“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12, ESV In that single sentence, the apostle collapses age barriers, cultural expectations, and spiritual excuses:...
“In which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.” Ephesians 2:2 ”I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2...
In 1994, I had the immense joy of marrying Audrey. We had been friends throughout our teenage years, and this friendship developed into love, nurtured by our mutual devotion to the Lord and His people. Audrey’s father was the first person to share the Gospel with our...
"It's a boy!" I gazed at my new son with excitement after a difficult and premature labor. His unusually shaped head caught me off guard as I noticed his large eyes open wide, as if to say, "I made it this far, Mom, now it's up to you." There was only quietness, no...
The book of Jonah is a prophetic book, yet it does not present prophecies in the same way as other biblical books in its genre. Instead, it is a story about the prophet himself. As we read Jonah, one important question must be asked: If God were to write a book...
The appearing of the grace of God in Christ changes everything, a game changer, or rather, a life changer (2:11). The appearing of the kindness of God our Savior has saved us, giving the believer a whole new life through the Holy Spirit (3:4-5). God’s gospel gives...
Some of the most pivotal teachings the Lord Jesus ever gave to believers were delivered to those first disciples in the Upper Room, just hours before He would die. As recorded for us in John 13–17, the Master was preparing them to carry on and thrive as His...
Spring arrives; seeds are planted, and the farmer looks for signs of growth. A baby is born to joyful parents, full of hope for steady growth into adulthood. Yet, tragically, growth does not always come. Crops sometimes fail, and a child may stumble in development...
"And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might...
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...