Living Memorials, Fruitful Palms

Before doing this short Bible study, please read the 1-minute introduction Why Genuine Believers are Like Palm Trees. 

I love Psalm 92. When we walk with the Lord, we testify to the fact that our lives have purpose and our faithfulness brings rewards. 

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Ponder the following passages and ask God to help you grow like a Palm tree: fruitful, resilient, and according to His design and purposes. Write down the descriptions of God's character, the descriptions of the ungodly, and the descriptions of the godly that are mentioned in this psalm.

Psalm 92 in the Amplified Bible: It is a good and delightful thing to give thanks to the Lord, To sing praises to Your name, O Most High,2 To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning. And Your faithfulness by night,3 With an instrument of ten strings and with the harp, With a solemn sound on the lyre.4 For You, O Lord, have made me glad by Your works;  At the works of Your hands I joyfully sing.5 How great are Your works, O Lord! 

Your thoughts are very deep [beyond man’s understanding].6 A senseless man [in his crude and uncultivated state] knows nothing. Nor does a [self-righteous] fool understand this:7 That though the wicked sprout up like grass. And all evildoers flourish, They will be destroyed forever.8 But You, Lord, are on high forever.9 For behold, Your enemies, O Lord, For behold, Your enemies will perish; All who do evil will be scattered.10 But my horn [my emblem of strength and power] You have exalted like that of a wild ox; I am anointed with fresh oil [for Your service].11 My eye has looked on my foes; My ears hear of the evildoers who rise up against me.12 The righteous will flourish like the date palm [long-lived, upright and useful]; They will grow like a cedar in Lebanon [majestic and stable]. 

13 Planted in the house of the Lord, They will flourish in the courts of our God.14 [Growing in grace] they will still thrive and bear fruit and prosper in old age; They will flourish and be vital and fresh [rich in trust and love and contentment];15 [They are living memorials] to declare that the Lord is upright and faithful [to His promises];He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

Note:  If you are not familiar with the Amplified Bible, the publisher explains its use of brackets this way: "The Amplified Bible is a translation that, by using synonyms and definitions, both explains and expands the meaning of words in the text by placing amplification in parentheses and brackets and after key words or phrases. This unique system of translation allows the reader to more completely grasp the meaning of the words as they were understood in the original languages."

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Both Psalm 92 and Romans 12 give us reasons for our devotion to God:

Romans 12:1-2: Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

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This Psalm is a good daily prayer:

Psalm 19:14: May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. 

copyright 2015, Gail Burton Purath, BiteSizeBibleStudy.com, updated and edited in 2025

Faith + Nothing = Salvation + Works

Before doing this Bible study, please read the one-minute introduction: Why Salvation Always Leads to Good Works. It explains that good works are not required for salvation, but once we are saved, our love for Christ motivates us to do good works.

Consider how the passages below confirm these truths:

John 14:15,23: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments ... “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him."

Galatians 6:9: Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

2 Timothy 3:16-17: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Hebrews 10:24: And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds

James 2:14-26: 14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.  


copyright 2015, Gail Burton Purath, BiteSizeBibleStudy.com, edited and updated in 2025

What About Those Who Hate Christ?

Before doing this study, please read the one-minute introduction Those Who Hate Him: Misleading Evangelism. It talks about the danger of telling unbelievers that God loves everyone, even those who hate Him. 

While there are some elements of truth in that statement, it is dangerously misleading. Yes, God is Love (1 John 4:8), and He loves the whole world so He offers His son for our sins. But He hates wickedness. And those who refuse to turn from their wicked unbelief will be sent to Hell. 

I encourage you to examine each of the Scriptures below and consider how they should inspire us to share Christ honestly with unbelievers.

Remember that God's Word convicts people of sin and draws them to salvation. We don't need to sugarcoat the gospel to bring people to the Lord. Evangelism means sharing the bad news before explaining the good news.

Psalm 11:5: The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence, he hates with a passion.

Proverbs 6:16-19: There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

Romans 1:18-20: The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

Revelation 21:8: But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. 

Revelation 20:15: Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. 

1 Corinthians 6:9-11: Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 

John 3:36: Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them. 

Romans 2:5,8:  But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed... But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 

Ephesians 5:6: Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 

For further insights from R.C. Sproul and John MacArthur check out this 5 minute video HERE.

copyright 2015, Gail Burton Purath, BiteSizeBibleStudy.com, edited and updated 2025