[364 words] “Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land” (Song of Songs 2:12). I have always liked spring. The flowers of spring are beautiful and amazing in their detail and intricate design. Spring is a time...
[343 words] The dictionary defines the word “mistake” this way: “a misunderstanding of the the meaning or implication of something; a wrong action or statement proceeding from faulty judgment or inadequate knowledge.” Most of us would admit that we know plenty about...
[356 words] While recently reading from Moses Lard’s Commentary on Paul’s Letter to Romans, my attention was captured by a sentence from Lard on the following text: “There is no fear of God before their eyes” ( Romans 3:18). Among Lard’s comments on the...
[361 words] The story is told of a missionary who once visited a very primitive tribe of people. These people had very little contact with the outside world, and they were totally unfamiliar with many things we take for granted. One of the things they had never before...
[362 words] My grandpa once told me that, “If I knew I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself.” What I took as a joke as a young kid, I now value in adulthood. People sometimes replace a goodbye with the phrase, “Take care of yourself.”...
[386 words] The prophet Amos preached to a people hard of heart. As he spoke the words of the Lord, the Lord said through him, that He (the Lord) was the reason for their suffering. Though they suffered the people refused to give any attention to the instructive...
[350 words] In Acts 24 we read of a sermon that was delivered to Felix: “But some days later Felix arrived with Drusilla, his wife who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. But as he was discussing righteousness, self-control...
[311 words] Psalm 103, attributed to David, is a wonderful psalm of thanksgiving. It would help us greatly if we read it frequently and remembered its lessons constantly. We immediately notice that expression “Bless the Lord,” repeated five times within the twenty-two...
[378 words] “Furthermore, in your bedchamber do not curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich man, for a bird of the heavens will carry the sound and the winged creature will make the matter known” (Ecclesiastes 10:20 NASU). “A birdie told me” Mom...
[376 words] A young girl of 14 gave birth to twins in a small town in Ohio. Afterwards, she disappeared -- never to heard from again. The twin babies were adopted by two families in separate towns in Ohio. Jim Springer and Jim Lewis grew up not knowing each other...
[346 words] “These are the things you are to teach and insist on” (1 Timothy 6:2). Paul makes this statement to Timothy in his letter making it clear that Timothy is to pass on to others what he has been taught. This is a message that needs to be passed on to us as...
[309 words] We have reduced the church to a counseling center helping people cope! God made the church a salvation center teaching people how to live. We do not merely need therapy—we need the WORD! We don’t just need Bible scholars—we need Bible lovers! If you honor...
[323 words] I do not usually think of snow when I think of the events recorded in the Bible. Most of the time I think of the things that I read about taking place in an arid hot climate, but that is not the case at all. The climate around Jerusalem is surprisingly...
[310 words] Horace Porter, a lieutenant colonel and personal secretary to General Ulysses Grant during the American Civil War, wrote about a conversation he had with the famous general one evening while they were sitting by a campfire. Porter commented, “General, it...
[321 words] Sometimes, it seems that during my daily Bible reading, scriptures come along that speaks to the moment. Politically, the United States has had a volatile year. We have been exposed to political unrest through TV and social media in vivid and sometimes,...
[370 words] Influence is the force by which we have an effect upon the life of another person. We each have influence. The power of your influence is staggering. You want to be a good influence for Christ! Attempts are made to minimize the power of individual...
[306 words] The people of God desire and strive to honor Him above all else. We wake each morning with the call to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). We understand the...
[304 words] “Need be bear monster.” With hurricane Irma bearing down on Florida in September of 2017, officials in Manatee County held a press conference aimed at warning residents of the impending danger. Being “in a pinch” to have a sign language interpreter at the...
[304 words] I came across this article in the book, Grandma Says by Chrissy Lynn. “As a child, I watched my grandmother create magnificent quilts out of scraps. She was from a different time – almost a different culture. The Great Depression taught her to use what she...
[356 words] Q: Has the term “church of Christ” become a denomination in the minds of people? A: Obviously, yes. Many people outside the church call us “church of Christer’s.” They do not understand what we mean by the phrase “the church.” In some people’s minds, a...
[300 words] The stereotypical view of artistry is of the chaotic genius giving birth to great works of art and music in fits of creative energy. One moment a blank canvas, the next a masterpiece; one instant an empty score, the next a symphony. However, an...
[364 words] Jesus did not quit meeting with His disciples because Judas was a thief, nor because Peter was fickle at times. He didn’t quit preaching and living right because some of His brethren were unforgiving and unkind. He did not quit His post of leadership...
[376 words] The zeal with which people will pursue the toy that their kid wants most for Christmas is astounding. Every year seems to have a new fad—a new massively hard-to-purchase toy. A few years ago it was “Shopkins” (tiny collectable rubber toys). When stores...
[362 words] Although each person is different in how they respond, there are many common reasons why people may experience loneliness. Each of us will face events in our lives that may lead us to feel alone, rejected, or out of place. The Bible records many of these...
[318 words] ‘Twas the night Jesus came and all through the house,not a person was praying, not me or my spouse.The Bible was left on the shelf without care,for no one had thought the Lord would come there.The children were dressing to crawl into bed,not once ever...
[318 words] Mark chapter 2 (as well as Mathew 9 and Luke 5) records the time that Jesus Christ healed a paralyzed man—one who had to be carried by his friends. The report begins by telling us Jesus was wildly popular at this particular time: “And many were gathered...
[323 words] The sole business of the church is souls. The church is souls in love with God and one another. The church is souls weeping and rejoicing together, laughing and praying together, eating and singing together. The church is souls looking upward, in praise,...
[370 words] In John 4, Jesus makes the decision to go from Judea to Galilee (v.3). Samaria lay between the two. John 4:4 states, “But He needed to go through Samaria” (v.4). Most of us well know that the Jews and the Samaritans were bitter enemies. In fact, many Jews...
[370 words] Paul began his second letter to the Thessalonian church with these encouraging words, “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another...
[394 words] In Rom. 5:21, Paul states that eternal life is through “Jesus Christ our Lord.” That threefold name of our Savior is an interesting progression that we must go through to truly have salvation in Him. Jesus. Jesus was His given name. Although it means...
[345 words] Paper dolls, paper people that came with paper clothes and could be cut out and played with. They never were a very durable toy, but they could be printed on the back of a cereal box cheaply and kids could get a free toy to play with. What happened when...
[342 words] Life is in need of Courage. Some men prepare themselves for the battle ahead mustering up courage to engage. For some, try as they might, it does not come easy. The battle is engaged, they learn they had more within than they realized. Some Christians...
[321 words] ls it “Turkey Day" or “Thanksgiving?” This question came to me a few days ago as I read an ad in the newspaper regarding the upcoming holiday. But I wonder if the renaming of Thanksgiving is not filled with cultural overtones. Church attendance has been in...
[327 words] It was shocking, to say the least. In July, 2017, James Dunn, a disabled man, drowned in a Florida retention pond. There is a disturbing video to prove it. Standing on the shore was a group of five teens – ages 14-19 – watching James Dunn drown. Instead...
[321 words] Samaria was under siege. The city was cut off from resupply. Prices for fuel and food skyrocketed. Things that would not be considered food became meals, even children (2nd Kings 6:24-29). It seemed all hope was lost. Yet God had a plan. The army that...
[363 words] My daddy was a man of many talents. He thawed frozen water pipes under the house during the winter, repaired bicycles, house fans, was a great cook and even overhauled a car engine in our drive-way. When I was old enough, my job was to always hold the...
[388 words] One of the most divisive and chaotic election campaigns has come to an end. During this time Christians in America have faced many opportunities to exercise patience and let our faith shine. Chances are each of us have experienced some failures and some...
[350 words] Madge Wallace hated Harry Truman. Well, it was said she didn’t care much for anyone in Independence, Missouri but she seemed to really have it in for Harry. To her, he was just a “filthy farm boy.” Early on, she might have a point. Harry lost his family...
[394 words] Of course morality can be legislated. More than that, morality must be legislated. We all believe it to be so. Consider theft: We demand our government protect our property and punish the thief because we know that it is immoral to steal. Consider...
[300 words] “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” (Romans 14:19). Edification is not a word we use in everyday life. We don’t hear or read about it in the news. It’s not usually found on any TV drama or comedy....
[350 words] Every time I go swimming in the ocean, someone inevitably warns me: watch out for sharks! I always do, but I’ve never seen one, I’ve never heard the “bom-bom-bom-bom” music that plays in the background when sharks come near! And it’s a good thing, because...
[381 words] Webster’s dictionary defines calamity as: “a disastrous event marked by great loss and lasting distress and suffering.” Without a doubt 2020 could be deemed the year of calamities. When pandemics, hurricanes, or wildfires hit, the question is asked by...
[333 words] According to Numbers 13, when the spies returned from their forty days of investigating the land God had promised them, there was a divided opinion presented to the people. It was not a difference involving facts. All twelve spies agreed that the land was...
[338 words] “Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life” (Proverbs 4:13). I won’t forget that day on the mountain. It was our first time for snow skiing, so lessons were suggested. Not me, I had been on water skis many times. I could...
[323 words] Charles and his wife were devastated. Their little girl, Annie, had died. Charles blamed himself and his wife because they were first cousins. While such inbreeding can cause birth defects, this was not the cause of Annie’s death. She, most likely, died of...
[322 words] "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil" (Psalm 23:4). We live in a fearful age: Covid-19, quarantines, economic uncertainty, riots, and Chinese communist belligerence. Many are incapacitated with uncertainty and...
[318 words] On the evening of September 13, 1814 an American diplomat found himself stuck on a British vessel watching a fierce bombardment of Baltimore's Fort McHenry. The state of affairs looked grim. As he spent the night detained by the enemy, Francis Scott Key...
[366 words] The history of Gideon is fascinating. There is a reason why his story is so commonly shared with young people at Vacation Bible School, etc. But before he was smashing jars and blowing trumpets (Judges 7:19-21), he was wrestling with difficult...
[309 words] I have given a lot of thought on how to describe God’s grace, and I have come up with the following: Grace is like a tree. Now, stay with me on this: Only God can make a tree. As we know from the famous poem, only God can make a tree and only God can give...
[377 words] Everyone who has ever spent any time hiking or hunting in the forests of our land, knows of the possibility of getting lost. Some time ago, a teenager hunting in the Rocky Mountains with his father, discovered firsthand what it means to be lost. The young...