I find it remarkable that some have thought that Jesus’ rebuke of the devotion of the Jewish leaders to their traditions minimizes the importance of obedience. It is true that He had little regard for the traditions and rules these leaders had created. It is equally true that He believed that our relationship with God depends on our obedience. He was so…

You’ve done this, we all have. We start a project, book, resolution, and we start it very well. What is normally the hardest is finishing strong. Sometimes we take the opposite approach to the spiritual development of our children. We start too late in laying a foundation of practices and exemplifying Christian virtues. When the children reach adulthood and haven’t made a…

So, how do God’s blessings work?  Or, maybe it could be worded, how does God work His blessings?  How many are there?  What is the supply like?  How quickly or slowly are they disseminated?  To transfer this to terms we might understand, what if God’s blessings were like a bank account? What if God’s blessings were like “paycheck-to-paycheck” bank accounts? You know…

The word “legalist” is not a Bible word but is widely used in the religious world. It is not used in a complimentary way. The most common use of it is in a Bible discussion where someone is urging another person to obey God. When confronted with a Bible passage which precisely shows the will of God, some try to dismiss the…

“Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name YAH, And rejoice before Him. A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation. God sets the solitary in families” (Psa. 68:4-6). Such an amazing thought! God’s plan is for those He loves and protects to find a…

Heaven!  The very word itself brings a pleasant calm and joyful spirit when we hear it.  Heaven!  Where we get to be with the Lord Himself forever and ever!  Where we get to rest from our earthly hardships!  Where we get to be united with the redeemed of all time!  Heaven! This life is the only “preparation opportunity” that we have for…

There is a principle taught repeatedly throughout the Bible about how we should treat others. Simply stated, it is that we should: (1) put ourselves in the place of those around us, (2) ask ourselves how we would want to be treated, and (3) treat them in that way. Before the exodus, the Jews had been strangers in Egypt. As they left…

Have you ever been part of a group project? In the ideal situation, everyone has an equal share of the work and helps with the final project. Often there are one or two people in the group who do very little or nothing. There are many people, who are willing to let others do the work, rather than do work for others.…