In his very practical epistle to Christians, James provides real-to-life instructions for children of God to learn and practice in their everyday lives. Some of the applications have to do with one’s own personal relationship with God, and some of them have to do with our relationships with each other. On two occasions, he tells us something that we are not to…
Let's Go Back to the Bible
Let's Go Back to the Bible
Posts by David Sproule (Page 210)
The last verse in the Bible says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen” (Rev. 22:21). Some readers might think that is a bit anticlimactic, since nearly every New Testament epistle begins and/or ends with a similar greeting. But, don’t let the abundance of emphasis on grace in the New Testament make you think it is something ordinary. Without…
Is there anything more beautiful than harmony? In music, “harmony” is defined as “the combination of different musical notes played or sung at the same time to produce a pleasing sound.” In general, “harmony” is defined as “a pleasing combination or arrangement of different things.” I remember my high school chorus teacher talking to the class about producing harmony. She said something…
What kinds of hopes do you have? Do you hope that Elvis is still alive or that the Beatles will tour again? Well, that’s a dead hope! Do you hope that you’ll walk on the moon or that Donald Trump will write you a big check? Well, that’s a wishful hope! Do you hope that zombies will attack or that Superman will…
Jesus met a blind man and did something rather unusual. “He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay” (John 9:6). Then, he told the man what to do: “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (9:7). There are two conditions in that statement: “Go” and “wash.” Both…
One of the most meaningful and soul-stirring songs that we sing in worship is William Longstaff’s “Take Time to Be Holy” from 1874. The lyrics of that song are founded upon Scriptural principles that cultivate holiness in the life of the Christian. God, who called us, is holy, and He beckons us, “You also be holy in all your conduct” (1 Pet.…
In writing to a group of Christians who were on the verge of turning from Christ and drifting away into disobedience, the writer of Hebrews urged his readers to not neglect “so great a salvation” (Heb. 2:1-4). Contemplate that for just a moment. What is “so great” about “salvation”? Salvation is “so great” because it is given by a great God, purchased…
When Rhoda heard the apostle Peter knocking at the gate of Mary’s house, she ran back inside the house “and announced that Peter stood before the gate” (Acts 12:14). Notice the very next statement, “But they said to her, ‘You are beside yourself!’” All she did was speak the verifiable truth and she was accused of being out of her mind. When…