Posts by Andy Baker (Page 2)

“Oh, there’s just one more thing…” There are few things more frustrating than thinking that everything is understood and then there is an addition to the instructions. In the book of Colossians, Paul is addressing a people who have been told, “you have Christ and that’s great…oh yeah, but there’s one more thing you need….” What Paul writes to them is that if they have Jesus, they have it all they need to be fully assured in the faith! They…

Pro 22:24-25 – Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare. Nathaniel Philbrick wrote a book called, The Last Stand, in which he described George Custer with the following words: “Custer did not drink; he didn’t have to. His emotional effusions [outbursts] unhinged his judgment in ways that went far beyond alcohol’s ability to interfere with clear thinking.” Imagine following a man…

When I visited Ukraine several years ago, I was impressed how beautiful everyone looked on the street and in the community. Men were wearing their finest suits and polished shoes, and women were wearing their most beautiful dresses, designer heels, and name-brand accessories. When I asked one of my Ukrainian companions about their wealth and how everyone looked so stylish, he mentioned to me, “It’s all a show. These people have only a few sticks of furniture in their houses…

God told Moses to tell the priests how to bless God’s people in Numbers 6:23-27. The blessing we know, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; The Lord lift His countenance upon you, and give you peace.” The Jewish commentary says that the priests performed this blessing daily in the temple. The blessing was the priest performing it (v. 23), but it was God who was…

This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath. – James 1:19 It is amazing how many people get this verse so wrong. Stephen, often regarded as the first Christian to die for his faith concluded his sermon about the hardness of hearts of the Jews. Just before they stoned him, the Bible says they “cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with…

There will always be a pull on Christians to compromise the truth of the gospel for what may be more pleasing to me (or men), for what may seem to be “wise,” or for what may be easy. Paul said in Galatians 1:10, “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” How important it is to hold onto the…

Hebrews reads to a people who have taken their eyes off of the prize. The writer threw them a lifeline with this book as an exhortation to remain faithful, to hang in there. The sum way they accomplish this is by keeping their eyes focused on Jesus, listening intently to His message from the Father (Heb. 1:1-4; 12:1-3). At the last chapter of the book, the writer gives some very practical commands for these people to keep their eyes on…

Mark Twain observes a truth through his character, Huck Finn: “human beings can be awfully cruel to one another!” to which I add a hearty, “amen.” Jesus bore the whole of man’s cruelty towards Him, when He above all others, was righteous and powerful to stop it in its tracks. Sadly, there was no distinction between the Gentile world which carried out the punishment, and the people of God who demanded punishment. Yet, Jesus carried the cross of pain cruelly…

“Buy the truth, and do not sell it, Also wisdom and instruction and understanding.” I have the choice to buy the truth. Buying and selling is as natural as breathing in our consumer-driven culture. Solomon says in Proverbs and throughout Ecclesiastes, “Buy the truth,” and accessorize it with “wisdom, instruction, and understanding” in order to enrich your life. It is the buyer’s choice to make the purchase. Solomon would classify this as the difference between being wise and being foolish…

We have assurance that the God of all comfort comforts us, and He will do so in the exact right way we need. However, in our efforts to bestow His comfort on others, we might unwittingly become miserable comforters to others. This often happens, I believe, with good intentions by well-meaning people when they try to assign a reason for what happens, when really it’s something only God knows. Thus, we become like Job’s friends: miserable comforters (Job 16:2). THINGS…

This true “Ask an Engineer” question appeared in 2013 on an MIT website and was also answered by a graduate student. This student deconstructs the poem, “’Twas the Night Before Christ -mas” to analyze the navigation, guidance system, and control of Santa ’s sleigh. It is a truly bizarre read, but nevertheless, with scholarly efficiency, this student shows the relationship between reindeer, Santa, and a sleigh as a controllable vehicle. By the way, the answer this student came to is…

In sending his disciples to go and minister, Jesus told them He was sending them as “sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matt. 10:16). There has to be a great reason why our Lord uses four different animals in one verse to describe the relationship, qualities, and character of the people who would be speaking, and the ones to whom they would be speaking. A couple of prayers to consider as…