Doing What Is Right in The Eyes of the Lord King Ahaz is king of Judah. He is an evil king. He comes into power when he’s twenty years old and reigns for sixteen years. He dies at age thirty-six. His son, Hezekiah, succeeds him. King Hezekiah, however, it’s not like his father. He’s a […]
The Church in Ephesus: Their First Love Today’s passage: Revelation 2:1–7 Focus verse: “You have forsaken the love you had at first.” (Revelation 2:4) Of the seven churches, we know most about the church in Ephesus because of the letter Paul wrote to them (the book of Ephesians). In this epistle Paul teaches them about three […]
Who Makes Things Happen at Your Church? When something needs to be done at your church, who does it? Many people would say it’s the pastor. They view their clergy as paid employees who are supposed to do the work of the church and serve them. But should they? Paid Staff The idea of having […]
Embrace the Old Testament Characters Some Christians dismiss the Old Testament. They argue that since Jesus came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17), what it says doesn’t matter to them or their faith practices today. Other Christians embrace the Old Testament, putting it on an equal footing with the New Testament. They […]
A Good Mother Can Make All the Difference The Egyptians fear the mushrooming population of the enslaved Israelites. They command all the Israelite baby boys be thrown into the Nile River. However, one mother sees something special in her baby and hides him for several months. When she can conceal him no longer, she does […]
A Wise Guy God told King Solomon to ask for anything and it would be given to him (2 Chronicles 1:7-12). (I think this is the closest thing we see in the Bible to God granting wishes like a genie.) As a wise guy, he chose carefully. Solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge. And God […]
Do Not Be Afraid Today’s passage: Revelation 1:9–20 Focus verse: When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid.” (Revelation 1:17) The apostle John, exiled on the island of Patmos for telling others about Jesus, connects with God on a […]
Proclaim Love Through Action and Not Reaction Most people think of love as a feeling. They fall in love, and they fall out of love. They get married because they feel in love, and they divorce when the feeling goes away. We’d be better off viewing love as action and not reaction. Instead, love is […]
Complete Lesson List from 1, 2, and 3 John Bible Study The entire letters of John Bible study contents are now available for you or your small group, Sunday school, or classroom. It’s available to you at no cost. Ideal for weekly gatherings, daily devotionals, or independent study. Go through the whole study or pick […]
An Outdoor Service It’s July 2020, and it’s been four months since I’ve been to church on Sunday morning. It isn’t that I’ve lost my faith, have backslidden, or am pursuing a rebellious protest. It’s because of Covid restrictions. With government mandates to avoid large gatherings, most churches responded by moving their services online and […]