“A generation that did not set its heart aright, and whose spirit was not faithful to God” (Ps 78:8). We have laid out the general structure of Psalm 78. The Introduction (vv 1-11) declares how the Lord selected the family of Jacob, made a covenant with them, and revealed to them His words, works, and wonders. Their response? “They did not keep the […]
JESUS OUR INTIMATE: “At my first defense no one stood with me.…But the Lord stood with me” (2 Tim 4:16-17). Paul could only find one person to stand by him in his hour of need. Who? The Lord Himself! That’s the kind of friend everybody needs. Doesn’t it make sense, then, to respond to His […]
“With what shall I come before the Lord?…Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, ten thousand rivers of oil?…He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:6-8). It isn’t […]
How easy it is to become preoccupied with earthly things. This was the story of Demas. Paul says of his former co-worker, “For Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica” (2 Tim 4:10). It was not the present evil world, as we sometimes misquote it. In fact, he […]
Our Lord understands what it feels like to be excluded, rejected, unwanted. He warned, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.…but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” (Jn 15:18-19, […]
The road of life can be tough, but don’t make it harder by exiting at Transgressor Way (Prov 13:15). Psalm 78 is the first and longest of the Historical Psalms (with Ps 105–107, 114, and 135–136). In these psalms, the author’s intention is to glorify God for His wonderful ways and to warn future generations […]
CHRIST the WORD: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life” (1 Jn 1:1). According to its website, the Library of Congress is the largest library in the world. It contains […]
“I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, and He answered me” (Jonah 2:2). In chapter 1 of his book, the prophet confesses he missed the on-board prayer meeting. But something happened at the end of that chapter that certainly improved his prayer interest. “Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from […]
“Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 19:14). I was flying from Vancouver to California and sitting beside a woman who seemed impervious to all my efforts at witnessing. She spoke about her recent happy divorce, her pub crawls, her karma. […]