March 1, 2012

“Teach Us to Number Our Days” (3/1)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Numbers 14-15; Psalm 90.

“As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years, yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10).

In this psalm attributed to Moses, we are reminded of the brevity of life. We will not live forever here on the earth. Although seventy or eighty years may seem like a long time from a certain perspective, it is really a short period of time.

James writes, “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away” (James 4:14). The Hebrew writer notes, “It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
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February 21, 2012

The Penalty for Killing Men and Animals (2/21)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Leviticus 24-25.

“If a man takes the life of any human being, he shall surely be put to death. The one who takes the life of an animal shall make it good, life for life. […] Thus one who kills an animal shall make it good, but the one who kills a man shall be put to death. There shall be one standard for you; it shall be for the stranger as well as the native, for I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 24:17-22).

This is a reminder of penalties that were already given. The punishment for murdering another man was death (Exodus 21:12). When a neighbor’s animal was killed, restitution was to be made (Exodus 21:33-36), but a man who killed an animal was not to be put to death. There are some lessons we can learn from this law:
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January 7, 2012

Man is Short-Lived and Full of Turmoil (1/7)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Job 14-16.

“Man, who is born of woman, is short-lived and full of turmoil” (Job 14:1).

Job, while enduring the degree of hardships that most of us will never face, well understood two facts that are easy to forget when everything is going well.
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January 2, 2012

Walking with God (1/2)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Genesis 4-7.

When Adam and Eve sinned and were banished from the Garden, access to the Tree of Life was lost. This meant that Adam, Eve, and all of their descendants would have to face physical death.

This consequence is emphasized in Genesis 5 as the “generations of Adam” are outlined (Genesis 5:1). Over and over, each man was born, fathered the next generation, then “he died” (Genesis 5:5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 27, 31). There was, however, one exception to this – Enoch.
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December 28, 2011

Thoughts on the New Year

Happy New Year

As the beginning of another year rapidly approaches, Christians can use this time in three ways: as a reminder, as an opportunity, and as a warning.
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September 14, 2011

When Disaster Strikes

Tornado Damage

Whenever a disaster occurs – whether it is a terrorist attack, natural disaster, or some tragic accident – people often wonder if God was somehow involved. If so, they wonder if the event was an execution of divine judgment against the victims or the greater nation/society as a whole.

Questions like these are nothing new. Jesus commented on this concept when He discussed a couple of tragedies with which His audience was familiar.

“Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And Jesus said to them, ‘Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish’” (Luke 13:1-5).

It is important that we know why these things happen. As Jesus made clear, we should not be quick to attribute these things to God’s direct operation. Yet even when an event occurs without direct, divine involvement, there are still lessons we can learn from these disasters.
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July 13, 2011

The Poor Widow’s Oil

A poor widow came to Elisha after her husband died. She was in desperate need of any help the prophet could give her. She cried out to him, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord; and the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves” (2 Kings 4:1).

Before we look at some lessons from the help that Elisha gave this widow, it is important to first notice a couple of facts about her deceased husband. The text states that he was one of the “sons of the prophets,” a servant to Elisha. Furthermore, his widow testified that he “feared the Lord” (2 Kings 4:1). This was not a worthless or wicked individual. He was a faithful servant of God and His prophet.

As we read the account of Elisha helping this poor widow, we see that God made provision for her – she was miraculously given enough oil to fill every container she was able to borrow from her neighbors. She was then able to sell the oil, solving her great financial dilemma (2 Kings 4:2-7).

Now, let us notice a few lessons from this story.
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