“Do not avenge yourselves,…for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Rom 12:19). The biblical writers had a wonderful way of melding time with consequence. Listen to the next phrase in the ongoing drama. “So it happened…” (2 Chron 24:23). We know what happened before this. Like a vine ripe with God’s blessing […]
“Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples” (1 Chron 16:23-24). Looking for a great resolution for the coming year? You couldn’t do better than this! To sing the Lord’s praises more, to share […]
Arnot McIntee tells the story of a preacher at Orator’s Corner in Hyde Park, London, England. A heckler interrupted: “Ladies and gentlemen, you’ve been hearing this chap talk about God, heaven, sin, the devil and hell. I hope you won’t believe a word of it. I don’t. I refuse to believe anything I can’t see.” […]
The recent fad of decorating the skin with tattoos has turned superficiality into an art form. In His Sermon on the Mount, the Lord Jesus stressed the importance of inward reality over outward appearance. Whether in prayer, fasting, giving, or godly conduct, it’s what’s inside that counts. We’ve had hints that Joash’s reforms have been […]
Read More… from December 30, 2024 — The Sin Of Superficiality
“I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, for I do not forget Your commandments” (Ps 119:176). We know how sheep get lost, don’t we? When sheep are nibbling grass, their eyes are just a few inches off the ground. They see no danger; they just enjoy the grass. Then they see […]
“Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land…” (Mt 27:45). Some skeptics claim that there are no non-Christian accounts of Christ and the early Christians. This is patently false. Josephus, Pliny the Younger, Tacitus and the Jewish Mishnah, among others, speak of Him. One of the most interesting citations attests to […]
“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work” (2 Thess 2:16-17). Does the Spirit miss out on these delightful ministries to us? Of course not! […]
I was a young preacher, visiting with the old veteran Welcome Detweiler of Durham, NC. We were sitting in a diner as the waitress came to our table. After she had taken our orders, Mr. Detweiler said, “When you have a minute, I have a question.” Good move, I thought. It will stir her curiosity […]
“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mk 14:38). A steamboat was stranded in the Mississippi River, and the captain couldn’t get her off a sandbar. Eventually a rough-looking fellow came on board and said, “Captain, I understand you’re looking for a pilot to […]