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Clean? “Who says so?” Consider the following paragraph:

“The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And a voice came to him, ‘Rise, Peter; kill…  ( Click for more )

“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…” (Ephesians 3.14).

The point of this devotional message is not to look at the things for which Paul prayed on this occasion. Rather, it is to look at the phrase “I bow my knees…” and some of the implications of this phrase. The point of the phrase is not to depict a sanctified position of prayer, but rather to indicate the sanctified attitude of prayer displayed by Paul. This does not deny that Paul literally bowed his knees in prayer, for that seems to be the case –…  ( Click for more )

It is safe to say that almost everyone trusts in someone or something. A skeptic might say that he trusts in no one, but chances are good that his mistrust is not as universal as he would have us believe. He may not believe in [trust in] doctors, politicians, lawyers, preachers, and a thousand other entities that he names, but chances are far better than even that he really does trust in someone. God spoke to His people through Hosea and observed the following: “You have plowed wickedness; You have reaped iniquity. You have eaten the fruit of lies, Because you trusted in your…  ( Click for more )

“And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” (Hebrews 10.11-14).

The book of Hebrews contrasts two great systems, both of them authored and authorized by Almighty God. One of them, the first covenant, was inferior to the other in as much as it was designed…  ( Click for more )

Two haunting questions had arrested the mind of Habakkuk. They were: 1) How long do I have to wait before You [God] will heed my call for help and avenge my cause? (see Habakkuk 1.2) And 2) Will You [God] use a more wicked person to discipline a righteous person? So distraught was he for an answer that he dared to confront God and stand on a watchtower awaiting a response from the Lord (see Habakkuk 2.1). The answer came and it is the pivotal point of Habakkuk's 3 chapter book. We will examine that answer and its implications.

In effect, Habakkuk had asked, “God are you…  ( Click for more )

Job probably lived during the patriarchal period of biblical history, yet some of his insight far exceeds the “ordinary” knowledge of the time. Today’s message treats one passage where he spoke things that were impossible to know except by Divine revelation. Consider the following text: “Your hands have made me and fashioned me, An intricate unity.” (Job 10.8a; NKJV).

Some translations almost totally miss an important part of this verse. They truncate the wording to read things like, “Your hands shaped me and made me” (NIV) or, “Your…  ( Click for more )

Life is truly full of surprises. One of the things that we see frequently is the “weird bounces” that life takes. Another way of saying this is expressed in the saying, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” This was much of Solomon's opine in the book of Ecclesiastes. Things that he wanted to be, planned for, and worked to achieve just didn't work out. This, according the The Preacher was vanity. In his most troublesome moments, he would say, “All is vanity!” One such expression of surprise from his pen reads, “I have seen servants…  ( Click for more )

“There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, ‘Cornelius!’ And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, ‘What is it, lord?’ So he said to him, ‘Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon…  ( Click for more )

“Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul's sons. The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was wounded by the archers. Then Saul said to his armorbearer, 'Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and abuse me.' But his armorbearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword…  ( Click for more )

“After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them, 'The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.'” (Luke 10.1-2).

Some of the most beautiful vistas are made picturesque by the contrasts they contain. A brilliant moon against a black velvet sky, poverty in the midst of opulence, and superior intellect in a family of average Joe's, all of these stand out…  ( Click for more )

A shadow is real, but it is only a representation of something else (the substance). A shadow may reveal some things about the object it represents, but it does not reveal everything. By looking at a shadow I might be able to tell the approximate size of the individual casting it, but I could not tell the color of the eyes, or the breadth of the nose, or a thousand other details that only a face to face view would reveal. Shadows are spoken of in Scripture; today’s message will treat one of these shadows.

The Hebrews writer penned the following: “For the law, having…  ( Click for more )

Who is God? This question cannot be answered definitively and completely by any man. However, simply because we cannot understand all that He is does not mean that we cannot understand some of who He is. Today’s devotional will reveal a small part of who God is and how He yearns for His creatures to hear His voice. Today’s focus text is taken from a protracted prayer and confessional under the urging of Nehemiah. We learn much about God from this passage; read and consider!

“Therefore You delivered them [the nation of Israel] into the hand of their enemies, Who…  ( Click for more )

“So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years; and he died.” (Genesis 9.29).

There are ten generations from Adam to Noah. The vast majority of these ten generations are documented in Genesis 5 and conclude with the death of Noah as noted in today's focus text. Between Genesis 5 and the death of Noah in Genesis 9, the story of the flood is chronicled. In the ten generations that are mentioned in these passages, the phrase “and he died” is repeated again and again. In fact, “and he died” appears nine time in Genesis 5 and Genesis…  ( Click for more )

“And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.” (Genesis 9.28).

The passage just quoted is taken directly from the New King James version (1982) of the Bible. It also reads exactly the same in the King James Version of 1611, and the American Standard Version of 1901. Other versions may have the wording a bit different, but the substance is exactly the same. The bottom line of this biblical verse in each version is simply this: Noah continued to live for an additional three hundred and fifty (350) years after the end of the flood.

For some people,…  ( Click for more )

Sometimes things just don't add up. When we look at all the supposed facts, something is amiss and it causes us to reassess what we knew (or thought we knew). Today's message contains a passage in which an occasion similar to the above took place. Consider it carefully with me.

“So they [the Pharisees] again called the man who was blind, and said to him, ‘Give God the glory! We know that this Man [Jesus] is a sinner.’ He answered and said, ‘Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.’” (John…  ( Click for more )

Just read the following biblical passage.

“While He [Jesus] spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.’ So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples. …When Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, ‘Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.’ And they ridiculed Him. But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand,…  ( Click for more )

God does not speak ambiguously; His voice is certain. When He issues commands for others to follow, He leaves no question as to the author of these commands. Today’s message deals with the issuance of an entire set of commands to the nation of Israel, a set of commands that was to last for years to come.

Our focus text reads: “And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting, and came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people, and fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar.…  ( Click for more )

Not everyone can be a headliner. Joram and Jehu, the primary players in today’s message, are certainly among the lesser known characters in the Old Testament. However, the lessons which we can learn from them are eternal lessons; we will visit one of these lessons today.

The nation of Israel was divided into two kingdoms following the death of Solomon. For that reason, it is common to refer to these two nations as Northern Israel and Southern Israel. Though coming from common ancestors, these two nations were constantly bickering and fighting among themselves. In today’s…  ( Click for more )

Almost a millennium after the fact, the children of Israel recounted the blessings they received while an extremely young nation. There were many, many things for which they should have been thankful and Nehemiah chapter nine summarizes many of those blessings. A particular blessings, one that is not well known, is the fact that for the duration of the wilderness wandering, the entire nation of Israel had no need for new clothes. Scripture states it this way: “Forty years You [God] sustained them in the wilderness; They lacked nothing; Their clothes did not wear out And their…  ( Click for more )

I am not a pacifist in the absolute sense. I believe that sometimes war is unavoidable and justifiable. One reason I believe this is the fact that actual evil exists in this world and man has the free will to choose between good and evil. In the Old Testament when God was leading the nation of Israel (a Theocracy prior to the era of the kings), He found it necessary to resort to acts of war and violence to achieve His purposes. Simply stated, if God could not avoid war while preserving man’s free will then neither can we.

This does not mean I am for war! I recently saw a…  ( Click for more )

Jesus knew the hearts of men; He knew the thoughts of men even before they articulated them. In short, Jesus knew anything He wanted to know. Why was that the case? Answer: Simply because Jesus was God in the flesh. Isaiah had prophesied seven centuries before the fact that the virgin born Son would be named Emanuel (Isaiah 7.14). Matthew, commenting on that prophecy, said that Emanuel means “God with us.” (see Matthew 1.23). Given these facts, consider this question: Why did Jesus tell His disciples to feed a huge multitude when they didn't even have enough food to feed…  ( Click for more )

“They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, ‘He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.’ Therefore some of the Pharisees said, ‘This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.’ Others said, ‘How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?’ And there was a division among them." (John 9.13-16).

The previous paragraph is taken from one of the most…  ( Click for more )

Contrary to what some believe, I am not old enough to have personally known Job, the biblical character. However, I surely can identify with him. In fact, it is my absolute conviction that every human being who has lived to be accountable before God can identify with Job. His struggles, though perhaps more intense and sore, are our struggles. The times are different and “the names have been changed to protect the guilty,” but his struggles are our struggles.

After his pseudo-friends came to his side and began their berating tirades, Job was “forced” to…  ( Click for more )

“Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, 'Why do we and the Pharisees fast often but Your disciples do not fast?' And Jesus said to them, 'Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But…  ( Click for more )