James B. Coats wrote a hymn in 1940 that expresses the heart of every faithful Christian. Here we are, “Living below in this old sinful world,” and “striving alone to face temptations sore.” And, while “life here is grand with friends I love so dear,” it is not an easy life. So, as a Christian, whether I am facing life’s difficulties, Satan’s temptations or “the…
Let's Go Back to the Bible
Let's Go Back to the Bible
Posts by David Sproule (Page 95)
There are many modern-day proverbs that would surprise some people to find out that they are not in the Bible. For example: “Cleanliness is next to godliness”; “Spare the rod, spoil the child”; “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.” These are popular maxims today, but if you look them up in…
Family trees. Have you ever checked to see who you’re connected to? That used to be a lot harder of a task than it is these days. With the internet, all sorts of connections can be found now. Have you ever done an ancestry search that requires you to send off a blood sample to test your DNA? Guess what I found. I’ve done some digging into…
We place a great deal of emphasis and trust in so-called “Bible scholars.” We entrust our understanding of the Bible and the foundation of our faith, often times, to what some educated person writes in a book or in an article. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve got around 4,000 books in my personal library. I read, study, digest and consider what a host of Bible scholars…
Where would you like to go on vacation? Well, given the time and money to actually go on a vacation, there are so many choices. Where would you like to go for lunch? Well, given the time and money to actually to out for lunch, there are so many choices. What kind of car would you like to buy? Well, given the…
Your flashlight doesn’t shine as bright as it once did. Your car doesn’t start as quickly as it once did. The buttons on your remote control don’t respond as well as they once did. What’s going on? We recognize the signs when battery power is weakening. It’s not always the flashlight or the starter or the remote that is dying but the battery that is powering it. Replace…
When times are tough, what keeps us going? When the world seems to be winning, what keeps us going? When our health, finances, relationships and/or spiritual fervor seem to be faltering, what keeps us going? Perhaps one word can summarize what keeps the Christian going: hope! Part of that hope is for the promises that God has made to us for this life. He has promised…
While in prison in Rome for the first time, Paul picked up his pen, at the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to write a letter to a congregation in the city of Colosse. Paul addressed the letter generally to the entire congregation, but he also referred specifically to numerous individuals. There is something that we can learn about church membership from this.…