The Christian life has sometimes been compared to a spiritual pilgrimage; an onerous journey strewn with tests, trials and unforeseen obstacles encountered along the way. Scripture often uses the word “walk” in this context, which is totally understandable considering...
When Paul met the Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus (circa 37 AD) he asked this pivotal question: “Lord, what do You want me to do” (Acts 9:6)? The Lord answered in simple terms and, rather than allowing the pride of his lofty position to cloud his judgment,...
The Christian life is not a playground; it is a battlefield. Scripture makes it clear that every believer faces enemies that seek to weaken, distract, and even destroy their faith. These enemies are not figments of the imagination, nor are they relics of an ancient...
The description of King Solomon’s servants is an outstanding feature in the account of the queen of Sheba’s visit to personally discover the greatness of his kingdom. Besides noticing the vast wealth and the unequaled wisdom that Solomon possessed, the queen noticed...
The title “Man of God” occurs often in the Old Testament but only twice in the New Testament. Both references are in Paul’s letters to Timothy. In 1 Timothy 6:11, where Timothy is addressed as a “man of God,” Paul gives directions for Timothy’s life and by extension...
The strivings of self-willed men affect God’s people, but our God is above the river of strivings! The Lord’s People and the River Fleshly men fight and self-will leads to ongoing strife. These strivings often cause turmoil and the subsequent turbulence regularly...
In the classic book “Pilgrim’s Progress” the author John Bunyan wrote, “And Patience was willing to wait.”1 One of the most important aspects of divine guidance is the principle of waiting upon the Lord. In the Psalms, Proverbs, and many other books of the Bible, we...
In 2018, the US National Spelling Bee was won by Karthik Nemmani, an eighth grader from McKinney, Texas, who correctly spelled “koinonia.” Koinonia is a word that has been transliterated into our English language from the original Greek. It means...
Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren and for strangers…we therefore ought to receive such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth. 3 John 1:5-8 In the New Testament, we often admire apostles like Peter for his preaching, Paul for his...
In ancient times the narrow Gaza Strip, measuring 140 square miles, was given the name Philistia by the Greeks. The Philistines were an aggressive, warlike “Sea People” who arrived on the southern shores of the Mediterranean from Crete in about 1208 B.C. After an...
In bringing Israel across the Jordan, the Lord taught them that He was with them as He was in previous generations. They could with confidence know He was the living God and could confidently go forward with Him in faith (Josh. 3:10; 4:21-24). Have you gone forward...
The stadium was packed, everyone was on their feet, the shouting in the stands drowning out the sound of an airline jet passing overhead. The fans were going crazy as the two teams battled in the last few minutes of the game. It was the Super Bowl and both teams were...
A suitable outline for Psalm 73 is:An outward look (vv.4-11)An inward look (vv.2-3,14-16)An upward look (vv.17-20)A forward look (vv.21-28) Doctrinally Asaph had sound theology as seen in his statement “truly God is good to Israel, to such as are pure in heart.” This...
Daniel was a remarkable man who possessed enormous ability and rose to a position of great importance. He had arrived in Babylon as a captive from his home city of Jerusalem and never returned. From that destitute position he became the administrator of the greatest...
A Glance at Current Events As we look at the world around us, many believers feel that the return of the Lord Jesus is near at hand. Only the Father knows the day of Christ’s return and we have no way of predicting when it may occur. We refer to the “imminent return”...
God’s People in the Age of Entitlement Just as history has termed the 17th century “The Age of Enlightenment,” the times of Malachi may accurately be called “The Age of Entitlement.” As if casting a shadow into the distant future, the attitudes rampant in Malachi’s...
I recently suffered a sports injury that acutely drove home a spiritual truth to me. After tearing the anterior ligament on my right ankle, I learned, very painfully, the truth that we are all members of one body, and that each member has a vital role to play. In the...
If we want our assemblies to be alive, our worship must be alive, and in turn, so must our music. Many will agree that music reaches and expresses our deepest feelings more powerfully than words alone. Our worship is redeemed man’s loving and living response to God,...
Having a close friend is priceless. It is even better when there is a friendly family where you can rest, relax, and enjoy times of laughter, or counsel together about the problems and difficulties that always seem to come into our lives. The Lord Jesus had such a...
There is a well-known Christian poem called “The Touch of the Master’s Hand,” also sometimes called “The Old Violin,” written by Myra Brooks Welch in 1921. This poem describes the story of an old, unwanted violin that was about to be sold for a pittance as the...