December 4, 2013

“The Lord Stood With Me”

Paul the Apostle

Near the end of his second letter to Timothy, Paul spoke of his experience in making a defense of the truth. He warned Timothy – and us as well – what to be prepared for and reminded him of the importance of keeping his trust in the Lord.

“At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen” (2 Timothy 4:16-18).

Let us notice briefly some lessons we can learn from Paul in this passage.
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November 26, 2013

“Consider Your Ways!”

Haggai 1:7

Haggai prophesied during the reign of King Darius (Haggai 1:1). This man was referred to elsewhere as “Darius the Mede” (Daniel 5:31) and “Darius king of Persia” (Ezra 4:24). He was the head of the Medes and Persians when they overthrew Babylon (Daniel 5:28, 30-31).

Haggai prophesied about the need to rebuild the temple. This was necessary because the temple – as well as the city of Jerusalem – had previously been destroyed by the Babylonians (2 Kings 25:8-9). Later, God called Cyrus king of Persia to allow the temple to be rebuilt (Ezra 1:1-2). However, these reconstruction efforts were stopped by threat of force (Ezra 4:4-7, 23-24). Work on the temple would not resume again until the reign of Darius (Ezra 4:24; Haggai 1:1).

As the people were instructed to rebuild the temple, they were also told to consider their ways (Haggai 1:5, 7). It is important for us to consider the lessons revealed by the prophet Haggai.
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November 25, 2013

Audio: The Entitlement Mentality

Our society has developed an “entitlement mentality” – particularly among the young, but anyone can be guilty of thinking that because they exist, they are “entitled” to certain things. The Israelites adopted this mindset in Egypt. Though they suffered and God delivered them, they often complained about not having what they thought they should have.

The “entitlement mentality” is contrary to certain characteristics we are to have as God’s people – contentment in what God has provided and submission to God’s will rather than seeking our own will. In this lesson we will consider some things that many believe they are “entitled” to today and contrast that belief with Scripture.
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November 21, 2013

Now Available: “Daily Notes & Observations”

In 2012, I followed a reading schedule that took me through the Bible in a year. As I went, I posted a brief article each day based upon a passage that was taken from the text of that day’s reading assignment. These articles have been compiled, edited, and published in a new book that is now available: Daily Notes & Observations. The following is a summary of the book:

Daily Notes & ObservationsReading. Instruction. Meditation.

These three things are essential if we hope to grow in our understanding of the word of God. This book is designed to help you in each of these areas.

  • Reading — Three reading plans that will take you through the entire Bible in a year.
  • Instruction — Brief articles to correspond with each day’s reading from one of the plans.
  • Meditation — A place for you to write down your own notes and observations each day.

This book contains 365 Scripture-based articles on a wide range of topics, taken from every area of the word of God. These articles, as well as the Bible reading plans and spaces for your notes, are presented to you in order to encourage a regular habit of studying and meditating upon the Scriptures.

If you would like to read more about this book or purchase your copy, click here: Daily Notes & Observations.

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November 20, 2013

“Few and Unpleasant” – The Years of Jacob

Jacob before Pharaoh

After Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, Pharaoh gave permission and provided the necessary resources to move Jacob and the rest of the family to Egypt (Genesis 45:16-23). When they arrived, Joseph introduced his father to Pharaoh.

“Then Joseph brought his father Jacob and presented him to Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Jacob, ‘How many years have you lived?’ So Jacob said to Pharaoh, ‘The years of my sojourning are one hundred and thirty; few and unpleasant have been the years of my life, nor have they attained the years that my fathers lived during the days of their sojourning.’ And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from his presence” (Genesis 47:7-10).

The fact that only one statement from Pharaoh to Jacob is recorded – the question about the patriarch’s age – is significant. Pharaoh looked upon the elder Jacob as one to be admired for his longevity. Besides this, Pharaoh would have already known that he was blessed by the number of sons that he had. Pharaoh’s initial response indicated that he believed that Jacob’s life was one that most would desire.
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November 18, 2013

Courage Today

Take Courage

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:1-3).

The Hebrew writer mentioned the “great cloud of witnesses,” referring to the heroes of faith he had just discussed. Some of the examples we have considered in our study are in the list of the faithful in Hebrews 11. Because we have this “great cloud of witnesses surrounding us,” we must do three things:

  1. Lay aside every encumbrance and sin, and run with endurance (Hebrews 12:1).
  2. Look to Jesus and to His example (Hebrews 12:2).
  3. Do not grow weary and lose heart (Hebrews 12:3).

In other words, “take courage” (John 16:33) – trust in the Lord and follow Him as He desires, no matter what the consequences might be.
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November 13, 2013

Six Things Pornography Users Do Not Want

XXX key

Pornography is a huge problem in our society. Many Christians have even fallen prey to it despite Jesus’ plain warning:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell” (Matthew 5:27-29).

Many believe pornography is harmless (or they simply refuse to admit to understanding how destructive it is). But Jesus said that lusting after someone is so destructive that one ought to be willing to go to extreme measures to remove the opportunity to lust. This is the primary problem with pornography – lust.

However, one can be guilty of lust without ever viewing pornography. While it is true that sin is committed anytime one lusts after someone, pornography is particularly dangerous. There are reasons why people choose to feed their lust in this way. It is because there are certain things that pornography users do not want. We will notice six of these in this article.
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