I am a long way from being an accomplished sailor, but the apostle Paul spent many days aboard ships throughout his life. He understood nautical terms and used one of them three times in the Bible. The Greek word is hupostello and refers to what happened whenever the captain of the ship sensed troubled waters ahead. It was used to describe what…

Would you say that you’re “wise”?  Do you realize that being “wise” is not the same as being “smart”?  Some of the smartest people in the world are not very “wise.” James teaches us much about wisdom.  “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God” (1:5).  True “wisdom” is given by God “from above” (1:17).  Later in the book,…

When Paul wrote to the church in Colossae, his desire was that they would be “complete in Christ” (Col. 1:28). He warned the brethren there about some dangers that would keep them from that goal. Those dangers are still real today. Paul warns about the “philosophy, according to the tradition of men” (Col. 2:8-10). He says that they are “empty deception” and…

This Sunday marks the beginning of four days of feasting on the Word of God. Jesus fed the multitude with loaves and fishes, but the real feast was in those messages He gave to them.  The same is true of us. We will eat together, but the real feast is to sit at the feet of one who has sat at the…

One of the hardest things to do is to visit a church, especially if you have never been there.  Questions flood the mind: “What will this church be like?  Will they be friendly to me?  What is their worship going to be like?  Are they going to make me feel uncomfortable?  What does this church even believe or teach about certain things? …

In the first preserved letter that Paul wrote (chronologically), the inspired apostle gave some very explicit instructions to Christians regarding their responsibilities to one another.  He emphasized that members of the Lord’s church are “taught by God to love one another,” and even to “increase more and more” in their unconditional, unselfish elevation of the needs of others above their own (1…

As a people of God, there are attributes that should define us all (Gal. 5:22-24). When we begin to talk about gender there are some distinct differences beyond just the science of chromosomes. Like men, there were some roles that were assigned to women from the very beginning—helper, wife, mother of all the living, daughter of the Most High (Gen. 2:20-24; 3:16;…

Profound truths are often expressed by God in terms which are so simple that one has to have help to misunderstand them. The Lord Jesus spoke so clearly that even the “common” men heard His message and became followers of Him (Mark 12:37). The simplicity of the cross baffles the “scholars” but changes the lives of those who want to find God…