The writer of the book of Hebrews tells us that Rahab did not perish with the other citizens of Jericho. Spiritual minds bow in wonder at the God of infinite mercy who reached down to lift her up to the very lineage and genealogy of the Messiah. Faithful Rahab is a shining example to every […]
Hebrews 11 is faith’s Hall of Fame—the great cloud of witnesses to the life of faith. This chapter describes, defines, and demonstrates faith. Verse 1 is the description, while verse 13 gives the definition. Faith can be defined by three verbs found in verse 13: “assured,” “embraced,” and “confessed.” Being assured of faith has to […]
“How?” is about performance; “Why?” about purpose. One spring, I taped a small index card next to my ten-year-old son’s bed that said simply, “Be a Noticer.” I wanted to tie into our study of the “Be-attitudes” in the Gospel of Matthew but with a scientific twist. Another word for noticing is observing. Observing is […]
A recent exposé in Newsweek (a secular publication, no less!) documented the increasing worldwide persecution of Christians, specifically in the Muslim world: A fair-minded assessment of recent events and trends leads to the conclusion that the scale and severity of Islamophobia pales in comparison with the bloody Christophobia currently coursing through Muslim-majority nations from one […]
Joseph is one of the most beautiful Old Testament characters. There are many features about him that reflect the excellence of the person of Christ that cannot be overlooked. For example, his being sent by his father to his brethren, the suffering he endured among them and at the hands of the Gentiles, and his […]
Isaac has been called “the mediocre son of a great father and the mediocre father of a great son.” It is true that when it comes to the colorful figures in the family line, Isaac was overshadowed by his father, Abraham, and outshone by his son, Jacob. Still, Isaac qualifies to be in the great […]
“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). Faith is essential. We are saved by faith and live by faith. But faith is not an off-on switch, where you believe God or you don’t. When our Lord said, “Have faith in God” (Mk. 11:22), He was speaking to disciples who (with one exception) were […]
Like Joshua. He lived all out for the Lord. He lived a fruitful and successful life. There is much to be copied in a life like his. Joshua had a Heart for God “So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the […]
Two men bore the name Enoch in the early history of mankind. One was the third from Adam in the line of Cain (Gen. 4:1, 17); the other was “the seventh from Adam” in the line of Seth (Gen. 5:3-24; Jude 14). But their characters were very different. One had a memorial raised to him […]