I enjoy nature and worship God through it, so a verse in Romans gives me pause. It talks about the error of worshiping created things instead of the Creator. I feel that I can worship God through my appreciation of nature, that I can better appreciate the intangible through the tangible. Yet this verse seems […]
Breaking the Seven Seals Today’s passage: Revelation 6 Focus verse: I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. (Revelation 6:1) Jesus has just been declared worthy to open God’s scroll, that is, to access the words on the sealed document. One by one, Jesus will break each of the seven seals that […]
The Simplicity of Jesus’s Salvation Message Seems Foolish and Offends Many It shouldn’t surprise us that the gospel is offensive, that the good news of Jesus offends people. Quoting God, the prophet Jeremiah writes that the word of the Lord is offensive to them (Jeremiah 6:10). Not only does this apply to the people in […]
By name, this Eliezer only appears once in the Bible. He is from Damascus and a servant of Abram. We can assume that Eliezer is Abram’s lead servant and most esteemed, because Abram is childless at the time and identifies Eliezer as the heir of his estate. If Abram dies childless, Eliezer will inherit much. […]
Judge and Prophetess Deborah’s story is in the book of Judges. Though they call her a judge, she is primarily a prophetess, a person who hears from God. Judge Deborah is notable as the only female judge listed in the book of Judges. Judge Deborah receives a message from God for Barak. Through her, God […]
God reveals his truth to Paul. Paul calls it a mystery. God gives it to Paul so he can share it with the church in Ephesus; he’s not supposed to keep it to himself. This isn’t something Paul figures out on his own; he doesn’t logically deduce it or make it up. This isn’t something […]
Who Else Is Worthy? Today’s passage: Revelation 5 Focus verse: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain.” (Revelation 5:9) Our scene in heaven continues to unfold: the four living creatures have declared God holy, and the twenty-four elders have laid their crowns at the feet of […]
We Must Take Care to Not Judge Others for Their Faith, Practices, or Beliefs Most Christians evaluate people by a set of criteria they use to judge their faith. It’s as if they have a set of Christian litmus tests to decide who are true adherents and who are heretics. Sometimes these Christian litmus tests […]
Make Regular Bible Reading Part of Your Plan for the New Year The 2025 Bible reading plans are now available. Read the New Testament in 2025 If you’re new to reading the Bible, we suggest you start reading the New Testament in 2025. Read the Old Testament in 2025 If you’ve already read the New […]
The mysterious character of Melchizedek shows up only once in the book of Genesis. There he meets and blesses Abraham after the patriarch defeats Lot’s captors and liberates his nephew, the rest of the town, and their possessions. Abraham gives Melchizedek a tenth of the plunder. Yet this seemingly straightforward story also intrigues. First, Melchizedek […]