Have you ever felt overwhelmed in your spirit? Like some folks were just out to get you? Like no one was concerned about you and you had nowhere to go? Have you ever felt in desperate need and that you were, figuratively, in prison? I am not just making up the words in the questions above randomly. They are drawn from the very words that a…
Let's Go Back to the Bible
Let's Go Back to the Bible
Posts by David Sproule (Page 3)
Let’s do some word studies and then make the application. In the book of First John, there are several words that are key terms, which are used repeatedly in the book. One of them is the word “know.” There is more than one Greek word that is translated “know” in English, but I want to focus only on the uses of the…
Have you ever been talking to someone about something and then you get on your phone and there is an ad for the very thing you were just talking about? Have you ever looked something up online and then the next time you got on your phone there was an ad for it? Advertisers are very good at writing algorithms to put in front…
Elisha built a close relationship with a couple in Shunem who cared for him, and he interceded to God on their behalf to miraculously have a child (2 Kgs. 4:8-17). Some years later, the child died at a young age, which threw the “soul” of the mother into “deep distress” (4:18-27). But when her husband spoke with her, she said, “It is well” (4:23). When…
His longtime friend was succumbing to a terminal illness and only had a short time to live. The Christian gentleman sat by his bedside and tried again to do the same thing he had oft tried before—to talk to his buddy about Jesus. He wanted nothing more than for his friend to leave this life prepared to meet his Savior. But the…
Memory loss is a sad and devastating reality that affects many people who we know and love. Unfortunately, while it is easy to identify in others, it is not so easy to identify in ourselves, especially when it comes to things that really matter. When Moses was delivering his final messages to Israel in the book of Deuteronomy, he frequently emphasized their need…
Sometimes Christians allow other people to affect their service TO the Lord and FOR the Lord. Sometimes Christians get frustrated with a preacher or with the elders, so they disconnect from the local congregation and stop serving in the church. Sometimes Christians get hurt by a fellow Christian, so they disconnect from the local congregation and stop being involved. The nature of human relationships…
Some distractions are unavoidable and created by others—like when someone literally gets in your face. Other distractions, even if created by others, are easier to disregard and can be managed, if we try. So, think about a place where distractions exist but we wish they didn’t—in a worship assembly. But, how many of the distractions are self-imposed? Or, how many could we…