InWord Resources

Simeon Says

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Actually it’s pronounced SIM-ih-un, and he said something pretty profound right around the birth of Jesus. In fact, it was while holding Jesus in his arms that Simeon said some words that can help us experience this Christmas season as way more than a cute nativity scene on a mantel.   Simeon is described by Luke as … [Read more...]

It’s More Blessed to Give than To Receive. Who Said That?

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  We all know the adage: It’s more blessed to give than to receive. But where did this come from? Is it simply an adage? Did Jesus say it? Or is it one of those phrases like “God helps those who help themselves” that sounds scriptural, but isn’t?   Well, let’s dig in a bit. And as we dig, you’ll see that this … [Read more...]

Give VS. Receive

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You probably know the adage: It’s more blessed to give than to receive. But where did this come from? Is it simply an adage? Did Jesus say it? Or is it one of those phrases like “May the Force be with you” that sounds scriptural, but isn’t?   [Download a PDF version of this devo here.]   Well, let’s dig in … [Read more...]

A Bible “Thanks” Data Crunch

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When does the Bible first use a form of the word “thank”? Where do we find the last use of “thank”? And how about which book uses the word the most? Or the most per capita? Enjoy this small exercise to get your heart (and stomach!) turned toward Thanksgiving.   The observations below are simply a concordance and … [Read more...]

5 Ways to Personalize Luther’s Reformation

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In the early 1500s, while the world was in what’s known as the Dark Ages, the church was suffering through dark ages of its own. It had degenerated into man’s default approach to a relationship with God—that you must earn that relationship, that God gives grace to those who work for it. What’s worse, the church had figured out … [Read more...]

Grace Reformation

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You’ve probably heard the name Martin Luther. And you may know that it was 500 years ago, October 31, 1517, that he made public his 95 Theses, forging a reformation that launched the Protestant movement. One of the biggest biblical concepts that the church had been ignoring at that time was the idea that our relationship with … [Read more...]