June 7, 2012

The Night Watches

Moon and clouds

When we read Psalm 119, we can easily see the love and respect David had for the word of God. It is the same attitude that we need to have for the word. One of the things this love and respect caused David to do was meditate on God’s word.

“My eyes anticipate the night watches, that I may meditate on Your word” (Psalm 119:148).

David said that during the “night watches” was when he took time to meditate upon the word of God. There are several reasons why this time late at night would be advantageous to one’s study of and meditation on the word.
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May 14, 2012

Do Not Be As the Mule Which Has No Understanding (5/14)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Psalm 32, 51, 86, 122.

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you. Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, otherwise they will not come near to you” (Psalm 32:8-9).

One of the traits that sets mankind apart from the animals is that we have the ability to reason and make thoughtful decisions. Unfortunately, this ability is not always utilized, hence the reason for the psalmist’s admonition.
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April 4, 2012

Who Was Samson’s Wife? (4/4)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Judges 13-15.

The woman which Bible students associate with Samson is Delilah. Because of this, many assume that Delilah was Samson’s wife. But if we take a closer look, we will see that she was not.

“Then Samson went down to Timnah and saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines. So he came back and told his father and mother, ‘I saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife’” (Judges 14:1-2).

Later, Samson and this Philistine woman are called each other’s husband and wife (Judges 14:15).
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February 27, 2012

"Wait, and I Will Listen to What the Lord Will Command" (2/27)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Numbers 8-10.

When the time came for the Israelites to observe the Passover, a few of them were unable to observe it. They questioned Moses as to what they could do:

“But there were some men who were unclean because of the dead person, so that they could not observe Passover on that day; so they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. Those men said to him, ‘Though we are unclean because of the dead person, why are we restrained from presenting the offering of the Lord at its appointed time among the sons of Israel?’ Moses therefore said to them, ‘Wait, and I will listen to what the Lord will command concerning you’” (Numbers 9:6-8).

The Lord then revealed to Moses a provision for those who were unable to observe the Passover at the appointed time (Numbers 9:9-12). This was not to be used as a loophole for those were able to observe but neglected it (Numbers 9:13). But God made an exception for those who were unclean or away on a journey.

What I want us to notice here is not the exception, but Moses’ reply to these men when they questioned him about what they could do in this situation.
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February 9, 2012

How to Grow in Knowledge of God’s Word

2 Peter 3:18

“Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

All Christians have an obligation to increase in their knowledge and understanding of the Lord. To do this, we must become more acquainted with His word. But how are we to do this? In this article we will notice six things we can do to grow in knowledge of the word of God.
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September 28, 2011

Preaching and Writing

Bible and Notebook

While I was in high school, I made the decision that when I grew up I wanted to be a gospel preacher. So at that point, I began writing religious articles. I did not care for writing in school and was never a gifted writer, so I needed to start practicing and improving my skills. I saw writing as an inherent part of the work of a preacher, as this would provide another avenue through which to spread the gospel message. So since I decided I was going to preach, I decided I also needed to write.

Nearly fifteen years later, it appears to me that preachers in general do not do as much writing as I thought they would. Dedicating time regularly to writing seems to be the exception rather than the rule. Maybe this has always been the case and my youthful naiveté led me to wrongly assume that writing was common for preachers. Perhaps more preachers are writing than the relative few of which I am aware. Or it could be that writing by gospel preachers has decreased in the last decade or so. Regardless of which one is closest to reality, I want to deal with some reasons why writing is a valuable endeavor for preachers and should not be quickly dismissed.
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September 7, 2011

Advice to Young Preachers

Bible study

Some might wonder how it is that someone like myself – a thirty year old with no “full-time” preaching experience – would be so bold as to hand out advice to young preachers (many of whom would be my peers). I am not so arrogant as to think that I have wisdom that compares with a man who has been preaching the gospel for decades. But I do have the Scriptures – the inspired word of God (2 Timothy 3:16). Therefore, when I teach the things that come from God (cf. 1 Peter 4:11), I can do so as Titus was told to teach – “with all authority” (Titus 2:15). So let us briefly look at some of the Bible instructions on preaching that young (and old) preachers need to always remember.
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