In First Samuel chapter 8, the Israelites demanded that Samuel “appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations” (8:5). In other words, “All of the other nations have a king. We want to be like all the other nations.” So, how did that work out for Israel? The nation would never be the same again. Sin ravaged her…

In 606 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, came up against the city of Jerusalem and carried off the first wave of captives. Among those were three young men (Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah), who are better known by their Babylonian names: Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. These God-loving, God-fearing men refused to capitulate at all to the pressure to turn their back on…

If you read some people’s social media feeds, you might think that all police officers are racists. They’re not! I know that for a fact! This is one example (and a very blatant one) of assigning the shortcomings of one individual to everyone in a particular group. What if we did that to everybody? Would you like that if it happened to…

Some days, as a Christian, are going to be harder than others. Don’t quit! Some days, the devil is going to seem to have the upper hand. Don’t quit! Some days, you are going to feel under attack for standing for truth and Biblical morality. Don’t quit! Some days, fellow Christians are going to let you down and maybe even hurt you.…

Were your parents “fair”? The answer to that may depend on where you are in your life. How many kids have been known to say, “That’s not fair!”? As if children were born into this world with the divine  standard for measuring true fairness in their parents. No child (slightly overstated) ever thought his parents were always fair in their decisions. (And,…

One’s physical posture in worship, while it can have an impact, is not the focus. You could be standing on the outside, but asleep on the inside. You could be kneeling on the outside, but bored on the inside.  The real focus to which each and every worshiper must give attention is the posture of their heart. Consider words from Psalm 95.…

So, there’s Bible class on Sunday mornings and Bible class on Wednesday nights. There’s worship on Sunday mornings and worship on Sunday nights. There are various other events (for the whole church or certain segments of the church) a couple times during the month. Then, there may be certain “favors” that deacons or elders or members ask to be done. “You know…

Those who live along a southern coast know about the “Cone of Uncertainty.” It starts to appear as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) tracks a storm system through the tropics. The cone is intended to represent “the probable path of the storm center,” showing its WHERE and WHEN over the next several days (or at least the estimated general area). …