faith, and treating marriage as the thing that will finally make you whole. It will not; only One can do that, and He is already available. "But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:" (1 Corinthians 7:32) "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14) "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." (Psalm 37:4)

Question 32

How do I raise my children in the faith?

Accepted Answer

The old instruction is strikingly domestic: talk about God in the ordinary hours — sitting in the house, walking in the road, going to bed, getting up. Not a lecture, a running conversation. Two things do most of the work: what they see you do when it costs you, and whether the home is a place where they can ask anything without being shamed. Discipline without warmth produces resentment, which is exactly what Paul warns fathers about. "And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." (Deuteronomy 6:7) "And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." (Ephesians 6:4) "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)

Question 33

My child has walked away from God.

Accepted Answer

The father in the story did two things and neither was chasing: he let the son go, and he watched the road. Keep the door open and the relationship alive — many come back to a home they were never cut off from and very few come back to an argument. Pray by name daily, refuse to fund the destruction, and stay warm. You are not the Holy Spirit and you were never meant to be. "And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him." (Luke 15:20) "But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children." (Isaiah 49:25) "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)

Question 34

How should I treat difficult parents?

Accepted Answer

Honour is commanded and it does not expire when you grow up, but honour is not the same as obedience and it is not the same as unlimited access. You can provide for, speak well of, and care for a parent while still declining to be harmed by them. Jesus arranged care for His mother from the cross; He also refused to let family pressure divert Him from obedience to God. "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." (Exodus 20:12) "But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." (1 Timothy 5:8) "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." (Matthew 10:37)

Question 35

Why does God allow suffering?

Accepted Answer

The Bible gives real answers without pretending they close the wound. Much suffering is the direct consequence of human freedom misused, and a world where love is possible is a world where harm is possible. Some is discipline that produces what comfort never could. Some, as in Job, is never explained to the sufferer at all — and notice that God's answer to Job was not a reason but a Person. The final Christian answer is not an argument but a fact: God did not exempt Himself. He entered it and was crucified. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28) "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;" (Romans 5:3) "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." (Isaiah 53:3)

Question 36

I am ill. Will God heal me?

Accepted Answer

God heals, and God does not always heal in this life, and both of those are in the Bible without embarrassment. Ask boldly — Scripture tells you to call for the elders and pray. Use medicine fully; Luke was a doctor, Paul prescribed for Timothy's stomach, and nothing in Scripture treats treatment as unbelief. And guard your heart against anyone who tells you that continued illness proves you lacked faith or gave too little money. Paul asked three times and was not healed, and he was not deficient. "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:" (James 5:14) "For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me." (2 Corinthians 12:8) "Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities." (1 Timothy 5:23) "The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness." (Psalm 41:3)

Question 37

I have been treated unjustly.

Accepted Answer

God is not neutral about this. The prophets are loud, specific and angry about people being cheated, and the command to do justice sits beside the command to love mercy. Two things go together and neither cancels the other: pursue justice by every lawful means available to you, and refuse private revenge, because vengeance belongs to the One who will not make a mistake with it. "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8) "Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction." (Proverbs 31:8) "Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men." (Romans 12:17) "Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow." (Isaiah 1:17)

Question 38

How do I love an enemy?

Accepted Answer

Begin where it is possible rather than where it is impossible: pray for them by name. It is very hard to keep hating a person you are genuinely asking God to bless, which may be part of why the command is given in that form. Loving an enemy does not mean trusting them, staying within reach of harm, or dropping a legitimate case. It means refusing to want their ruin. "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;" (Matthew 5:44) "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:21) "Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:" (Proverbs 24:17)

Question 39

I am mocked or persecuted for my faith.

Accepted Answer

Jesus told His followers to expect it and called it a form of blessing, which sounds strange until you notice the company it puts you in — the prophets were treated the same way. Stay kind, stay excellent at your work, and answer with reasons rather than heat. Where the hostility is criminal or dangerous, take proper steps; meekness is not passivity, and Paul used his legal rights more than once. "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake." (Matthew 5:11) "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:" (1 Peter 3:15) "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." (2 Timothy 3:12)

Question 40

Can I trust the Bible?

Accepted Answer

It is worth knowing what is actually being claimed. The New Testament survives in thousands of Greek manuscripts, some within a few generations of the events, far more and far earlier than any other document of the ancient world — which is why its text can be reconstructed with a confidence classical historians envy. It names real rulers, cities and customs that archaeology keeps confirming. Apparent contradictions are worth examining one at a time rather than in a heap; most turn out to be different witnesses reporting different details, which is what honest testimony looks like. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" (2 Timothy 3:16) "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." (2 Peter 1:21) "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever." (Isaiah 40:8)

Question 41

Was Jesus really God?

Accepted Answer

He is not presented as a good teacher who was later promoted. He forgave sins that were not committed against Him, accepted worship, claimed to have existed before Abraham using the divine name, and was crucified on the charge of blasphemy for it. Thomas called Him my Lord and my God and was commended rather than corrected. The options have always been narrower than people assume: either those claims were false, or they were true. "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am." (John 8:58) "And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God." (John 20:28) "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." (Colossians 2:9) "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)

Question 42

What is the Trinity?

Accepted Answer

One God, eternally existing as Father, Son and Holy Spirit — not three gods, and not one person wearing three masks. The word is not in the Bible; the teaching is assembled from it: God is one, yet Father, Son and Spirit are each called God, each distinct, and all three are named together in baptism and blessing. Every analogy leaks. It is not a contradiction, but it is a mystery, and a God small enough to fit your head would not be worth worshipping. "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:" (Deuteronomy 6:4) "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:" (Matthew 28:19) "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen." (2 Corinthians 13:14)

Question 43

Who is the Holy Spirit and how do I know He is in me?

Accepted Answer

Not a force but a Person — He teaches, grieves, decides and intercedes. Every believer receives Him at conversion; that is not a second-class category. The evidence that He is at work is less spectacular and more demanding than most people expect: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, growing where they were not growing before. "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." (John 14:26) "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." (Romans 8:9) "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith," (Galatians 5:22)

Question 44

What about speaking in tongues and miraculous gifts today?

Accepted Answer

Christians who love Scripture equally come down in two places. Continuationists hold that no text withdraws the gifts, that Joel's prophecy covers the whole age, and that Paul plainly says not to forbid speaking in tongues. Cessationists hold that the sign gifts authenticated the apostles and the completed revelation, and taper off in the New Testament itself. Both sides must submit to Paul's rules in 1 Corinthians 14: order, interpretation, and edification of everyone present, not display. "Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues." (1 Corinthians 14:39) "Let all things be done decently and in order." (1 Corinthians 14:40) "Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away." (1 Corinthians 13:8)

Question 45

Should I be baptised, and how?

Accepted Answer

Yes — it is commanded, not optional, and it is the public sign of belonging to Christ. On the manner and the age, churches divide honestly: Baptists and most independent churches baptise those who profess faith, by immersion, following the pattern of the converts in Acts; Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans, Lutherans, Presbyterians and Methodists also baptise the infants of believing households, seeing the sign of the covenant given to children as it was in circumcision. Ask the church you are joining what they practise and why. "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:" (Matthew 28:19) "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2:38) "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:4)

Question 46

Which day is the Sabbath, and must I keep it?

Accepted Answer

The fourth commandment sets apart a seventh day for rest and worship. From the earliest records, most Christians gathered on the first day of the week because that is the day Christ rose, and called it the Lord's day; Seventh-day Adventists and others hold that the seventh-day Sabbath was never transferred. Paul addresses the dispute directly and tells believers not to judge each other over days, while the principle of a weekly rest is not a burden to escape but a gift most of us are refusing. "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy." (Exodus 20:8) "And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:" (Mark 2:27) "One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind." (Romans 14:5) "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:" (Colossians 2:16)

Question 47

What is heaven actually like?

Accepted Answer

Less harps and clouds than you were told. The final picture in Scripture is not disembodied souls floating, but a new heaven and a new earth, resurrection bodies, a city, a river, trees, work without futility, nations healed, and God dwelling with people face to face. The best of what you love about being alive is not deleted there; it is repaired. And the centre of it is not the scenery, it is Him. "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God." (Revelation 21:3) "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." (1 Corinthians 2:9) "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." (John 14:2)

Question 48

How can a loving God send anyone to hell?

Accepted Answer

Hell is presented in Scripture not as God losing His temper but as the final ratification of a choice — He gives people, at last, what they insisted on: existence without Him. Jesus, the gentlest figure in the book, speaks about it more than anyone else, which should stop us treating it as a late invention. Christians differ over the imagery and the duration. None of that alters what you actually do with the information, which is to go through the door that is standing open. "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal." (Matthew 25:46) "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9) "Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" (Ezekiel 33:11)

Question 49

What about people who never heard of Jesus?

Accepted Answer

Scripture says three things and stops short of a formula. God has left evidence of Himself in creation and in conscience, so no one is without witness. God is unfailingly just, and Abraham's question — shall not the Judge of all the earth do right — is answered with a yes. And the response to the question in the New Testament is never speculation; it is to go and tell them. The uncertainty is an assignment, not an excuse. "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:" (Romans 1:20) "That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis 18:25) "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?" (Romans 10:14)

Question 50

Does science contradict the Bible?

Accepted Answer

The two questions are usually different questions. Science asks how the mechanism works; Scripture tells you whose it is and what it is for, and those are not competitors. On Genesis specifically, Christians who hold Scripture to be entirely true divide between young-earth, old-earth and framework readings of the days, and have done since long before Darwin — Augustine was arguing about it in the fourth century. What is not optional is that God created deliberately, that humanity is made in His image, and that the universe is not an accident. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." (Genesis 1:1) "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork." (Psalm 19:1) "And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." (Colossians 1:17)

Question 51

What about the end times and the second coming?

Accepted Answer

The certainties are few and enormous: Christ will return personally, visibly and unexpectedly; the dead will be raised; there will be judgment; and He will make all things new. The schemes — pre-, mid- and post-tribulation, the identity of figures in Revelation — are where sincere Christians have always disagreed, and the New Testament's own application is never speculation or date-setting. It is always the same: watch, and live so that you would not be ashamed to be found doing what you are doing. "Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11) "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." (Matthew 24:36) "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come." (Matthew 24:42)

Question 52

Do I have to go to church? Can I not just believe at home?

Accepted Answer

You can be a Christian alone the way you can be a soldier alone or a limb alone — technically alive, practically in trouble. The New Testament has no category for a solitary believer: the commands are almost all one another commands, and you cannot obey them by yourself. Church is not a building you attend, it is people you are responsible to and for. Find one that opens the Bible and start turning up. "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25) "And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you." (1 Corinthians 12:21) "And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." (Acts 2:42)

Question 53

I was hurt by a church. Should I go back?

Accepted Answer

What happened to you was not the gospel, and you are not obliged to pretend otherwise. Take the time you need and get help if the harm was serious. But do not let the people who wounded you also take from you the thing they misrepresented. Look for a church with plural, accountable leadership, open accounts, freedom to question, and no inner circle — and go slowly. Trust can be rebuilt, in the right place, at your speed. "The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them." (Ezekiel 34:4) "Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock." (1 Peter 5:3) "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds." (Psalm 147:3)

Question 54

How do I spot a false teacher?

Accepted Answer

Test the message against Scripture yourself, the way the Bereans did, and watch four things the Bible watches: money, sex, power, and whether they can be questioned. A teacher who makes God's blessing conditional on a payment, who cannot show accounts, who cannot be corrected by anyone, or whose private life is protected by an inner circle, is described in the New Testament in very plain language. Fruit, over time, is the test Jesus gave. "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." (Acts 17:11) "Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?" (Matthew 7:16) "And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not." (2 Peter 2:3)

Question 55

Why are there so many denominations? Which one is right?

Accepted Answer

Some divisions are about real differences that matter, some are about history, language and geography, and some are about nothing at all and should shame us. The historic core is narrower than the arguments suggest: one God, Father, Son and Spirit; Christ truly God and truly man, crucified and bodily raised; salvation by grace through faith; Scripture as God's word. Hold that firmly, be charitable about the rest, and pick a local church by what it preaches and how it lives rather than by its brand. "One Lord, one faith, one baptism," (Ephesians 4:5) "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." (John 17:21) "Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ." (1 Corinthians 1:12)

Question 56

Is it a sin to drink, smoke, get a tattoo, or watch that?

Accepted Answer

Scripture bans drunkenness outright and never bans wine; it warns about what you let form you, and leaves a real category of things that are lawful but not always wise. Paul gives three working questions: does it master me, does it help me, and does it wound someone weaker who is watching. Run the thing you are asking about through those three, honestly, and you will usually have your answer without needing a rule. "All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any." (1 Corinthians 6:12) "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;" (Ephesians 5:18) "It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak." (Romans 14:21) "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." (Philippians 4:8)

Question 57

What about horoscopes, luck, charms and fortune tellers?

Accepted Answer

Scripture is not squeamish here: divination, astrology, mediums and charms are forbidden, not because they are harmless nonsense but because they put your trust and your fear somewhere they do not belong. The believers at Ephesus burned their books publicly and counted the cost. If you have been involved, renounce it plainly, get rid of the objects, tell a mature believer, and rest in the fact that no curse stands against someone God has blessed. "There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch," (Deuteronomy 18:10) "Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee." (Isaiah 47:13) "Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver." (Acts 19:19) "Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!" (Numbers 23:23)

Question 58

Are demons real, and how do I stand against them?

Accepted Answer

Scripture treats them as real and as defeated, and holds both together. The armour in Ephesians is instructive for what it contains: truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, salvation, the word, and prayer — nothing exotic, and almost all of it defensive and ordinary. Resist, and he flees. Do not go looking for demons behind every difficulty; most temptation comes from a heart that wants what it should not want, and Scripture says so. "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." (Ephesians 6:11) "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:7) "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." (1 John 4:4) "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed." (James 1:14)

Question 59

How should I behave at work?

Accepted Answer

Work is not the part of life where faith is switched off. Do it as though Christ were the client, because He is. Be the person whose figures are right, whose word holds, who does not take credit or supplies that are not theirs, and who is decent about people who are not in the room. That, far more than a conversation about religion, is what makes anyone ask you a question worth answering. "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;" (Colossians 3:23) "A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight." (Proverbs 11:1) "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16) "And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;" (1 Thessalonians 4:11)

Question 60

How do I talk to my family or friends about Jesus?

Accepted Answer

Ask more than you argue. Most people have never been asked what they actually believe and why, and the question opens more doors than a speech closes. Tell your own story — what you were like, what happened, what changed — because nobody can refute your biography. Live consistently in front of them for years if need be. And answer questions with reasons and gentleness rather than volume; you are not required to win, only to be faithful. "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:" (1 Peter 3:15) "Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) "He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see." (John 9:25)

Question 61

I have no time for God. How do I start?

Accepted Answer

Start smaller than you think is respectable. Ten honest minutes kept every day beats an hour promised and missed, and Jesus rose before dawn rather than hoping a gap appeared. Attach it to something you already do without fail — the kettle, the commute, the first sit-down — because habits fasten to habits. Number your days deliberately; nobody drifts into a wise use of time. "And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed." (Mark 1:35) "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." (Psalm 90:12) "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:16)

Question 62

How do I wait when nothing is changing?

Accepted Answer

Waiting in Scripture is never passive. Joseph kept working while forgotten in prison; David kept the sheep for years with oil already on his head. The instruction attached to waiting is almost always do the next right thing in the meantime. Strength is promised to those who wait, and the promise is not that the wait is short — it is that you will not be exhausted by it. "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31) "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." (Psalm 27:14) "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." (Galatians 6:9)

Question 63

How should I treat foreigners, the poor and people not like me?

Accepted Answer

The command to love the stranger is repeated more often in the law than almost any other, and it comes with a reason attached: you were strangers once yourselves. Pure religion, James says, is measured at the orphan and the widow, not at the doctrine quiz. And when Jesus described the final judgment, He sorted people by what they did with the hungry, the sick, the imprisoned and the stranger — and said it had been done to Him. "But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God." (Leviticus 19:34) "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." (James 1:27) "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." (Matthew 25:40)

Question 64

How do I stay grateful when life is hard?

Accepted Answer

Gratitude in Scripture is a discipline before it is a feeling, and it is commanded in all circumstances rather than for all circumstances — there is a difference. Name three specific things daily, in writing, and specific beats general every time. It reorders what you notice, and what you notice decides how the day feels far more than what happens does. "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thessalonians 5:18) "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." (Philippians 4:11) "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:" (Psalm 103:2)

Real questions, answered from Scripture