In James 1:19, James commands his beloved brothers to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. Quickness to hear before speaking too soon is a biblical principle (Prov 18:13) and a wise way to go about conversations. Soft answers turn away anger (Prov 15:1), and James tells us that man’s anger… Read More »
I pray for my husband but not nearly as much as I should. I pray generically for him to have grace and strength in life, and I pray for some certain situations or struggles that I know of. But it never seems quite adequate. Sometimes I just don’t know how to pray for my husband… Read More »
In Ephesians 6:1-3 God commands children to obey and honor their parents and fathers to discipline and instruct their children in the Lord. A child who obeyed generally lived a long life, a promise first given to Israel in Exodus 20:12. The sons of Eli the priest serve as dire examples of lives cut short… Read More »
According to the National Weather Service, “Thunder is created when lightning passes through the air. The lightning discharge heats the air rapidly and causes it to expand. The temperature of the air in the lightning channel may reach as high as 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit, 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun. Immediately after… Read More »
Some friends and I were discussing the idea of provoking one another to love and good works within the local church. We all have opinions, suggestions, and advice, but are they all necessary to be given? Is there a point in which it becomes my Christian duty to advise strongly? Where do we draw the… Read More »
Have you ever started a Bible reading plan? Have you ever quit a Bible reading plan, say, in the middle of Exodus or Leviticus? 🙂 Many Bible reading plans start at the beginning, in Genesis, which is really quite interesting to dig into. Exodus starts off pretty exciting too, but starts to decrease in the… Read More »
I recently gave a challenge in which I was asked to give the gospel. I was working in my garden as I thought about how I would present it, and I thought about the connections between the gardens in the Bible and the gospel. The Garden of Eden and an off-limit tree In the beginning,… Read More »
What do we do when we receive the phone call about cancer or health problems—problems of your own or that of a friend or family member? What about when your life is thrown upside down because of unexpected events? Or when you hear heartbreaking news about someone? Or when your day or week doesn’t go… Read More »
Shortly before England’s entry into World War II, Winston Churchill said, “We are so few, enemies so many, the cause so great, that we cannot afford to weaken each other in any way” (The Gathering Storm, p 331). I have been dwelling on the passages and principles of a sermon I listened to this week.… Read More »
In 1 Timothy 5, Paul gives the qualifications for widows who were to be enrolled in the church care program. In 1 Timothy 5:11–12 Paul commands that the church refuse to enroll younger widows, because they will eventually want to remarry (which Paul encourages in 1 Timothy 5:14) and may abandon “their former faith,” perhaps… Read More »