Imagine looking up at the evening sky in the desert somewhere in the Middle East thousands of years ago. Think of all the brilliant stars you would have seen without the ambient lights of modern civilization. That's the type of night sky Abraham would have seen when God told him, "Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them. . . . So shall your ...
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Depression is a cruel and unfair player. It singles us out at inconvenient times and is unconcerned about our commitments or schedules. Nor is it a respecter of persons. Many of God’s great warriors fought attacks of depression. The prophet Elijah despaired to the point of praying “Lord, take my life!” The apostle Paul was often overwhelmed, making it necessary for the Lord to speak to him in a night ...
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God is never becoming—never growing, learning, or increasing in anything. From eternity past to eternity future, He is always being who He has always been. His infinite perfections cannot be improved upon. It’s hard for us to comprehend the difference between being and becoming. God’s moral perfection and sinlessness is fixed and immutable. In that regard, His holiness is nothing like the holiness of the saints. We who believe are being conformed to ...
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A dangerous enemy lurks inside many homes and only comes out at night. How does it lure its prey? It entices them to stay up late at night, bingeing on television shows, social media, and junk food. It’s easy to think late nights are a good way to relax; however, the opposite happens.
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Do you realize there are only two eternal things on earth today? Only two: people and God's Word. Everything else will ultimately be burned up—everything else. Kind of sets your priorities straight, doesn't it?
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Jesus closed the Sermon on the Mount with a dramatic illustration about two houses. Look at Matthew 7:24: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them.” It is not enough to hear the Word of God. To hear and not obey is not to hear at all. But those who do obey “may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. ...
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Shortly before Jesus’ trial and crucifixion, the Gospel writers tell us of an encounter that is at once strikingly intimate and profoundly strange. As John records it, Mary the sister of Lazarus—the man Jesus had raised from the dead not long before—came to Jesus while He was eating with Lazarus and other guests, “took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and ...
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In 2011, an inventor presented his idea for a unique alarm clock on the television show “Shark Tank.” The clock, called Wake n’ Bacon, was designed to start cooking bacon just before the alarm went off so that its owner could wake up to the aroma of sizzling bacon.
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To my fellow homeschool moms—are you overwhelmed with all the crying, whining, grumbling, and complaining? Do you have days when no one—not even you—wants to do schoolwork? Here's some encouragement: It's hard. Yes, that's right. Educating your kids at home is hard work. But even though it's hard, Jesus has some great advice: Take a break to rest.
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Maybe more so than anyone else in the Bible, Jonathan demonstrates the character of a true friend (1 Samuel 18–20). He faithfully modeled what deep, Christlike friendship looks like with a brother or sister in the faith. And his example is one that we can benefit greatly from today. In his friendship with David, Jonathan shows us three traits that should be present in any true friendship:
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