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In today’s civilized cultures trafficking in slavery (buying/selling people) is unthinkable. It has not been that long since it was commonplace throughout the world. In fact, there are still places where people are bought for a particular sum of money, or for services to be rendered; this does not say that the processes are legal or morally right – just that they are still being done in certain parts of the world.

Today’s message revolves around the fact that as believers we belong to another and hence owe our lives and everything in them to the one who bought…  ( Click for more )

“The fish that were in the river died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river. So there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. Then the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments; and Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the LORD had said. And Pharaoh turned and went into his house. Neither was his heart moved by this.” (Exodus 7.21-23).

Today's message will deal with the heart of Pharaoh, the heart of man in general, and the heart as it applies to each living person. One of the classic sermons contained…  ( Click for more )

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7.21-23).

The kingdom of heaven is a place of great blessings, a desirable place to which many aspire. However, not everyone will be allowed to go there.…  ( Click for more )

A Short Treatise on Love (John 21.15-17)

"So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Feed My lambs.’ He said to him again a second time, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Tend My sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?’ Peter…  ( Click for more )

Solomon’s Temple was a magnificent structure; his riches were beyond description. So impressed was the Queen of Sheba when she came from the South to view his empire that she exclaimed, “The half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard.” (see 1 Kings 10.1-7). Solomon’s father, David, had wanted to build the first Temple but God prohibited it due to the fact that he had been “…a man of war and had shed blood.” (1 Chronicles 28.3). When Solomon finished the Temple, the following answer to his…  ( Click for more )

“Talk is cheap!” This modern proverb takes many forms but this one seems to say it best for me. It simply means that it does not take any resources to talk. On the other hand, the doing of a thing is entirely another matter. If talk is all that is of importance and there is no proving of the proposition, I am the fastest man in the world; I can jump higher than anyone now living or who has ever lived. I can shoot straighter and ride faster! There is simply no end to my achievements if talk is all that matters.

The late and beloved Foy E. Wallace, Jr. used to say, “As…  ( Click for more )

“So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come anymore into the territory of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. Then the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath; and Israel recovered its territory from the hands of the Philistines. Also there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. He went from year to year on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and judged Israel in all those places. But he always returned…  ( Click for more )

Resolutions come in all shapes and forms. There are the typical resolutions which most of us make at the turning of the year – you know the ones that are usually broken by the time we turn the second leaf of the calendar. Then there are the resolutions of a political nature – you know the ones that contain scores of whereas expressions along with an equal number of and boring wherefores. Today's Little Lift concerns one such resolution, but it is far from boring when one considers the times and circumstances of its issuance. The text that appears below is from a pagan…  ( Click for more )

“And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. On the first day of the first month he began his journey from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.” (Ezra 7.8-10). The key phrase in today’s text – Ezra had prepared his heart – is connected to three objectives which Ezra had in mind as he was preparing his heart.…  ( Click for more )

“And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. On the first day of the first month he began his journey from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.” (Ezra 7.8-10). The key phrase in today’s text – Ezra had prepared his heart – is connected to three objectives which Ezra had in mind as he was preparing his heart.…  ( Click for more )

When is three hundred greater than thousands upon thousands? Answer: When the hundreds are under God’s direct guidance. Gideon led such a group at one time. Today’s Little Lift recounts the story of Gideon’s valiant men even though it has been told and retold countless thousands of times.

“And the LORD said to Gideon, ‘The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, “My own hand has saved me.”Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people,…  ( Click for more )

“After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, ‘Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.’” (Revelation 7.1-3).

Perhaps no book of the Bible has generated…  ( Click for more )

“Then they said to Him, ‘What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.’ Therefore they said to Him, ‘What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the…  ( Click for more )

I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ." (Galatians 1.6-7).

The marvel which sparked Paul's statement was the soon apostasy of the Galatian brethren. Some things are marvels to be held in admiration; others are marvels of dismay and sadness. The apostasy of the saints in Galatia was of the latter sort. Note that their apostasy was one of turning - turning from one thing to another thing. They were turning…  ( Click for more )

I have a challenge for you. Try to remember the last time you heard the word holy used legitimately in day to day conversation. And, by the way, don’t count the times that you heard it as a slang term used in connection with a random noun such as was popularized in the Batman movies and TV series. Also, please discount the slang usages by popular sports figures like Phil Rizzuto and others. When was the last time you heard it used with its original and legitimate meaning? Not to be confused with gambling, but I “betcha” you would have to really stretch your memory…  ( Click for more )

“He [Herod] also swore to her [Herodias' daughter], 'Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.' So she went out and said to her mother, 'What shall I ask?' And she said, 'The head of John the Baptist!' Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, 'I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.' And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought. And he…  ( Click for more )

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6.24).

Some stories beg to be told. I think the one which follows is one of those stories. It has a point which I think is obvious. I once heard of a godly man who outlived his two wives. He took great pride in the fact that he loved his wives equally and was evenhanded in how he treated them in every way. He was so intent on having everyone see that his devotion was equally shared between…  ( Click for more )

There are federal and state laws which define the minimum wages that are applicable for workers in the United States of America. Laws of this nature are effected in order to insure that employees receive a salary that is at least equal to an amount established by the legislative bodies responsible for such matters. This wage typically goes up periodically as the cost of living increases due to inflation or other factors. Frequently history has been changed by well organized campaigns organized for the sole purpose of increasing the minimum wage. For the record, as far as this writer…  ( Click for more )

"Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.’ So Moses took the rod from before the LORD as He commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, ‘Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?’ Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock…  ( Click for more )

“Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 6.17-20).

As one who…  ( Click for more )

“But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.” (Genesis 6.18-20).

The focus passage contains the very first recorded usage of the word covenant in the Scriptures.…  ( Click for more )

Pay attention to verb tenses; they literally spell the difference between life and death. Consider the following passage: “But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” (Romans 6.17-18). Paul was not thanking God that the Roman believers had been sinners; he was thanking God that they had become believers in spite of their past!

Obedience to the first principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is essential if…  ( Click for more )

“‘Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them, Everyone is given to covetousness; And from the prophet even to the priest, Everyone deals falsely. They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, Saying, “Peace, peace!” When there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed; Nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time I punish them, They shall be cast down,’ says the LORD. Thus says the LORD: ‘Stand in the ways and see, And…  ( Click for more )

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel…  ( Click for more )