BJU Press Blog

Cosette

About Cosette

Cosette began working at BJU Press in 1997. Having supported her husband in youth ministries for many years, she now contributes regularly to the kids’ page of the quarterly magazine Current. Mother of two grown sons, Cosette’s favorite pastime is reading to her grandchildren. Read more posts by Cosette.

THINK

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Oftentimes we describe our misdeeds as thoughtless. But that may be the wrong word. The person who is accused of it is—in fact—thinking but generally only about himself. Even if we are acting out of habit, at some point thinking factors in to all our deeds—good or bad. We often hear the Christian admonished to guard his thought life, lest he buckle in the face of temptation. But thinking is also looked at in a positive light in the verses below. The Christian who keeps his heart and mind through Christ Jesus will exude His gracious spirit.

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“For I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me” (Psalm 40:17). “We have thought of thy lovingkindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple” (Psalm 48:9). “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). “[Love] doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil” (1 Corinthians 13:5). “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory” (Ephesians 3:20–21). “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, 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).

GOLDEN THOUGHT: The Lord thinks upon me.

[Excerpt adapted from Wonderful Words by Stewart Custer (November 30 reading).]

SURE

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“Not being sure” is the greatest tool against a witness that a lawyer can use, and creating doubt is his most powerful weapon. What we see used in courtrooms today was first used by Satan in the Garden of Eden. He succeeded in making Eve unsure of God’s goodwill and full provision for her well-being. The verses below are our own powerful weapons against the devil’s daily attacks on what God says is sure.

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“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple” (Psalm 19:7). “Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O Lord, for ever” (Psalm 93:5). “All his commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever” (Psalm 111:7–8). “And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God” (John 6:69). “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (2 Timothy 2:19). “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19).

GOLDEN THOUGHT: The testimony of the Lord is sure.

[Excerpt adapted from Wonderful Words by Stewart Custer (November 23 reading).]

STREAM

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The verses below present a picture of refreshment and cleansing power. Christ is the only source of purifying grace. The broken cisterns in our fallen world bring no satisfaction or healing. His living water ensures that we will never thirst again.

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“There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God” (Psalm 46:4). “He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers” (Psalm 78:16). “Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south” (Psalm 126:4).
“A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse. . . . A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon” (Song of Solomon 4:12, 15). “For in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert” (Isaiah 35:6). “For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream” (Isaiah 66:12). “But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream” (Amos 5:24).

GOLDEN THOUGHT: Let judgment run down as waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.

[Excerpt adapted from Wonderful Words by Stewart Custer (November 16 reading).]

Daniel: Courage for Teen Leaders

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JourneyForth’s The Daniel Dilemma: Real Courage for Real Life by Rand Hummel is the perfect Christmas gift to jump-start your teen’s study of Scripture in the new year. After hearing adults sing Daniel’s praises for years, your teen may view the prophet’s youthful diligence and lifelong loyalty in the face of immense pressure as a little unreal. In this book, Hummel succeeds in lifting Daniel off the flannelgraph, fleshing him out, and polishing him to a brilliant sheen. Even better—he showcases Daniel’s great God. 502369

The Daniel Dilemma is divided into two sections. The first tells Daniel’s story with due attention to what he was really up against. Talk about a stressful life! Hummel points out that Babylon’s strategies of isolation, indoctrination, identification, and intimidation are the same ones used to cripple Christians today. From Nebuchadnezzar to Belshazzar, the enemy’s darts─pulled from Satan’s age-old arsenal of “brainwashing” techniques─were custom-made for Daniel. And today’s teens are the new target—as they make their way in a largely nonbelieving world. But the author goes on to show that it was the consuming desire of Daniel and his companions to glorify God that steadied and kept them faithful in middle of the political storms the Lord put them through.

The second half of the book is an in-depth look at what constitutes courageous leadership. Scripture texts from Daniel introduce each chapter, and Hummel follows up with practical application, personal testimony, and anecdotes—all communicated in the fatherly tone forged by the author’s many years as a youth pastor and camp evangelist. Enumerating fourteen “laws of courageous leadership,” Hummel tutors his readers in how to be what he terms “show and tell Christians.”

The Daniel Dilemma: Real Courage for Real Life will help teens to better know Daniel’s God as their God—the strength of every generation in the face of any temptation.

Read a sample chapter of The Daniel Dilemma: Real Courage for Real Life.

STABLISH

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The fact that God has stablished something places it immediately outside the realm of both the impossible and the improbable. It is without doubt and not up for debate. Nothing stablished by divine decree will fail, and its fiercest foes are powerless to stop it. Christ prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail. The verses below can encourage us that our faith ultimately will not either.

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“Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear” (Psalm 119:38). “To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints” (1 Thessalonians 3:13). “Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father . . . comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work” (2 Thessalonians 2:16–17). “But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil” (2 Thessalonians 3:3). “Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh” (James 5:8). “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you” (1 Peter 5:10).

GOLDEN THOUGHT: Our Lord shall stablish you and keep you from evil.

[Excerpt adapted from Wonderful Words by Stewart Custer (November 9 reading).]