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Bible Insights

Opposition to Nehemiah

Learn More about Nehemiah Under the wise leadership of Nehemiah, the walls of the city of Jerusalem were rebuild in only 52 days. That’s less than two months. That seems quick and it sounds like it would have been easy, but it wasn’t. Nehemiah faced severe opposition, in multiple ways, that threatened progress and could […]

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Bible Insights

Nehemiah’s Omission

In Nehemiah and the Wall, we saw Nehemiah’s great leadership at work, stirring up a passive and floundering people to act, quickly accomplishing what had long been languishing. He also ushered in numerous reforms and ignited a spiritual revival. Yet he lacked one thing. He did not train a replacement. After leading his people for 12 […]

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Bible Insights

Nehemiah and the Wall

Nehemiah was in exile. Though some of his people had been repatriated, he remained in Babylon. Those who returned, had rebuilt the temple, but the city walls (their protection from attack) were still in ruins. Nehemiah sought the king’s permission and blessing to return and rebuild the wall. So Nehemiah goes home, surveys the situation, […]

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Bible Insights

God Is Slow to Anger and It Only Lasts for a Moment

God Loves Us and His Favor Lasts a Lifetime The book of Psalms gives us glimpses into God’s character and his love for us. Though some people view God, as portrayed in the Old Testament, as angry and vengeful, a more careful read gives us a different perspective. We see his love and his patience; […]

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Bible Insights

Happy Thanksgiving

What Does Giving Thanks Mean to You? Today, in the United States, we celebrate Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving! But wherever you live, take time to give thanks for all we have. In the US, however, Thanksgiving Day has morphed into a day of eating too much, watching football on television, and starting Christmas shopping in earnest. […]

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Visiting Churches

The Church with Much to Offer

An Intriguing Possibility The neighbor who goes to The Kind-of-Traditional Church also mentioned this one. “All the rest of the neighbors go there,” she said. “It’s more contemporary.” That’s where we’re headed today, all the while questioning how many of our future neighbors actually go there. Easy Access The facility is larger than I expect […]

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Christian Living

What Happened to Integrity?

May Our Life Honor God and Be an Example to Others Integrity is largely missing in our world today. It looms as an out-of-date concept. Many even mock it as restrictive, limiting our desire to act however we want. Integrity is an unwavering adherence to moral principles and ethical behavior. It’s being honest. It’s sound […]

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Bible Insights

God’s Book of Life

Is Your Name on the List? Chapter 2 in the book of Ezra overflows with names. We often skim it or may face the temptation to skip it altogether. Buried among this dizzying array of names is a sidenote that’s easy to miss, but it carries an important lesson. Many of the Israelite exiles prepare […]

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Christian Living

Does Reading the Bible Make You Cry?

Scripture Can Produce Tears of Joy and of Sorrow A minister in Africa passed out Bibles to his people so they could have their own copy and read Scripture in their native tongue. He said that “I see many believers crying and praying as they read the Word.” This report makes my heart soar with […]

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Bible Insights

How Soon They Forget God and the Things He Told Them to Do

So, Moses receives ten commandments from God and teaches them to the people. God gives other directions and instructions, too, which Moses also passes on. But the people begin to disregard and forget God and what he told them to do. This displeases him, so eventually, he sends a series of wake-up calls, first in […]