This is an excerpt from the third chapter of By Water and the Word: God’s Gift of Baptism for You by Brian Thomas (1517 Publishing, 2026), pgs 52-60.
Even when the bitter places sink down deep into our bones, the Restorer never relinquishes his grip on you.
To Live Well is therefore not a general advice book, but a message suffused with the gospel.

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When the One who created the world comes to you, there is reason for courage and never reason to fear.
When we read about Noah, we are reading backward to Adam and forward to Jesus.
Blessed are we, for we are filled by the cornucopia of Christ’s righteousness.
The LORD promises He Himself will gather up the remnants and they will prosper under His shepherding.
No matter how divided Jew and Gentile were, they were united in their sin. Christ alone is the answer to this.
Because Jesus turns desolate, dying places into holy landscapes of life.
The only one rightful heir of the kingdom of God, inherits from us, our cross, and descends into the kingdom of the damned.
I would understand if you were a bit offended. This looks more like Game of Thrones than the Kingdom of God.
This opening section of Ephesians is a virtual treasure trove of gospel promises, praising God for who He is and the abundant blessings He pours out upon His saints.
In spite of the many issues of unfaithfulness, the LORD still refers to them as, “My people Israel,” pointing to the Covenantal promise.
The giver of life, the source of joy, stands weeping together with the human family as they grieve under the curse of sin.
Mankind’s “thoughts and ways” on the matter of pardon and forgiveness do not even come close to exhausting, let alone fathoming, God’s “thoughts and ways.”