Life Lessons with Dr. Steve Schell

As humans we have a tendency to be passive and self-centered. We stand back and wait for life to come to us and we choose things on the basis of how much pleasure or benefit we get out of them. Both of these are poor attitudes in any situation, but when it comes to our relationship with God they are exactly the opposite of what we should do. In this chapter of Genesis Abraham models qualities whic...

Everyone of us is getting older a day at a time, and there is no stopping the process. People do what they can to preserve their youthfulness, but the passing years still sweep us along until one day it occurs to us we're getting old. How we handle this revelation is one of the most important keys to productivity and happiness in life. Many people don't like to talk about getting older because It...

If you were to put into a simple statement God's goal for Abraham it would be this: God made Abraham into a great father. Even his name reveals God's plan: Abram means "great-father" and "Abraham" means "father of many." When we read the story of his life we are reading about one of the major events in God's plan to offer eternal life to humans. Through Abraham and Sarah a family was begun which p...

If you were to put into a simple statement God's goal for Abraham, it would be this: God made Abraham into a great father. Even his name reveals God's plan: Abram means "great-father" and "Abraham" means "father of many." When we read the story of his life, we are reading about one of the major events in God's plan to offer eternal life to humans. Through Abraham and Sarah a family was begun which...

There are many people who would like to walk with God but are convinced that their weaknesses, fears and foolish mistakes make it impossible. They might say something like this: "I know God is powerful, but it isn't God I'm worried about; it's me. I don't seem to have what it takes to live a victorious life. I'm afraid I have already or will in the future mess up His plans for me. I make bad choic...

Hagar was only an Egyptian slave who had been given as a maid-in-waiting to Sarai by the Pharaoh of Egypt. She was part of the dowry he paid to Abram for Sarai's hand in marriage (Ge 12:15,16), so whatever Hagar knew about the true God she had learned from this Hebrew couple she served. Sadly, she was drawn into the middle of their marriage as a solution to their painful barrenness. Trouble quickl...

Just as a natural parent conceives life and nurtures a growing child, it is possible to be a spiritual parent who reproduces spiritual life in another and nurtures a growing believer. As we are go through the life of Abraham and Sarah, we see that the main thing God is doing is preparing this couple to not only be physical parents of one son but spiritual parents of many people. Like them, we are...

When we try to motivate people to do something, we can either use a carrot or a stick. In other words, we can motivate a person with a bribe or by frightening them. Some people think using fear or bribery motivates people to tithe, but God does not raise us to tithe with these techniques. God motivates His people entirely differently. He places His Holy Spirit inside us, and He changes our desires...

We are going to see in this account, and in the account of Chapter 14, that Abraham is free from the love of money. We see it when he refuses the treasure of the Mesopotamian kings; we see it when he lets Lot choose which way he would go. Abraham takes some remarkable steps in generosity. Many of us feel we have to fight for what is ours or else we will be run over. And in the world, that's the wa...

The Bible teaches us that God sees people very differently than we do. We look at appearances and actions, but God is able to look at motives (1Sa 16:7). He sees not only what people do, but He knows why they do it. And this knowledge seems to play heavily into how He deals with each person. I believe this truth helps us explain why He showed mercy to Abram and Sarai, even though Abram had made fo...

Not only does it take faith to find God's will for our lives, but it also takes faith to stay in His will. Predictably, after we finally arrive at a place where we are confident we are doing what God asks us to do, forces rise up to oppose us. One of the most devastating is the drying up of financial support. If we don't have enough money for the basic needs of life then we can't remain in a place...

Some people think God randomly chose Abraham to leave his land because God really liked him. But the Lord was not playing favorites. In Abraham and Sarah, He finally found someone who would obey Him! That's why God chose them. God found someone who was willing to obey His call and walk in faith.  The Bible is full of lessons on walking in faith. Hebrews 11:6 says, "Without faith, it is impossible...

When God prophetically speaks a promise to us, He's telling us what He plans to accomplish through us. But He is not predicting the future as if to say this is what will happen to you no matter what choices you make. In order for God to accomplish great things in our lives, He must first grow our faith to a level where we can receive His promise. God promised great blessings to Abraham and Sarah,...

Something recoils in all of us at the sight of blood. Some may even faint when they see it. So when we open the Bible and find so many references to blood, it can be a bit disturbing. In the Old Testament animals are sacrificed and their blood sprinkled on people and things, and in the New Testament Jesus uses shocking analogies involving His own blood (Jn 6:53-56; Mt 26:27, 28) and his apostles w...

The Bible lays out the high points and the low points of its heroes. We have seen Noah's extraordinary obedience over a long period of time. But today it brings up a sad occurrence from Noah's life. And with this passage of Scripture in Genesis 9 there has also come wrong theology known as the "curse of Ham" that people have used to excuse racism. In this episode we delve into the origin of racism...

As we have studied Noah over the past few weeks, we've seen in him several important qualities: First, he knew how to hear the voice of God; second, he did the will of God; and third, he patiently waited for the timing of God. So, it should come as no surprise that today we read, "And God blessed Noah and his sons..." This means that God committed Himself to watch over Noah's life so that the good...

Some people ask, "Why doesn't God just kill all the bad people so we can have a good world?" Well, these chapters in Genesis give us our answer. Even though the flood eliminated all the bad people on earth, leaving only one family alive, it was only a matter of a short time afterwards that evil was expressed, and human society was again corrupted (Ge 9:20-24; 11:1-9). This shows that every human,...

Every Christian comes to a time when he or she tires of doing God's will and longs for a change of circumstances. There are few things in our spiritual lives more difficult than waiting for God's guidance. Sometimes it seems He doesn't hear our prayers, or if He does that He refuses to give us an answer. In these seasons resentment can rise up in us. We may decide He's forgotten us and decide to t...

It is one thing to hear God's voice; it is another to actually do what He tells us to do. Noah did both: he heard God speak, and he did everything he was told. Why do we often have a problem obeying God's voice? And how do people respond to God's voice? Pastor Steve will answer these questions in this episode and discuss the benefits of obedience if we obey God. To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve...

Noah is one of the finest examples in the Bible of someone who heard God speak to him and obeyed what he was told. He was wiling to put enormous expense and effort into a project which appeared foolish until the moment it was needed. Like Noah, we must also develop the ability to hear God speak, and then when we do hear Him speak, we must have the faith to obey. This episode explores some practica...

Moses paints a terrible picture of the days of Noah. He says that every intent of the thoughts of people's hearts were only evil continualy. Every kind of sin was rampant and there was demonic activity taking place at a level beyond our comprehension. So, when we're introduced to Noah, the contrast is stark. In the midst of this dirty world, there is a man who has stayed clean. If we've ever felt...

God judges Cain for his terrible deed but still shows him much mercy. Yet Cain never seems to notice and instead chooses to angrily walk away from God. In our lesson we'll examine the attitudes that tend to make a person rebellious when subjected to discipline. Cain's reaction to God is surprising, yet we all know people who've responded the same way when someone's tried to correct them, or maybe...

The record of this brutal encounter between Cain and Abel contains some profound insights into the inner workings of compulsive sin. The event takes place as both brothers bring offerings to God and discover that He accepts the worship of one, but not the other. Jealousy quickly turns to rage and a murder is committed. The wonder of the passage is that we get to hear God's counsel to someone under...

We will talk about a difficult section of Scripture today in Genesis 3 about marriage as we see God pronounce the consequences of Adam's and Eve's actions after he and Eve sin in the garden. We will also talk about finding Jesus' will in marriage for Christians now that we have been redeemed.  To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation, email us at in...

Many people think this section of the Bible shows God as a harsh judge who inflicts pain on women in childbirth as a punishment for Eve's actions. But nothing could be further from the truth. In just a few verses, God's heart of love in the midst of dealing with sin is revealed. To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation, email us at info@lifelessonsp...