A few years ago, Washington reminded us of an African proverb about rearing children. Evidently, it was part of the Igbo culture in Nigeria from centuries ago. You may recall the emphasis that says, “It takes a village to raise a child.” There is some obvious truth in this concept, but there may be some inherent dangers. Let’s think about it together.…

“Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two” (Matt. 5:41). The Persians did this before the Romans. It was the practice of compelling someone into service. It was common place for Roman soldiers to ask the Jewish people to carry their gear, which is estimated to have weighed 60 lbs., to the next marker. Jesus uses the disdain that…

Have you seen those signs on the backs of commercial trucks and vans?  They say something like, “How’s My Driving?”  And there is a phone number to call and a truck/van number to report about “their driving.” Why are these signs on the backs of the trucks and vans?  The reason is that these trucks and vans represent the company that is…

Who has not in their lifetime had those dark and trying periods when hope was almost gone? What congregation has not experienced anxiety as turmoil developed between brethren? Evidently, the church at Rome was dealing with all kinds of problems—there were false teachers seeking to Judaize the Gentiles by demanding that they must be circumcised to enter heaven. There was also strife…

Initially, he didn’t care for it. He stood against it to the point of persecuting those that would name the name of Christ until he learned who Christ was, not who he thought Christ was. The conversion of Saul to Paul in chapters nine and twenty-two of Acts teaches us that nobody is too far gone. We see his change from great…

Combination locks—a simple and yet intricate invention of centuries gone by—are used widely today for locking up numerous belongings—like bicycles, suitcases, briefcases, doors, gates, phones, etc.  Regardless of the style of lock, everyone understands the process required to open one of these locks.  It’s very simple—all of the numbers must be placed in a precise order.  When the “combination” of (1) the…

Tragically, men have taken the words of the Bible out of context. Consider the following illustration. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” there was no way anyone there could have understood what He meant. Have you ever thought what the Jewish leaders thought was finished at the cross? It was not finished for the religious leaders who crucified. I do not know…

The creation story was so remarkable that even the Creator looked at His work and said that it was good. This truth is stated seven times in the first chapter of the Bible. Near the end of the sixth day, “God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good” (Gen. 1:31). In six short days, He had not…