Subscription Lists

I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate evil. You have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and you have found them to be liars. You also possess endurance and have tolerated many things because of My name, and have not grown weary. But I have this against you: you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent. Yet you do have this: you hate the practices of…  ( Click for more )

Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples: "The scribes and the Pharisees are seated in the chair of Moses. Therefore do and observe whatever they tell you. But don't do what they do, because they don't do what they say. They tie up heavy loads that are hard to carry and put them on people's shoulders, but they themselves aren't willing to lift a finger to move them. They do everything to be observed by others… - Matthew 23:1-5a HCSB

Like the grand gurus of fashion in Paris, the titans of industry also periodically get caught up in a craze. Some new management…  ( Click for more )

Then God spoke all these words: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. Do not have other gods besides Me. – Exodus 20:1-3 HCSB

Elohim did a phenomenal job liberating His people out of slavery and bringing them to a place of safety. They had witnessed miracles and were at this time faced with God’s awesome power. They saw smoke and lightning; heard thunder and trumpets and could feel the mountain thrumming with the very presence of God beneath their feet. Naturally, they trembled and were afraid to approach this…  ( Click for more )

Now the time for Elizabeth to give birth was completed, and she bore a son. Then her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her His great mercy, and they rejoiced with her. When they came to circumcise the child on the eighth day, they were going to name him Zachariah, after his father. But his mother responded, "No! He will be called John." Then they said to her, "None of your relatives has that name." So they motioned to his father to find out what he wanted him to be called. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote: And they were all amazed. Immediately…  ( Click for more )

Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them--this is the Law and the Prophets. – Matthew 7:12 HCSB

Sometimes in large companies, memos are passed around describing action that is being taken or rules that must be considered by various departments. Whether or not they are applicable, all departments receive these memos and so a note is usually attached that says “No action need be taken.”

God’s central demand on humanity (in regards to behavior) is to act ethically. There is a pernicious tendency to think that as long…  ( Click for more )

In addition to the Teacher being a wise man, he constantly taught the people knowledge; he weighed, explored, and arranged many proverbs. The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth. The sayings of the wise are like goads, and those from masters of collections are like firmly embedded nails. The sayings are given by one Shepherd. But beyond these, my son, be warned: there is no end to the making of many books, and much study wearies the body. – Ecclesiastes 12:9-12 HCSB

There once was an intelligent, gifted young man who went to…  ( Click for more )

Then the leading priests and Pharisees called the high council together to discuss the situation. “What are we going to do?” they asked each other. “This man certainly performs many miraculous signs. If we leave him alone, the whole nation will follow him, and then the Roman army will come and destroy both our Temple and our nation.”…So from that time on the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus’ death. – John 11:47-48,53

A simple man, a porter, who was fairly ignorant of the Scriptures, was once seen clapping, dancing and celebrating the…  ( Click for more )

For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up success for the upright; He is a shield for those who live with integrity so that He may guard the paths of justice and protect the way of His loyal followers. Then you will understand righteousness, justice, and integrity-every good path. – Proverbs 2:6-9 HCSB

Josef was the eldest of three sons of a wealthy industrialist. Josef was always a serious and obedient young man. He studied hard, made good grades and easily graduated from high school. He was never a problem kid. He didn’t…  ( Click for more )

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea existed no longer. I also saw the HolyCity, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look! God's dwelling is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will exist no longer; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have…  ( Click for more )

When they had completed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. – Luke 2:39 HCSB

The village of Nazareth sat inside a bowl-shaped depression on the top of the “Nazareth Ridge” some thirteen hundred feet above sea level. It was off these cliffs that the villagers would later try to toss Jesus to His death.[1] It was somewhat isolated, being sixteen miles west of the Sea of Galilee and four miles southeast of the more cosmopolitan city of Sepphoris.

The Nazareth Ridge was a small chalk ridge with…  ( Click for more )

When the eight days were completed for His circumcision, He was named JESUS--the name given by the angel before He was conceived. And when the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (just as it is written in the law of the Lord: Every firstborn male will be called holy to the Lord) and to offer a sacrifice (according to what is stated in the law of the Lord: a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons). – Luke 2:21-24 HCSB

Wise men rarely claim to be wise. Knowledgeable teachers…  ( Click for more )

The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. So Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly. But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit… When Joseph woke up from his sleep, he did…  ( Click for more )

There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking forward to Israel's consolation, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he saw the Lord's Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, he entered the temple complex. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform for Him what was customary under the law, Simeon took Him up in his arms, praised God, and said: Now, Master, You can dismiss Your slave in peace, according to Your word. For my eyes have seen Your salvation……  ( Click for more )

Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. – Exodus 20:12 HCSB

A long-standing legend has circulated among middle-eastern and western cultures since around the third century of a mystical Fountain of Youth. It probably originated in a collection of fables, poems and tall tales called the Alexander Romance. In this fantastic work, Alexander the Great crossed the Land of Darkness and discovered this fabled spring. The tale was popular among the Spanish Moors and probably spawned Ponce de Leon’s…  ( Click for more )

Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God, because the Lord will punish anyone who misuses His name. – Exodus 20:7 HCSB

I have discussed often in my writings the concept of Kiddush Hashem, or sanctifying God’s Name. I want you to now consider the ramifications of that concept regarding the third of the Ten Commandments.

Many English translations render it “do not take the name” or in the case of the HCSB “do not misuse the name” causing many to apply only the most superficial interpretation consisting of a prohibition on using God’s…  ( Click for more )

Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things and through whom He made the universe. He is the radiance of His glory, the exact expression of His nature, and He sustains all things by His powerful word. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. – Hebrews 1:1-3 HCSB

Thousands of years ago, God told Moses to set aside his brother, Aaron, to be the first appointed kohen.[1] In fact, he was…  ( Click for more )

This is what the Lord says: The wise must not boast in his wisdom; the mighty must not boast in his might; the rich must not boast in his riches. But the one who boasts should boast in this, that he understands and knows Me - that I am the Lord, showing faithful love, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for I delight in these things.[This is] the Lord's declaration. – Jeremiah 9:23-24 HCSB

Have you ever had anyone ask you, “What does a papaya taste like?” Or, “What was it like, jumping out of an airplane?” There are some things that simply beggar…  ( Click for more )

You will be righteous, Lord, even if I bring a case against You. Yet, I wish to contend with You: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? [Why] do the treacherous live at ease? – Jeremiah 12:1 HCSB

Everyone knows that God expects us to be holy. He said, “Wash yourselves. Cleanse yourselves. Remove evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil. Learn to do what is good.”[1] So far, that sounds like pretty standard fare. It’s what our ancestors heard thundering from the pulpits for centuries.

Yet, Elohim went on: “Learn to do what is good. Seek justice.…  ( Click for more )

Noah, however, found favor in the eyes of the Lord. These are the family records of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries; Noah walked with God. – Genesis 6:8-9 HCSB

There is a misconception among many Christians that the tzaddikim try to correct. It is the mistaken belief that the Old Testament is about harsh law and the New Testament is about sweet grace. To hold to this fallacy is to do a disservice to El Olam who never changes.[1]

The word ch’ane means favor or grace and is pronounced kind of like “hane”. The word is…  ( Click for more )

So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were going to marry his daughters. "Get up," he said. "Get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city!" But his sons-in-law thought he was joking. At the crack of dawn the angels urged Lot on: "Get up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city." But he hesitated, so because of the Lord's compassion for him, the men grabbed his hand, his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters. And they brought him out and left him…  ( Click for more )

Then the angels said to Lot, "Do you have anyone else here: a son-in-law, your sons and daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of this place, for we are about to destroy this place because the outcry against its people is great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it." So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were going to marry his daughters. "Get up," he said. "Get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city!" But his sons-in-law thought he was joking. – Genesis 19:12-14…  ( Click for more )

“The children are obstinate and hardhearted. I am sending you to them, and you must say to them: This is what the Lord God says. Whether they listen or refuse [to listen] -for they are a rebellious house-they will know that a prophet has been among them." – Ezekiel 2:4-5 HCSB

Ministry is not for the faint of heart. You must combine the sensitivity of a trained, empathic counselor with the thick-skinned tenacity of a prophet. You must be passionate about speaking the truth, but you must learn to do so with love and grace[1]. You must be “one of the people”[2]…  ( Click for more )

My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow me. – John 10:27 HCSB

What does God’s voice sound like? Throughout the Bible, many people heard it with their physical ears. Adam and Eve heard God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze and in their sin-ridden guilt hid from His calling voice.[1] Their son, Cain, also heard from God after he had killed his own brother in a jealous rage.[2]

Lest we think God only shows up when we’ve messed up, we need to recall the Lord’s wonderful call to Abraham that included Yahweh’s promise…  ( Click for more )

The master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted astutely. For the sons of this age are more astute than the sons of light in dealing with their own people. – Luke 16:8 HCSB

Over the centuries, many Christians have failed to seek new and better ways to improve the resources God has given them. In their zeal to “remain on the old paths”[1], they failed to notice that the prophet Jeremiah’s comments dealt with teaching false doctrine, not adhering to technological obsolescence.

Take the use of musical instruments in worship as an example.…  ( Click for more )