[414 words] Nations reap what they sow just as individuals do. “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God” (Psa. 9:17). This happens partly because rebellion against God is by nature self-destructive and partly because God...
[472 words] We often rehearse what God has done for us in centuries now past, and such is proper. God created the world, made man, provided our salvation though Christ, and established the church. We are thankful for these mighty works of the past. Yet, we must not...
[433 words] A couple of weeks ago I shared some observations from the book Point Man by Steve Farrar. The specific observation was dealing with Christians who are starving (anorexic) due to a lack of time spent in reading God’s Word and in prayer. Mr. Farrar also...
[470 words] These words spoken by Jesus memorialize the actions of a woman who anointed his head with a very valuable ointment. Several denounced the apparent waste of this expensive item, saying that it should have been sold to help the poor. Jesus defended her with...
[438 words] In the 1100s, in an effort to protect travelers going from northern Spain over the Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia (Dogs of God, Reston, 50), a military force known as the hermandads (“the brotherhood”) was organized. Soon, these vigilantes...
[419 words] Talk about going to extremes! A man in Maine took a Sawzall and cut his neighbor’s garage in half. Since part of the structure was on his property, Gabriel Brawn had a legal right to do it. The overlapping garage hadn’t been a problem for years, as his...
[444 words] “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9). I was reading this passage the other day, and a...
[427 words] The past two months have drastically changed our thinking. If you don’t think so, go into a public place and start coughing and see the reactions (on second thought, don’t do that). There will always be a “BC” (before COVID) means of thinking, and there...
[402 words] Growing up I rode the bus to school. I can only remember one bus driver. Our school district must have been very desperate for drivers because there was a stop sign near the school which she ran over on a regular basis. One morning while I was on the bus,...
[468 words] Faithful Christians have a strong desire to attend worship services. To worship God is a commandment, but it is also a high, exalted privilege. Wonderful things happen during worship. God’s people teach and admonish one another (Colossians 3:16). We...
[494 words] Covid-19 is like sin. Covid-19 has quickly spread around the globe, and although not everyone gets this virus dies, it has caused many deaths and has disrupted many lives. It reminds me a lot of sin, yet sin is far more dangerous. Rom. 3:23 states, “for...
[455 words] God has made great promises to those who live for Christ. Consider what Paul wrote about living for Christ: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For...
[469 words] A man named Gideon demolished an altar to Baal. As you can imagine Baal worshipers were not a huge fan of that action. People tend to take slights to their god very personally. Re-member what happen when the Ephesians accused Paul of making life difficult...
[402 words] In Matthew 8:28-34 Jesus deals with legions of demons. They come running to Him: “And behold, they cried out, saying, "What do we have to do with You, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?" (Matthew...
[452 words] Jesus explained to the disciples that He spoke in parables, “...because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand” (Matthew 13:13). Parables were stories teaching practical lessons to those who wanted to hear...
[423 words] Sin has a cost. That’s a concept we should be careful not to forget. If we do committing sin becomes much less of a big deal. (At least in our own minds). I think this is a reason why Israel’s law commanded a thief to give back more than he stole. Think...
[429 words] In this current crisis, some people are experiencing challenges using time wisely. Many people have time on their hands! But one benefit of this change is that our “no time” excuse for not devoting time to God has been taken away. While contemplating this...
[405 words] Of all the seasons, I think I enjoy watching springtime come more than any of the others. After the long slumber of gloomy winter, it’s so wonderful seeing the earth awaken with the grass greening, trees budding, flowers blooming, busy birds flitting...
[428 words] “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Phil. 2:3-4). Two locations are widely recognized as the most...
[407 words] In one of Jesus’ parables a servant was handed a mina (a piece of valuable currency). There were clear instructions on what to do with it: “Put this money to work…until I come back” (Luke 19:13). Some of his fellow servants did a great job with this. They...
[408 words] Have you been struggling with some feelings of hopelessness lately? Whenever we have a hard time seeing the end in sight or we face uncertainty or are exposed to fears and anxieties, it can undermine our determination to have hope. Yet, over a hundred...
[420 words] I have loved living in Alabama for the past two years, but there’s one major problem I’ve run into since moving: the mosquitos. These bugs are a nightmare. The one good thing about the winter is there aren’t any of these blood sucking demons. It honestly...
[451 words] All of us are being impacted by the temporary shutdowns and physical distancing. We need to do our part to take care of ourselves and our families. This week I want us to look at some practical ways to help us through this time. Our mental health is...
[464 words] Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher hold the record for the longest marriage in American history: 86 years, 290 days. When asked to explain their secret, Zelmyra said, “There is no secret. It’s God who has kept us together.” She was not implying that marriage was...
[491 words] I am as low as a person can be! There is no one that seems to have an interest in me; I can’t even buy a friend to shovel dirt on me at the time of my anticipated burial. I wait on the Lord, but does He want to give any attention to me. My humiliation is...
[426 words] Alexander III was Tsar of Russia from 1881-1894. His rule was marked by repression, and in particular by persecution of Jews. His wife, Maria Fedorovna, provided a stark contrast, being known for her generosity to those in need. On one occasion her husband...
[458 words] A very interesting word occurs in a familiar Bible passage that helps us to understand something of our Christian lives upon the earth. The passage is Heb. 12:1-2 and the word translated “race.” “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a...
[413 words] Have you ever noticed the affect culture and trends have on our lives? Think about it. Doesn’t almost every person you know own an iPhone or smart phone of some sort? Things like movies, sports, clothing, and music have great influence over people. But do...
[440 words] Any person interested in religion will inevitably be exposed to new ideas he has never considered. This is a natural part of the growth process. Some ideas that seem new may actually be ancient, being rooted in sound Biblical teaching (Jeremiah 6:16)....
[495 words] James 3 concerning the tongue is fascinating. In a series of word-pictures, James describes the control of large ships and the control of powerful horses by tiny, man-made devices, before stating that all the animals of the land and sea have been “tamed”...
[445 words] With the winter holidays just around the corner, we will all be seeing items and hearing stories related to the season. As such, I just read about the fact that there is a website known as emailsanta.com where young ones may write an electronic letter to...
[406 words] Has worship become a lost art? I'm afraid that many of us go through the motions without ever really reaching out to God. Consequently, we tend to leave a service much as we came in. Before long there is the tendency to dismiss the whole concept of...
[465 words] One of the hamstrings of most every church is a lack of dependable Christians. When Christians do show themselves undependable, they contribute so much to a church: much frustration, disappointment, and friction. We should all be dependable. You probably...
[435 words] It was toward the end of March in 2006. A tragedy took place in a small west Tennessee town. The news of the tragedy quickly spread through the town, across the state, and then throughout the nation. The various news networks in our nation reported the...
[497 words] “Isn’t it enough to give? As long as I’m giving, does it matter why? Does it really matter what my motivation is?” Think about this for a moment and consider what Scripture has to teach us. Much of the giving in the early church was done to help brethren...
[402 words] Many times, I will hear a person say, “I really feel sorry for them” when hearing about someone else’s difficult situation. We may label such feelings as compassionate, because many dictionaries define compassion something along the line of “Sympathetic...
[442 words] It seems like such an easy question and answer, and it is. And even though we have tried to explain the need for baptism, we continue to struggle with what it does and is it really necessary? Before presenting several simple answers to the question, it is...
[416 words] The Christian life can be very challenging. Due to the many obstacles and trials Christians encounter, we need to “let patience work.” James wrote the following about the need to let patience work: “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers...
[441 words] Job had been sitting on the ground in misery. Everything had been taken from him. He showed amazing restraint after losing all his possessions. Even more incredible self-control was on display when he was told about the death of his children. Even after...
[464 words] Building godly character is hard work. “Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness;...
[434 words] There’s a new heat pump on the south end of the “preacher’s home.” I was there when the repair guys were pulling out the old one. The compressor died. It was no big surprise as all mechanical things fail, wear out, or break, sooner or later. However, there...
[409 words] Most of us enjoy the feelings we get when we are in the middle of a crowd. The thrill of the football stadium crowd, the shared enthusiasm when our team scores, and even the disappointment when they lose, are all factors of our delight in this type of...
[425 words] God, who alone knows the future, set the regulations for Israel’s kings long before the people asked Samuel for one. All the way back in Deuteronomy the law for the king was clearly described. The king must be an Israelite. He must not acquire many horses...
[483 words] Surely you mean “the patience of Job.” Or, perhaps you meant to write “the patience of God.” You can’t possibly mean “the patience of Satan.” And even though it sounds a bit absurd, that is exactly what I meant to write. And better yet, is the need for us...
[498 words] The story is told of a man who called the phone company to complain about how his name was listed in the directory. He angrily insisted, "My name is Sweady, but this is the second time you've mistakenly spelled it Cyirwu." "I'm sorry,” the customer service...
[482 words] “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17). Christians, in some ways, are like anyone else. We all have a tendency to become lax about matters that should be basic and indispensable. It is like eating well. Anyone can...
[462 words] Galatians 5: 22-23 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." This well-known passage commonly inspires us to set a goal of pursuing...
[413 words] Why will a man throw away the wife of his youth and the children she bore him, all for a "one night stand?" Adults use profanity in public and in front of children. Society is plagued by constant news reports of murder, abuse, rape and theft. Even in a...
[402 words] Father's Day, what does it mean to you? Its meaning has changed for me over the years. When I was young' it was a day to wear a red rose to church. It was a day to say, "Thanks Dad for all the things you do." Later, when I became a dad, it took on a deeper...
[448 words] To purpose to give is a godly pursuit that many spend little if any thought. However, the Lord expects us to determine in our hearts to give sacrificially and happily and joyfully. “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly...