God foresaw the time when His people would demand a king, and He set out some parameters for those who would reign over His nation. Consider these two responsibilities. First, the king was to “write for himself a copy of this law in a book” (Deut. 17:18). Do you remember when you used to study for tests in school? Did it help you to get the…

We need to read the Bible slow enough and carefully enough to catch expressions that we would not normally expect. And, sometimes, we skip right over the beginning or end of a letter, because we think it’s “just going to say the same thing.” They don’t! Consider the very last words of the letter to the Ephesians. “Grace be with all those who love our…

How much of your life does your work consume? Quite a bit? Then you get your paycheck. How much of that is consumed by bills (blah!) and family and recreation (yay!)? Have you ever wondered, “What is all of this for?” Tie the following two verses together. In Ephesians 4:28, Christians are instructed, “Let him labor, working with his hands what is good…” Why work? The rest of the…

On the night that He was going to be betrayed, Jesus was offering comforting words to His apostles in an upper room, including an insider’s scoop on what He was going to do when He left the earth. “I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2). All of the descriptions of heaven in the New Testament offer a mouth-dropping description of an…

When Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem and began rebuilding the walls, he was faced with considerable opposition, particularly from Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab. They “laughed,” “despised,” “mocked” and “conspired” against Nehemiah and the Jews in their rebuilding efforts (Neh. 2:19; 4:1, 8). They tried to trick Nehemiah into working with them and compromising his efforts (6:1-2).…

I have heard of teachers who give their students a wealth of material to study in preparation for an exam, and then when exam day arrives, there is only one question on the test. The students did all of that study and are asked only one question. I do NOT believe at all that the day of judgment will be like that (so do…

There are numerous verses in the New Testament which teach that Jesus did not sin while He was on earth (Heb. 4:15; 7:26; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 John 3:5). Peter wrote, “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth” (1 Pet. 2:22). How did Jesus not sin? Note the verb tenses in verse 23, which emphasize His ongoing determination and steadfastness…

Sometimes there are Christians, for one reason or another, who act like the devil is so powerful and the world is so strong that Christians are just barely going to overcome and win, and that it might be a “close finish.” Such could NOT be further from the truth! Our God is eternal! The devil is NOT! Our God is all-powerful! The devil is NOT! It does…