Restaurants and hotels purposefully use carpet that has so many designs and patterns that stains are not easily noticed. They just blend right in. Do we ever try to hide stains in our own lives in similar fashion? The Lord says that our “sins are like scarlet…are red like crimson” (Isa. 1:18). That is not an easy stain to hide. Have you ever spilled grape juice…

The queen of Sheba heard of King Solomon’s great wealth and wisdom from the Lord, but she did not believe it. She came “to test him with hard questions” (1 Kgs. 10:1). After she had “seen all the wisdom of Solomon” and his great prosperity, the queen confessed, “It was a true report which I heard…However I did not believe the words until I…

King David faced much opposition in his life. Many times he had to flee and run for his life. His enemies were not always foreign nations, but sometimes his own king (Saul) and sometimes his own son (Absalom). David’s heart is transparent as you read through the book of Psalms, as he lays it open in his appeals to God. Consider this one from the first…

It is interesting how man has made worship more about “man” and “man’s likes” than he has about God and God’s demands. There is a mentality, which is often voiced, regarding worship that, “We’re doing this for God, to give the praise to Him. He will accept it.” Unfortunately, such sentiments are actually proven completely contrary to what God will accept. Many examples of worship…

One of the most comforting and thrilling verses in all of the Bible is the prophecy that Jeremiah foresaw in the coming new covenant and which was highlighted as a reality for Christians in the book of Hebrews, when God says, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more” (Heb.…

The sun rises every morning, as if it had never gone anywhere. It appears to give you a whole new supply of minutes, ready at your disposal in the new day. But there is another supply of “new” for you “every morning.” Perhaps you know the words of the song, which is based upon Lamentations 3:22-23, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His…

Usually when I fly, I take a lot of study material with me to work on various lessons or projects. If I’m working on lessons, I will usually take pictures of the passage(s) in my wide-margin Bible, so that I have the notes from my Bible readily available on the flight. It is also extremely helpful, when I’m sitting on the plane, to be…

Most preachers live by a guiding principle that they will strive to make decisions and take whatever actions are necessary to do what is best for the church. Removing self and being truly determined to put the needs of a congregation above one’s own personal desires is essential to the betterment of the Lord’s people and the Lord’s purpose on this earth. Most elders…