Christian Worker

“Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with outstretched necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet…” (Isa. 3:16). Goals, priorities, and norms are often reflected in the women who make up the various strata within a given society. In Isaiah’s day, the daughters of Zion were proud, immodest, covetous, seductive, shameless, immoral, and presumptuous. Isaiah’s condemnation was only of those wanton women; instead, he showed how they highlighted…

Fish don’t bite the hook because they want the hook; they bite because they want what hides the hook. That is temptation. Like the fisherman, Satan doesn’t drop his line without bait, advertising the hook; otherwise, temptation wouldn’t work. Instead, our adversary advertises the bait: pleasure, not consequence; desire, not death. We have a level of discernment which is not matched by the fish. We can, if we choose, identify the hook hidden within the bait. James writes to us,…

In a society obsessed with the next miracle pill or quick-fix shot, we have lost the ability to focus and build healthy habits for longer-term, beneficial growth. Our current habits have caused our society to become chronically diseased and sick. People constantly look for the next health kick because they know something is wrong, but they don’t know how to fix it, or they don’t want to work to fix it. Ezra found a community just like this, except they…

A preacher once said that when a Christian comes to him for counsel, he would always ask them the same two questions, “How often do you read your Bible,” and “How often do you pray?” Typically, the answer to one of those would begin to identify some deficiency of a struggling Christian. Our growth and maturity as a Christian is directly linked to our prayer life. Therefore, if we want to grow and mature, we must make deepening our prayers…

Teaching our children to love God is not so much a formulaic process that guarantees their faithfulness, as much as it is a way of life that we ourselves embody. They must see God reflected in our lives, hear His truth taught consistently from our mouths, see us worship Him outside the building, hear us attribute our blessings to Him, and see us turning to Him in prayer. Our children need to see that our faith is not confined to…

No one wants to be a hypocrite. The word itself carries a sting of pretension and inconsistency that most of us instinctively reject. Yet Jesus’ extended confrontation with the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23 shows how easily religious people can slide into hypocrisy when their hearts and practices drift from God. How can I avoid hypocrisy? Make sure your service is about Jesus instead of self (Matt. 23:1-12). Jesus begins by telling the crowds to listen to the Pharisees’…

“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3). The book of Jude contains only twenty-five verses, yet it delivers one of the strongest warnings in the New Testament concerning false teaching. Jude originally desired to write about “the common salvation,” but circumstances demanded that he…

In August we hit the ground running! SWSBS welcomed eleven new students and twelve returning students to Austin. Over the course of the year, we will continue to build knowledge, character, and habits in these Christians. Our second year class will focus their attention this quarter on various Bible texts. Over the course of this second year, practical classes in preaching, teaching, evangelism, and counseling will be woven into their studies to prepare them for the work that lies ahead.…

Depression does not feel like a cozy blanket. It is not warm; it is a ship’s anchor—dragging, dulling, making even the simple act of breathing feel like heavy labor. What does faith look like when our feelings refuse to cooperate? It looks like choosing focus, quiet endurance, and remembering that God’s presence is never canceled out by the storm. Strength in Spiritual Memory It is difficult to maintain perspective when bills stack up, family pressures mount, and spiritual peace seems…

Picture this with me: You are in the cabin of a cruise ship. You have gone to sleep for the night and all is well. Suddenly, you are startled awake by the jolt of the ship and emergency sirens. The vessel has slammed into a reef. Because you are in one of the lower levels of the ship, water has already made its way to your room. The door is pinned shut, you feel the water flowing through the cracks,…

“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: (Eccles. 3:1). The Bible addresses every aspect of our life and for many of life’s events, it seems there is a Psalm that can be appropriately applied. Solomon said there was a time to laugh, dance, and embrace (Eccles. 3:4-5). We celebrate people and their accomplishments. We celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, baby showers and retirement. We celebrate our nation every Fourth of July and other national holidays…

“Loneliness is a symptom of our mental,emotional, physical and spiritual separation fromGod, and we can only truly remedy this pathologyby seeking Him.” (Source unknown) In no way am I a medical professional, but I am a human being created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27), and I have experienced times of loneliness. This topic can be rather confusing because often I am alone but not lonely. At other times, I am surrounded by people but still aware of how…