Bible Study Guides

1. God will comfort those who mourn.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).

2. God sets apart those who sigh and cry about the evils in the world because they are learning to think and care as He does.

“And the Lord said to him, ‘Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it’” (Ezekiel 9:4; see Genesis 6:5-6 and Matthew 23:37 for examples of God grieving for evil).

3. God promises that someday all sorrow will cease!

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

For more on this subject, see Why Does God Allow Suffering?

What biblical tips would you add?

These “3 Bible Tips” and Bible study lessons are posted at the Bible Study Guides Web site.

1. God’s commandments and the choices He offers us are not too mysterious.

“For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off... I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live” (Deuteronomy 30:11, 19).

2. We should highly value what God has revealed, but realize there are secret things that belong only to God.

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29).

3. God reveals His secrets to those who fear Him.

“The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant” (Psalm 25:14).

For more on God’s mysteries, see “Answering the Great Mystery: Why Did God Create Man?”

What Bible tips would you add?

These “3 Bible Tips” and Bible study lessons are posted at the Bible Study Guides Web site.

Along with “Dealing With Temptation” and “When Resistance (Seems) Futile,” consider these tips for when fighting an unwanted thought:

1. Recognize the need to forsake unrighteous thoughts.

“‘Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord” (Isaiah 55:7-8).

2. Ask God for His mighty weapons to bring our thoughts into captivity.

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal [physical] but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

3. Replace wrong thoughts with positive thoughts.

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8). This includes meditating on God’s law and Word (Psalm 119: 97, 148).

For more on this subject, see “It’s Time for a Spiritual ‘Attitude Check.’”

What Bible tips would you add?

These “3 Bible Tips” and Bible study lessons are posted at the Bible Study Guides Web site.

God has given His Church a mission—a job to do. How does He tell us to work together to accomplish it?

1. Remember, it’s God’s work, and we are to work together for God.

“I planted the seeds, Apollos watered them, but God made them sprout and grow... Apollos and I work together for God, and you are God’s garden and God’s building” (1 Corinthians 3: 6, 9, Contemporary English Version).

2. Seek the unity to glorify God as if with one mouth.

“Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 15:5-6).

3. God wants us to unitedly preach His message of good news.

“Above all else, you must live in a way that brings honor to the good news about Christ. Then, whether I visit you or not, I will hear that all of you think alike. I will know that you are working together and that you are struggling side by side to get others to believe the good news” (Philippians 1:27, CEV).

For more about working together to preach the gospel, see “Why Preach a Gospel With Urgency Today?”

What Bible tips would you add?

These “3 Bible Tips” and Bible study lessons are posted at the Bible Study Guides Web site.

Following up on “Dealing With Temptation,” what do we do when it seems “resistance is futile”?

1. Claim this promise of a way of escape so you can resist temptation:

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

2. Recognize Jesus Christ is the source of the strength we need.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

3. Remember that someday God’s enemies will realize resisting Him is futile!

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? … Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:31, 37).

For more on this subject, see “How can I resist the evil influences of Satan the devil?”

What Bible tips would you add?

These “3 Bible Tips” and Bible study lessons are posted at the Bible Study Guides Web site.

Fighting, arguing, quarreling, heatedly disagreeing—whatever you call it, strife is destructive to relationships. What tips does the Bible have for avoiding strife? Here are three:

1. Love is an antidote to strife.

“Hatred stirs up quarrels, but love covers all offenses” (Proverbs 10:12, New Living Translation throughout).

2. Humbly taking advice can help us avoid strife.

“Pride leads to arguments; those who take advice are wise” (Proverbs 13:10).

3. Being slow to anger is another antidote to strife.

“A hothead starts fights; a cool-tempered person tries to stop them” (Proverbs 15:18).

For further study about avoiding strife and building friendships, see “Why Can’t We Just Get Along?”

What Bible tips would you add?

These “3 Bible Tips” and Bible study lessons are posted at the Bible Study Guides Web site.

1. Pray!

“…And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Luke 11:4).

2. Avoid!

“A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished” (Proverbs 22:3).

3. Flee!

“Flee sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18). (For an even more powerful statement on the importance of ridding ourselves of all sin, see Matthew 18:8-9).

For more on this subject, see “Why Do We Sin?”

What Bible tips would you add?

These “3 Bible Tips” and Bible study lessons are posted at the Bible Study Guides Web site.

How will Jesus Christ welcome faithful Christians into the Kingdom of God?

1. Jesus Christ will recognize His servants’ diligent dedication.

“Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods” (Matthew 24:46-47).

2. Our coming King will reward those who serve unceasingly.

“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me’” (Matthew 25:34-36).

3. Our Lord and Master will praise His faithful servants and welcome them to share His happiness!

“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord’” (Matthew 25:21).

For further study in how to be the kind of servant Jesus Christ will welcome, see “Are You a Good and Faithful Steward?”

What Bible tips would you add?

These “3 Bible Tips” and Bible study lessons are posted at the Bible Study Guides Web site.

1. Envision and treasure unity.

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1).

2. Work hard at building unity.

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1-3).

3. Like-mindedness comes from all growing to have more of the mind of Jesus Christ.

“Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

“Let each one of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:1-5).

For more on this subject, see the sermon transcript, “Philippians 2 and the Mind of Christ.”

What biblical tips would you add?

These “3 Bible Tips” and Bible study lessons are posted at the Bible Study Guides Web site.

Jesus Christ called on Christians to be examples or “lights.” How? 

1. Do good things that will help others thank God.

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

(As a balancing factor, Matthew 6:1 warns against doing good for our own glory.)

2. Loving other people is part of living in God’s light.

“He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides [lives] in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him” (1 John 2:9-10).

3. We don’t have our own light, but must reflect the light of Jesus Christ, “the light of the world.”

“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life’” (John 8:12).

For more on this subject, see “Who’s Watching You?”

These “3 Bible Tips” and Bible study lessons are posted at the Bible Study Guides Web site.