There is a conventional wisdom in our world today. It goes something like this: when people begin to get old (whatever that is), they have the tendency to look back rather than forward. They revel in memories of of yesteryear, what “used to be”, and how much better it was “back then...”.Many times… [continue]

  There are some "hard sayings" in the Word of God. Jesus Himself made a statement that has been very difficult for some to accept. In fact, this statement has turned some away from a developing interest in becoming a Christian - it was just too much to grasp, and seemed contrary to all the sensitivities… [continue]

  A brilliant and accomplished Bible translator and scholar had been presenting a series of lectures and studies at a very large church. After completing several sections of a presentation which was designed to continue for several months, he revealed a basic change in his format. Henceforth there would be an extended… [continue]

  In the course of daily living it is sometimes astounding as well as disheartening to see the almost universal disregard of God by the world. Truly sheep without a shepherd, in a darkness unknown to them, and yet it is known. The darkness seems like light, and the light of God appears as darkness. Most are oblivious… [continue]

  Shortly following WW2 the Chaplain of the United States Senate said during a prayer before the opening session: "Lord...help us to turn - for we are hard to turn..." The memory of the horrors of that war must have been fresh on his mind, as the U. S. and the world set out to learn from it and, where necessary… [continue]

  "A man is as good as his word; as good as his word is he. If man is as good as his word, he's good enough for me. A solemn promise he's bound to keep; or else he never could fall asleep. He'll keep his promise as best he knows; and what he sows, so shall he reap." - Sound Track, movie "Comanche" Whoever… [continue]

God’s written Word - the Bible - has been given through the Holy Spirit, as "light" to all mankind. It is the living Word of Jesus, who IS the light of all the world, as we saw in part one last week. It is THE "lighthouse" for the stormy and frightening sea of this world - the only way to the shore… [continue]

  "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall… [continue]

It is difficult to imagine going through a day using or hearing the English word "time", or one of it forms.It is even more universal in usage that the word "fix’, which has come to have double or triple meanings or applications for many Americans. It is truly amazing how a word which is an intangible,… [continue]

  There is a proverb from long ago (not from the Bible) which goes something like this: "The more things change, the more they stay the same". It seems self-contradictory. Essentially, the sweep of history comes down to today with the same of almost everything, only recast into another form that magnifies,… [continue]

Many have wondered when reading the biblical record of God’s dealings with nations, kings, individuals - and especially Israel -why did He use one nation or tribe after another to punish Israel, and then use a different nation to punish the punisher. Decades or centuries later, God then used Israel in turn to punish… [continue]

To stumble is almost as common as breathing. For the young, for those who are elderly, and those in between - all have or probably will, stumble. It is interesting that most stumbling seems to occur within the two "bookend" groups. The young and the elderly are either end. Those in the in-between category are… [continue]

      There is someone - at this very moment - who is struggling for something. It is not a struggle for more money, a better job, a better automobile, a more ostentatious home, more things, more friends (or fewer enemies), happiness, a higher high, more intense thrills, more fun. It is not a struggle… [continue]

  It is said that one of the most striking phenomenon of outer space is silence - an almost unbearable SILENCE... of all the limitless expanse of space, with an endless array of galaxies and other elements being created and form, always moving at unimaginable speed - with all of this, there is just - silence! Without… [continue]

  We hear (and see) much about "law" today. This is an enigma in a sense because there seems to be so much lack of lawfulness. One would think that with so many allusions and so much exposure to the word, there would be lawfulness Unfortunately this is not the case. The law seems powerless to make society… [continue]

“For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So people are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20 NET) Someone is our Maker. There cannot be something that exist without a first cause,… [continue]

During some recent conversations, comments seemed to drift toward the past. The drifts were similar - a kind of reflective remembering, even a melancholy longing for past years, events, and times. Whether the past was primarily positive or negative, we still lingered on the past.  Some felt they were loosing their… [continue]

Why - and how - is love the fulfilling of the Law? Some have tried to live as though the Law fulfills love, which will utterly fail to fulfill the genuine love of God (Romans 13:8-10). The answer lies in what love really is (to be a little redundant), and what the love of God does. If we possess the love of God, we do not… [continue]

We have heard about “third world” countries - those supposedly not as modern, or economically on a par with larger and more prosperous nations. Supposedly, other countries or peoples are occupants of some other world, either a “first’ or a “second” world. There is coming a kind of third… [continue]

Decades ago, a very popular song of the time included the refrain "What a wonderful world!". It was and still is in many ways a wonderful world - sunsets, mountains, rivers, and shining seas. It is part of God's creation. After creating it, He states that it was "very good!" But, of course, it has… [continue]

 "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. For who hath despised the day of small things?" (Zechariah 4:9-10 KJV). Almost nothing gets as little attention today as small things. Small… [continue]

"Teach and urge these things. If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about… [continue]

Do you pray for others - that God will intervene in their lives, according to a perceived need? Sometimes we assume that when we pray for someone, that GOD will intervene in some way and answer our prayer for them. But could you be the answer to your own prayer for them?  Or, could you be the messenger? God… [continue]

Recently someone very close to me was complimented concerning their past relationship. The relationship was not always pleasant or agreeable - often very stressful. However, this person said of the one close to me that they had always "taken the high road", and that it was appreciated and admired now - after… [continue]

Someone once closed a TV show by singing the phrase "thanks for the memory...". Are we thankful for all our memories - good and bad? Our memories are the produce of sowing and reaping. Not only do we reap what we sow in present tense, but we also continue to reap from the same sowing in the past tense - our memory… [continue]

There is a much different world coming - one developing out of this present world that we all know - a world like no one has ever seen before, or will ever be seen again. One that is not expected, except perhaps by those who are striving to bring it about. However they may see what they do not expect to see or envision.… [continue]

Pure objectivity in growing is practically impossible, even for the deeply converted Christian. All that is spoken, written, or thought is passed through the prism and filter of personal experience, shaped within a fallen world, inherited from one generation to another, and ruled by an invisible entity. All is shaded, colored,… [continue]

How do you feel about your growing up (if you have grown up)? Was it tough growing up? Or is it mostly memories of good things and good times? Some have had horrible experiences, with scars for life. All of us have a different story. But in some ways they are the same. We were born, fed, clothed (hopefully), taught, disciplined,… [continue]

Are you one who has asked forgiveness from someone, but they refuse to forgive you? This is often an unspoken affliction which bears heavily upon many. The agony involved is so crushing upon the one so afflicted, that it can seem to eat away at the very heart and soul. It hovers like a dark cloud over many of God's… [continue]

    By the time the last article was finished, everything was beginning to look very discouraging. In fact, I was reluctant to end the first part of this two-part article that way. However, what was given in part one was to show the natural result and reality of life lived in our flesh which is not real LIFE.… [continue]

Several weeks ago we discussed in this column the judgment for accounting and reward that every Christian will give before Jesus (see Archives), which the Apostle Paul refers to explicitly (Romans 14:12; 2 Corinthians 5:10). Until that time, there are other actions and judgments occurring that can assure… [continue]

Recently, someone, in describing the faults and weaknesses of another, ended with the comment, “but----has a good heart!” This understanding and forbearance has preserved an ongoing friendship for many years. They had been able to look past the obvious, and to look deeper. In a world living by the law of first… [continue]

  What would it take - what would it take - for you to believe? To really believe in Jesus Christ and receive eternal life? If you thought about it enough to devise terms or a set of conditions before you would even consider it, what would they be? What would be your objections to living forever? Can you think… [continue]

What is the difference between the OT and the NT of the Bible? This question has disturbed many over the years, and underminded the faith for some. Under the Old Covenant provisions, all lived under the “administration of death.” It is referred to in this way because it would ultimately result in death because… [continue]

Here is a mystery. There must be more than one for love to exist. Otherwise it must only be “self love” which is not love at all. Love begins with three (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) who are One. A table of two legs will not stand. A marriage, a Godly friendship, etc., of only two will not endure without love.… [continue]

  If you were asked just “what is God’s will“, what would you say? Is the answer something that is mysterious and vague? Is it something that just cannot be really known, even through the Bible? Assuming that we can know His will, how could we define it? Would it need to involve a voluminous treatise… [continue]

“Because now we [really] live, if you stand [firm] in the Lord. For what [adequate] thanksgiving can we render to God for you for all the gladness and delight which we enjoy for your sakes before our God?” - 1 Thessalonians 3:8-9 Our labors in Christ should always be "for your sakes" - for… [continue]

Sometimes, after experiencing sorrow involved in sincere and complete repentance, feelings of guilt and regret remain. And regardless of the conscious belief that God has forgiven, and put all as far away from Him as East is from West (Psalm 103:10-12), somehow it has not been put that far away from our hearts. The sorrow… [continue]

Many parts of the Bible, those heavily dependent upon context and those that are not, constitute principles that can apply to a wide range of situations and circumstances. As such, many scriptures are capable of standing alone, separate from the original context. Many things in our society are not addressed directly in… [continue]

Freedom! - from Israel, to American, to Martin Luther King, Jr., to the Cross, and to countless realities in between, the presence or absence of freedom pervades our conscience and subconscious.(Romans 8:21; Galatians 5:1,13; 1 Peter 2:16). Many in the world have known and are experiencing what it means to… [continue]