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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…

Many of the prophecies concerning Christ are encouraging and uplifting such as His names (Isaiah 7:15; 9:6), His reign (2 Samuel 7), and His work (Psalm 110:4). Yet the night and early morning that Jesus was arrested, tried, and murdered, was a day that God looked on with painful anticipation (Matthew. 26:39-42; cf. Isaiah 53; Psalm 22; Hebrews 10:5-7). On this particular day, at least twenty-two prophecies concerning Christ are painful, lonely, and full of sorrow. Even on the darkest…

Our attitude toward God’s word affects every facet of our lives. Those who see the Bible as dense and confusing will likely be inconsistent in our living. Those who think the Bible is stale and dry will inevitably seek meaning from “more pleasurable” endeavors. Those who view God’s word as living and life-changing are the very ones whose lives ARE changed by the gospel. Which are you? The word of God is powerful (Rom 1:16), and hearts are changed when…

“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…

Until I was nineteen years of age, I lived in Patrick County, Virginia. Moonshine liquor was a part of the business landscape. Involvement in this product had terrible consequences for several family members. I could see the horrible effects and never allowed it to touch my lips. When I accepted a quality control managers position at a Taipei, Taiwan plant, the managers and engineers did not know I did not drink alcohol. Shortly after arriving in Taiwan, there was a…

The inner part of the person – the soul – is such an important element to who we are. God made us as body, soul, and spirit (1 Thes. 5:23). Yet the concept of the soul is so broad in God’s word that we could spend a year just studying its various nuances! Even in the book of Acts, the word takes on a variety of meanings. It is a synonym for person (Acts 27:37), while other times it refers…

1. Worship is Commanded by the Almighty. Our Lord does not make worship something to be chosen by His followers. Hebrews 10:25 makes it clear that we are not to willfully forsake being together for worship. This is not a suggestion, and it does not have caveats for special holidays. 2. God is More Important than any Holiday. If I am going to say that “God is first in my life,” then there is no holiday that can take His…

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…

Three times in God ’s word do we see the three words “faith, hope, and love – these three words form a tri -unity that centers our character development around God. Faith, Hope, & Love Initiates Our Response to the Gospel For three weeks in Thessalonica, Paul and Silas preached from the Old Testament scriptures reasoning that the Christ must suffer and rise from the dead. Some Jews, and many devout Greeks would be persuaded during this time. When wicked…

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…

A church, or any organization for that matter, will never rise beyond their leaders (Matthew 10:24 -25). As a leadership leads, so the attitude of the leadership will be reflected in the members. When the leadership is excited and encouraging about an area of work, generally, so also will the congregation be excited. If the leadership is lackadaisical and uninterested, so also will be the membership. Consider the deacons and their responsibilities in this regard. The word, “deacon” as most…