When Paul addressed the Jerusalem mob in Acts 22, he confessed that in his pre-conversion life he had “persecuted this Way to the death” (22:4). “This Way”? What is that? On his way to Damascus in Acts 9, he was planning to find and persecute “any who were of the Way” (9:2). “The Way”? Who are they? That was the Holy Spirit’s…

If I knew that the thief was going to break into the house that night, I would not have left the car keys on the counter. I would have moved the camera to the back room. I would have done a number of things differently…if I had only known. You know that the Bible says that Jesus will come “as a thief…

The Bible gives great emphasis to widows and to the special place they have in the heart of God. In the Old Testament, there were laws instructing to “not afflict any widow” (Ex. 22:22; cf. Zech. 7:10) and to make special provisions to see that they were not neglected (Deut. 14:29; 24:20-21; 26:13). In the New Testament, one of the first crises…

It’s right there on the tag. It’s the manufacturer’s instructions for properly cleaning. It might say, “Dry clean only.” “Wash in warm water.” “Wash in cold water with like colors.” “Tumble dry on medium heat.” The one who created the garment knows the best way to clean the garment. From the beginning, the Creator has “formed…wonderfully made…[and] intricately woven” His special creation–both…

Sometimes a day doesn’t go well. Sometimes you may not feel 100%. Sometimes you’re wiped-out tired. Sometimes the “kids are acting up.” Sometimes you’ve “got a ton going on.” Sometimes it would be easier to not go to worship or Bible study than it would be to go.  If we measured everything by how we felt or by what would be easier,…

Old typewriters had a backspace button, but it wasn’t like the one on your computer today. On the typewriter, the backspace simply moved the carriage back one space, to the character previously typed, but all you could do was overtype that character (leaving an ugly mark) or grab the whiteout bottle (leaving an obvious spot of correction).  As word processors came along,…

In Psalm 103, David praises the Lord for all that He has done and calls upon the people of God to “forget not all His benefits” (103:2). While it would be quite impossible to list “all His benefits,” David begins to enumerate how God “forgives… heals… redeems… crowns… satisfies” (103:2-5).  He explains how “the Lord executes righteousness…made known His ways…is merciful and…

Paul spent eighteen months preaching the word in the immoral, pagan city of Corinth (Acts 18:11). During this time, a group of Jews “rose up against Paul” (18:12) and made the following accusation, “This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law” (18:13). Think about that indictment. It implies a number of things.  Paul was urging people “to worship God.”…