My mother used to tell of the days when she worked at a bank and signatures on checks were verified by the process of matching signatures to a signature record on file. A mismatch would most likely mean forgery. The person forging a signature on a check is pretending to be someone he is not. … [Read more…]
1 Chronicles 21 David had sinned in taking a census of Israel and had confessed his sin to God. But the punishment, which David chose among three options, was a plague of three days upon the land. Seventy thousand men of Israel fell in the plague before David begged that the Lord’s hand be against … [Read more…]
With the new year often comes new year resolutions. A resolution is “a course of action determined or decided on” (American Heritage Dictionary). While the coming of a new year prompts us to think of changes we want to make in our lives, what does the Bible say about when the right time is to … [Read more…]
Physically, children and youth can hardly wait to “grow up.” “When I grow up, I’ll do this or that,” they say. Growing up is a positive thing and highly desired. Spiritually, we ought to have the same desire – to grow up. God is interested not only in our salvation (1 Timothy 2:4) but in … [Read more…]
“Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: ‘The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, “What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?” So he said, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I … [Read more…]
In no uncertain terms, the Bible teaches children of God to “flee fornication” (I Corinthians 6:18). To flee is to run away from a place or situation of danger. What is involved in fleeing? In Genesis 39:7-13, Joseph’s dealing with a seductress, Potiphar’s wife, teaches us much about fleeing fornication. Determine To determine is to … [Read more…]
Hebrews 11 teaches us that the faith that pleases God is a faith that hears the truth, believes it, and acts upon that belief. The writer of Hebrews speaks of Rahab’s salvation from the destruction of Jericho in this way: “By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when … [Read more…]
The apostle Paul had a most unique opportunity to teach the gospel of Christ to a king, and he did not shun to declare it. On that occasion, the governor Festus also heard Paul but accused him of being out of his mind. Now hear Paul’s question to King Agrippa and the king’s answer: “‘King … [Read more…]
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but … [Read more…]
“Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, knowing this first: … [Read more…]