• Even a single candle can make a difference in the darkness.

  • Pray without ceasing. Give thanks always.

  • Hope in God. An anchor for the soul.

  • Sharing the Good News. In season and out of season.

  • God so loved the world. Every person.

Anchor

User-friendly devotionals with audio

  • The Gift of Giving

    Happier Living Series

    Audio length: 12:33
    Download Audio (11.5MB)

    Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.Luke 6:38

    The issue

    Love is the gift that grows the more you share it with others. It is the one area of life where it pays to be an absolute spendthrift. Give it away! Throw it away! Splash it over! Empty your pockets, shake the basket, turn the glass upside down—and tomorrow you will have more than ever! As Jesus taught, “Do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great” (Luke 6:35). If you will step out by faith and share God’s love with someone today, you’ll find that God will bless your giving and others will be blessed. May we, as Christians, always be known for our love—our love for God, our love for others, and our love for those who have yet to hear the good news of the gospel or see a living example of God’s love.

    The red scarf

    It happened years ago on one of those cold December days that made people wish they had shopped in July. Snowflaked winds whipped through the streets. Hunched on a sidewalk bench sat an unshaven man. He wore a threadbare jacket and shoes with no socks. He had folded a paper bag around his neck to keep out the biting wind.

    One shopper paused, saddened by the man. “Such a pity,” she thought. But there was really nothing she could do. While the shopper lingered, a little girl, eleven or twelve, walked by and spotted the frostbitten figure on the bench. Wrapped around the girl’s neck was a bright red woolen scarf.

    She stopped beside the old man, unwrapped her red scarf and draped it tenderly about his neck. The child skipped away. The man rubbed the warm wool. And the shopper crept away, wishing she had been the one to give the scarf.

    I was that shopper and that little girl taught me something that day. Wherever I am, whatever I possess, there is always something I can give—a touch, a smile, a prayer, a kind word, even a red scarf.—Sue Monk Kidd

    What the Bible says...

    Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.—Deuteronomy 15:10

    In all things I have shown you that … we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”—Acts 20:35

    Helping others

    As Christians, we are called to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:39). The Bible says that our love for one another would be the sign for the world of our discipleship and love for Christ to the world—a tall order (John 13:35). Our acts of intentional giving to others are an important manifestation of our love for others.

    Pass it on

    He was driving home one evening, on a two-lane country road. Work, in this small Midwestern community, was almost as slow as his beat-up Pontiac. But he never quit looking. Ever since the Levis factory closed, he’d been unemployed, and with winter raging on, the chill had finally hit home.

    It was a lonely road. Not very many people had a reason to be on it, unless they were leaving. Most of his friends had already left. They had families to feed and dreams to fulfill. But he stayed on. After all, this was where he buried his mother and father. He was born here and knew the country.

    He could go down this road blind and tell you what was on either side, and with his headlights not working, that came in handy. It was starting to get dark and light snow flurries were coming down. He’d better get a move on.

    You know, he almost didn’t see the old lady, stranded on the side of the road. But even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her.

    Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn’t look safe, he looked poor and hungry.

    He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was that chill that only fear can put in you. He said, “I’m here to help you, ma’am. Why don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm. By the way, my name is Joe.”

    Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Joe crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two.

    Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt. As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down her window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn’t thank him enough for coming to her aid. Joe just smiled as he closed her trunk.

    She asked him how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She had already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped. Joe never thought twice about the money. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way. He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance that they needed, and Joe added “…and think of me.”

    He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight. A few miles down the road, the lady saw a small café. She went in to grab a bite to eat and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy-looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The cash register was like the telephone of an out-of-work actor; it didn’t ring much.

    The waitress came over and brought a clean towel for the lady to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn’t erase. The lady noticed that the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she didn’t let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Joe.

    After the lady finished her meal, while the waitress went to get her change from a hundred-dollar bill, the lady slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back. She wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on a napkin. There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote. It said: “You don’t owe me a thing, I’ve been there, too. Someone once helped me out, the way I’m helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here’s what you do. Don’t let the chain of love end with you.”

    Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night, when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could she have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard. She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, “Everything’s going to be all right. I love you, Joe.”—Author Unknown

    *

    Spread love everywhere you go; first of all in your own house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next-door neighbor. … Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.—Mother Teresa

    Think about it...

    I shall pass through this world but once. Any good that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now and not delay it. For I shall not pass this way again.—Stephen Grellet, 1855

    The measure of all love is its giving. The measure of the love of God is the cross of Christ.—J. I. Packer

    What the Bible says…

    Do not seek your own good, but the good of the other person.—1 Corinthians 10:24

    If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.—1 John 3:17–18 

    Published on Anchor February 2025. Read by John Laurence.

  • Feb 5 The Story to End the Excuses
  • Jan 31 The Lost Art of Handing Out Gospel Tracts
  • Jan 30 God’s Presence in Times of Loneliness
  • Jan 28 Worry Less, Trust More
  • Jan 23 Motivation, Vision, and Goals
  • Jan 20 The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds
  • Jan 16 Keys for Peaceful Sleep
  • Jan 15 The Parable of the Talents
  • Jan 14 A New Day, a New Start
   

Directors’ Corner

Faith-building Bible studies and articles

  • 1 Corinthians: Chapter 7 (verses 1–16)

    In previous chapters, Paul dealt with issues among the Corinthians which were reported to him, which included attitudes toward sexuality, sin, and divisions in the church. In this chapter, he focuses on specific questions that they had asked in an earlier letter.

    Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband (1 Corinthians 7:1–2).

    The fact that the Corinthians had questions about this matter indicates that there was disagreement. Some members of the church justified prostitution (1 Corinthians 6:12–20), while others claimed that it was good for people not to marry, and yet others felt that sexual relations were not good. The implication of the text in quotation marks (“It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman”) was that the best choice for everyone was to abstain from sexual relations. While some scholars have contended that this was Paul’s view, most don’t consider this an accurate interpretation.

    Given Paul’s knowledge of and love for the Old Testament Scriptures, which clearly present marriage and children as a blessing from God, it seems unlikely that he would have suggested celibacy for all people. He knew that God Himself ordained marriage for the good of humanity.

    Rather than considering sexual relations as something negative, Paul advocates that each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. In this context, he wasn’t advocating that unmarried people should marry, but rather that married people should continue to have sexual relationships with one another.

    Paul expressed that there was much temptation toward sexual immorality, likely in part a reference to the Corinthian church’s problems with prostitution (6:15–16) and incest (5:1). While some within the church engaged in such practices, others advocated abstinence even within marriage. Paul went on to point out that marriage is meant to protect against the temptations of sexual immorality.

    The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise, the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does (1 Corinthians 7:3–4).

    Some Corinthian Christians had apparently adopted the view that sexual relations of any kind, even within marriage, should be avoided. Paul seeks to refute this view, by writing explicitly about the marital duty of couples. He pointed out that the husband has a sexual duty to his wife (referred to here as “conjugal rights”), just as the wife has to her husband, which the NIV refers to as their “marital duty.” Neither partner has the right, without good cause, to refuse the other.

    Paul expressed his view wisely. The wife’s body doesn’t belong to her alone, but also to her husband. Likewise, the husband’s body does not belong to him alone, but also to his wife. They equally have authority over one another’s bodies.

    Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. Now as a concession, not a command, I say this (1 Corinthians 7:5–6).

    Ideally, Christian spouses should not deprive their partners sexually, except by mutual consent for a time so that they may devote themselves to prayer. Throughout the Old Testament, there were times of special religious activities, such as fasting, which included sexual abstinence (1 Samuel 21:4–5). Once this period of prayer and abstinence was over, couples were to return to normal sexual activity so that Satan would not tempt them to get involved in illegitimate sexual relations. Paul’s intent wasn’t commanding periods of abstinence, nor did he advocate that couples deprive each other.

    I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another (1 Corinthians 7:7).

    In saying that he wished others were as I myself am, he was apparently referring to his being unmarried. Not much is known about Paul’s marital history. Some scholars have contended that it is likely he was married at one time, since he had been ordained as a rabbi, and rabbis were typically married. In any case, Paul was single when he wrote this letter, and admitted that he saw some advantages to being unmarried and referred to it as a gift. He also understood that God doesn’t call all people to be single. Each person has their own gift from God, who blesses one person with the call to be married and another with the call to remain single. By pointing out that God gives different people different gifts, Paul took away any reproach that might have fallen on those who are married.

    To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am (1 Corinthians 7:8).

    Paul went on to address the unmarried and widows. He advised them that it was good for them to stay unmarried. His viewpoint didn’t contradict what was written in Genesis. Genesis set up marriage as a creational pattern that is natural, proper, generally good for people, and a central part of God’s plan for human flourishing (Genesis 1:27–28). Yet Paul recognized that celibacy had some benefits over marriage in some situations, and both should be considered “gifts.”

    But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion (1 Corinthians 7:9).

    While Paul’s view was that it was best for people to remain single, as he was, most people weren’t going to do that. So, while being unmarried might be best in that it can enable single-minded devotion to the Lord’s work, Paul recognized that it is not the norm, and widows and unmarried people should marry if they cannot exercise self-control.

    To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife (1 Corinthians 7:10–11).

    Paul now addresses divorce between two believers. He introduced his command by pointing out that Jesus himself authorized this view. As an apostle, Paul established guidelines for the church. He didn’t need to appeal to the Lord (not I, but the Lord), but he did so here to give his words more weight.

    He stated the general policy that was to be followed: the wife should not separate from her husband. He followed with an instruction for the men: the husband should not divorce his wife. The term separate as used here was equivalent to divorce. So wives and husbands were not to separate/divorce their spouses. Jesus declared sexual immorality a legitimate ground for divorce (Matthew 19:9), and Paul stated that desertion was also grounds for divorce (1 Corinthians 7:15). With these two exceptions in mind, Paul clearly stated that believers were not to divorce.

    He knew that divorce happened among believers, and in the case of illegitimate divorce, Paul gave two choices: remain unmarried or reconcile with the original spouse. He didn’t comment on what to do if attempts at reconciliation were rejected.

    To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him (1 Corinthians 7:12–13).

    Paul now addressed the rest, referring to believers married to nonbelievers. He makes the point that this teaching is his own and not from the Lord. However, this doesn’t lessen the authority of his teaching, for as an apostle he spoke on behalf of the Lord. He was making the point that to his knowledge, Jesus had not spoken about marriages between believers and unbelievers during His life.

    Paul taught that believers shouldn’t divorce their unbelieving spouses if the unbelieving spouse was willing to live with the believing spouse. While religious differences between spouses could lead to tension among married couples, Paul stated that religious differences weren’t necessarily legitimate grounds for divorce.

    For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy (1 Corinthians 7:14).

    Paul explained his position in two ways. First, the unbelieving husband or unbelieving wife has been sanctified through the believing spouse. The phrase made holy (sanctified in some translations) denotes being made special or set apart for God’s use or purpose. It doesn’t mean that these unbelievers were redeemed. If they had been, then they wouldn’t have been called unbelieving. Rather, through their believing spouses, the unbelieving spouses participate in the community of the people of God.

    The situation is different in each marriage. Some unbelieving spouses will eventually become believers through their believing spouse, while others won’t respond to this influence. At least these unbelievers have contact with the gospel and Christian influence in a way that others never experience.

    Paul assumes a teaching which is found throughout the Bible: the children of believers are special in God’s eyes, even though they are not redeemed. The term holy comes from the same root as sanctified earlier in this verse. These children are not necessarily believers, but they are expected heirs to the relationship which their believing parent has with God.

    But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace (1 Corinthians 7:15).

    While there was a possibility that the unbelieving partner might be influenced in such mixed marriages, Paul knew that unbelievers often didn’t want to remain in the marriage. Because of this, he added that if the unbelieving spouse chooses to leave, the believing spouse should let them do so. Believers aren’t obligated in such circumstances to keep their marriage together.

    For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife? (1 Corinthians 7:16)

    Paul called for believers to exercise careful consideration when it comes to divorcing an unbelieving spouse. We can’t know how God will use someone in the life of an unbelieving spouse. Often a believing husband or wife will become the means through which an unbeliever comes to faith.

    (To be continued.)

    Note
    Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

     

  • Jan 8 1 Corinthians: Chapter 6 (verses 1–20)
  • Dec 10 Practicing All the Virtues
  • Nov 26 Virtues for Christ-Followers: Self-control
  • Nov 12 1 Corinthians: Chapter 5 (verses 1–13)
  • Oct 29 Virtues for Christ-Followers: Gentleness
  • Oct 15 Virtues for Christ-Followers: Faithfulness
  • Oct 1 Virtues for Christ-Followers: Goodness
  • Sep 17 1 Corinthians: Chapter 4 (verses 15–21)
  • Sep 3 Virtues for Christ-Followers: Kindness
   

Beliefs

More…
  • The Family International (TFI) is an international online Christian community committed to sharing the message of God’s love with people around the globe. We believe that everyone can have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, which affords happiness and peace of mind, as well as the motivation to help others and to share the good news of His love.

Mission

More…
  • The primary goal of the Family International is to improve the quality of life of others by sharing the life-giving message of love, hope, and salvation found in God’s Word. We believe that God's love—applied on a practical level to our daily lives—is the key to resolving many of society's problems, even in the complex and fast-paced world of today. Through imparting the hope and guidance found in the Bible’s teachings, we believe that we can work toward building a better world—changing the world, one heart at a time.

Values

More…
  • Pursuing God’s Spirit

    We desire to know and understand the truth of God’s Word, the essence of His divine nature. We value the foundational principles of the written Word, hearing from God, and following His guidance.

About TFI

TFI Online is a community site for members of The Family International. TFI is an international Christian fellowship committed to sharing the message of God’s love with people around the globe.

Visit our main website if you would like to know more about what TFI is all about.

If you are a TFI member, sign in to view more content.

Latest Series

More…
1 and 2 Thessalonians
A study of Paul’s epistles to the Thessalonians and how these teachings apply today.
The Heart of It All: Foundations of Christian Theology
A book compiled from a series of articles covering the basics of Christian doctrine.
Living Christianity
Applying the teachings of the Bible to our daily lives and decisions.