The story of Sarah is scattered among the narrative in Genesis 11 through 23. Not only was she the first wife of Abraham, she was also his half-sister. Before we get too weirded out by this, recall that at this time, marrying your half-sister wasn’t prohibited. Sarah, whose name means princess, was a looker, and […]
In Three Things About Sin, the prescription for sin is to deal with the temptation before it gives way to sin. It’s like getting a vaccine; preparing now to avoid a bigger problem later. The Bible teaches us three things about temptation; they’re in the form of promises that we can claim and rely on. […]
Praising God as Worthy Today’s passage: Revelation 4:9–11 Focus verse: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power.” (Revelation 4:11) The four living creatures have affirmed God as holy, holy, holy. The twenty-four elders are there too. What are they doing as the four living creatures chant their praise? […]
Embrace the Common Good for the Sake of Others and Our Faith I often write about the importance of Christian unity. I even covered it in my dissertation. Yet I live in a society that celebrates the individual. These two ideas stand in conflict with each other. We can’t achieve the unity of believers when […]
A Wide-Ranging and Encouraging Discussion of God, the Bible Faith, and Church Author and Bible teacher Peter DeHaan was interviewed by Janice Rigel-Henriquez on Journey with Janice, a weekly podcast that celebrates “the journey of pursuing Jesus, building our lives on the Word and seeing this world impacted with the love of God.” Janice is […]
There are two men in the Bible named Nahor, and they are related. Of Terah’s three sons, Haran dies early in life, Abram goes to Canaan, and Nahor stays home. We’ll circle back to him in a bit. Terah sets out for Canaan with his nephew Lot (Haran’s son), Abram, and Abram’s wife Sarai. Yet […]
Parents Shouldn’t Play Favorites with Their Children Rebekah married Isaac and had twin boys: Esau and Jacob. Her story is found in Genesis 24 through 28. The family tree of Rebekah is confusing. She is the daughter-in-law of Abraham and Sarah, as well as their great niece (the daughter of their nephew, Bethuel. Remember Abraham […]
Discover What Paul Says about His Protege I earlier stated that Paul is the author of the letter to Philemon. This is correct, but not exclusively so. Timothy is also listed in the opening credits. While we don’t know Timothy’s degree of involvement, the letter does state that it is from Paul and Timothy. This […]
Praising God as Holy Today’s passage: Revelation 4:1–8 Focus verse: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.” (Revelation 4:8) Having considered Jesus’s seven letters to the seven churches, we move forward into the third and longest part of the book of Revelation. Jesus, with a voice booming like a trumpet, explains what’s about to […]
Seek First His Kingdom We know we need to make God a priority in our lives. Regarding Father God, Jesus says we are to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. Then other things will fall into place (Matthew 6:33). In the Old Testament, Moses quotes God telling the people—and us—that we’re to have no […]