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“Curiosity,” it is said, “killed the cat.” When O. Henry wrote Schools and Schools in the early 1900's, I doubt that he knew that his original expression would be altered and carried forward as a common proverb. Regardless of his intentions, the cat and curiosity have been inextricably linked for all time. However, cats are not the only curious creatures that God made; humans also have their share of the population that is almost willing to die just to find out a bit of hidden information. Today's message deals with curiosity from a biblical perspective.

“And…  ( Click for more )

Is it possible to be wrong while exercising a right? Today's message responds to this question.

Speech is a gift. The ability to speak and the right to speak are privileges we frequently take for granted, especially here in America. These rights are guaranteed by the first amendment to our constitution; it reads: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.…  ( Click for more )

The Bible claims to contain messages that were not authored by mere men; it claims in thousands of places that God authored its words and transferred them to men in a variety of ways. To cite one such passage, the book of Hebrews begins this way: “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son...” (Hebrews 1.1-2). This is one of many claims. However claims are just that; proof is something entirely different.

What assurance do we have that the words that are contained in…  ( Click for more )

A New Year – it is mine (and yours) to do with as we please. Though I don't really consider the content of this article to be a “New Year's Resolution,” I couldn't think of a better one to make.

The beloved apostle wrote, “I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father. And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another. This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This…  ( Click for more )

NOTE - THIS WILL BE MY FINAL ARTICLE UNTIL JANUARY 4,2010. HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Is America a Christian nation? That question is being batted about in many quarters and by many people today. Usually arguments regarding the subject matter center around the intentions of our national forefathers and the documents which they originated and/or signed. However, I think the question is far more complex than that; today’s message will look at the question from a different perspective.

At the outset, let me attempt to satisfy the verbal purists that might be reading this…  ( Click for more )

An old adage: Politics make strange bedfellows. I don’t know who first coined this phrase (and probably don’t want to know). However, history has proven the accuracy of the observation. The history of which I speak is not all recent history either. The tendency to such behaviors is as old as government itself. Today’s message will examine one such biblical event from the middle of the first century AD and then draw some lessons from it.

“Now Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; but they came to him with one accord, and having made…  ( Click for more )

Some people will do almost anything for celebrity access. Some will breach the strictest of security measures to have the briefest of encounters with someone who they think can help them in some way. Today's message is about some folks who sought to use a common name to gain access to Jesus.

“Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the [Passover] feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, 'Sir, we wish to see Jesus.' Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus. But Jesus…  ( Click for more )

Fulfilled prophecies are powerful arguments for the inspiration of the Bible. It is impossible to conceive how the prophecies of the Old Testament could have been fulfilled apart from Divine guidance controlling the hands of the authors as well as controlling the events of history. Isaiah was one of the prophets that spoke frequently and vividly of Messiah and His work. Read on!

“Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will declare justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel nor cry out, Nor…  ( Click for more )

Attitude isn’t everything, but it cannot be replaced by anything! I don’t know who said this, but whoever it was, I agree with her/him one hundred percent. Before you jump to conclusions about today’s message, I’ll tell you it isn’t what you think! It is not about Esau’s attitude, the man being spoken of in the focus text. Rather, it is about our attitude toward God’s word and the attitudes of those who handle it in critical capacities.

I invite you to read carefully the following four excerpts from today’s focus text (Hebrews 12:17).…  ( Click for more )

I heard about a special prayer meeting that was called at a particular church. Specifically the members of the small country congregation were called together to pray for rain in view of the severe drought that had besieged the farming community. An atheist that lived nearby stopped one of the members as she was walking back to her house. As they chatted, the “believer” proudly announced that she was returning home after a specially called meeting to pray for rain. The atheist, having an analytical mind, remarked, “Well, I guess that is all well and good, but I am…  ( Click for more )

“The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: ‘Hosanna! “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!” The King of Israel!’ Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: ‘Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey’s colt.’ His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these…  ( Click for more )

Solomon wrote, “I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 1.12-14). A materialist is someone who believes that “... physical matter is the only or fundamental reality and that all being and processes and phonomena can be explained as manifestations or results…  ( Click for more )

Warning! Today’s message will be a bit on the didactic side; if you are allergic to such things, take appropriate precautions!

The following excerpt is taken from the first instructions given to the Hebrews regarding the observance of a ritual that was destined to become an annual event. “And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’S Passover.”

Of course this first observance of this feast was the real thing! The Hebrews were enslaved by the…  ( Click for more )

Jesus had a way of putting things that frequently silenced those who opposed Him. It was not that He was unfair or unkind; He just had an insight that you and I cannot have and He used such tactics with the greatest of wisdom. I can recall an event that happened to me several years ago after which I bragged that I put to silence some folks with whom I disagreed on certain religious matters. I think I was wrong to brag and I think I was wrong to have been putting the people to silence; a better objective would have been to open doors of discussion rather than closing them. Today’s…  ( Click for more )

“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” (Romans 12.9).

Magnets have always fascinated kids. Even in today’s high tech world, give a kid a couple of magnets and he/she will be amused for hours. On top of the amusement factor, if the person is observant at all, she will come away with some experiential knowledge. One thing that is sure to be noticed is that there are opposing forces involved as well as forces that attract. Even if the child does not know that these forces are located at the opposite “poles” of the…  ( Click for more )

Where in the Bible does it say, “God helps those who help themselves”? Or for that matter, where does it say, “As a tree falls, so shall it lie”? There are other "verses" also that can't be located. “Cleanliness is next to godliness” is another example of what has been termed “chimney corner” scripture. Even if a particular verse does not appear verbatim in scripture, it does not mean that the concept is not there. Consider the following account and a principle that permeates several biblical events.

“Peter was therefore…  ( Click for more )

God spoke the worlds into existence (see Psalm 33.6). On each of six days of creation, God said things like, “Let there be light,” “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters,” “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear,” and so forth (see Genesis 1.3, Genesis 1.6, Genesis 1.9, etc.).

At the end of His creative works, He gave instructions to the humans He had created; these instructions were in the form of words. “And the…  ( Click for more )

If “evil company corrupts good habits,” (1 Corinthians 15.33) what does righteous company do? Today’s message will focus on this question.

“Now the LORD had said to Abram: ‘Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ So Abram departed as the…  ( Click for more )

Politics, depending on how and where the word is used, has many shades of meaning. The word can be descriptive of the occupation of a principled patriot, or it can be used to describe the deeds of a despot. The difference arises from the motives and principles of the politician. Some make decisions based upon what they personally expect to get out of the process. They may obtain power, money, fringe benefits, or they may just get to keep their job. In any of the above cases, politics is a dirty word. That is what we get when character is not considered in electing or appointing our…  ( Click for more )

Visualization techniques are modern methods used by athletes and other performers to enhance the outcomes of their efforts. These techniques vary in details but the basics are the same. The performer “sees” himself in a particular desired outcome (as the winner of a race, a star of a show, etc., etc.) and then mentally places himself into that role (including all the feelings and sensations that he might expect and intend to experience). Although these methods produce enhanced performances in the physical realm, there is another visualization technique that God requires…  ( Click for more )

David was far more than an “ordinary Joe” in biblical history. In fact, as a king, he was the “gold standard” against which all other kings were to be measured for centuries. It is not uncommon to read the history of a particular king of Israel only to have it conclude with a statement about whether the ruler walked according to David’s example or not. For this reason, we could surmise that David was “a hard act to follow” when it came to pleasing God.

Yet, in spite of this well deserved reputation, we find this statement concerning Israel’s…  ( Click for more )

It is thought that Aesop lived about 600 years before Christ. Many sayings, mainly fables and proverbs, are attributed to him. One saying, whether he originated it or not, has come down to us and exists today as an American Proverb. It goes roughly as follows: “After all is said and done, a lot more is usually said than done.” We will consider this proverb in the light of what many say and believe about biblical faith.

Hebrews 11 is sometimes referred to tongue-in-cheek as the biblical “Hall of Faith.” Our focus today will be on the type of faith that…  ( Click for more )

Years ago I read an informative and helpful little book entitled, I Know It When I See It! It dealt with the fact that some things are hard to define, but easy enough to recognize. For instance, it may be hard to say what makes a great paint job on a car, but it can usually be spotted easily. It is just as true that the converse of this principle is true – It is sometimes easy to see when a particular quality or trait is missing. Take the same idea of looking at a paint job; I may not know whether it is great or not, but if it is splotchy and the color is inconsistent and dull,…  ( Click for more )

“Death is not optional.” Do you agree with this statement? Well then, how about “Death is optional,” do you agree with this statement? Maybe you agree with both statements. Actually you could agree with both statements and be totally rational since the two statements are not contradictory. How can that be? Today's devotional will answer that question by noting one of the better known events in the New Testament.

“Jesus said to her [Martha], 'Your brother [Lazarus] will rise again.' Martha said to Him, 'I know that he will rise again in the resurrection…  ( Click for more )