Streams of Mercy

Streams of Mercy: Ruth and Esther -- When God seems absent. The Streams of Mercy Series is dedicated to helping God's people drink deeply from his life giving Word. A fast-paced study of the Old Testament books of Ruth and Esther.

Have you ever noticed that the writer of Ecclesiastes "rains on our parade" and then clouds our attempts to escape the rain? So why should any good Christian pay attention to this gray and depressing book? Because the writer exposes silver linings within these clouds. The writer informs us, ever so subtly, that we find meaning even in the apparent meaninglessness of life. Let these ancient words of wisdom invite you to a study that delves in surprising ways into our all-powerful God, the creator and sustainer of the universe.

This volume of the Streams of Mercy Study Series is devoted to two Old Testament prophetic writings: Isaiah 1-12 and Micah. Both prophets have unique qualities, but they also have much in common. In contrast, Isaiah was an urban prophet in Jerusalem and Micah was a rural prophet. However, both address similar issues. For instance, both condemn worship that was unrelated to ethical behavior. Many of the problems they faced, we still face today. Their answers still inspire us to greater faith and dedication today. Includes classroom suggestions and discussion questions and points at the end of each chapter.

When the disciples answered Jesus' call to follow, they left far more than their fishing nets. Jesus called them to leave pre-conceived ideas about the Messiah and to follow the way of the cross - a way marked by service and suffering. Will you follow too?

Insights into the book of 1 Corinthians. Life in the Kingdom of God is life lived in and for community. This principle guides Paul as he writes his first letter to the fractious, class-conscious, and sometimes-unruly Christians in Corinth. The apostle calls them to consider how their actions - here and now - reflect the realities of God's rule, which will be unveiled fully only at the end of time. This difficult struggle to bring the eternal realities of the Kingdom into the daily grind of life is a problem as great today as it was in the first century.

Insights into the book of James. It has become customary to ask the question: Why do bad things happen to good people? The epistle of James turns this question on its head, asking instead: How will you respond when bad things happen to you? In this immensely practical letter to the earliest Christians, the respected apostle encourages his listeners to take a different view of suffering - to see it, in fact, as an opportunity to grow into the people God is calling us to be.

Insights into the book of 1 Peter. When Peter paints the word picture of Christians as "living stones," he presents an image of stones that God can and will make even more beautiful. Peter calls us to the cornerstone, to Jesus, so that we may take our place in the house that God is building. Moved from darkness into his wonderful light, people in God's house live not for themselves, but for the will of God.

Eight centuries before Jesus Christ walked this earth, a prophet named Amos denounced the society he saw around him. What he condemned in and around ancient Israel - the wealthy oppressing the poor, idolatry corrupting worship, and a host of other vices - parallels to a remarkable degree our own society's conditions. In this short, well-written study, Stuart Love takes the reader through a directed reading of the entire book of Amos, offering the seeker opportunities to reflect on both the ancient text and its applications for the 21st-century world.