How do we tie a war to Israel and the end times? Is the current war related to the end times, and is the antichrist figure about to appear? This article is written with the 2023 war in Gaza uppermost in our minds. The newspaper headlines about war in the Middle East will come and go, but the details in the Word of God will remain faithful to show us the truth.
Let’s turn to Zechariah 12-14, which talks about war with Israel from a unique perspective.
Continue readingAn increasing number of stores are rejecting cash for digital-only payments. Obviously, this applies to online stores and businesses. The use of credit cards and the rise of Apple Pay and Google Pay in stores and restaurants is slowly working toward the cashless society prophesied in the Bible.
Continue readingThe elders of Israel asked the prophet Samuel to make a king over them like the other nations have. When Samuel prayed about this, the Lord replied, “they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them” (1 Samuel 8:7).
Continue readingOur God wants to make Himself known to the world. He had this desire from the very beginning in the garden of Eden when He created the first couple. He made them in His image (Genesis 2:26–27).
He wanted them to be “fruitful,” meaning to flourish with all the God-given abilities, talents, and gifts they were given. To “multiply,” to procreate more godly images of Him. To “fill the earth” with these God-honoring images of Himself (Gen. 2:28 NKJV).
But sin entered in when the couple chose the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil at the instigation of a Satanic serpent (Gen. 3). So their offspring was corrupted with a sinful image, one that no longer looks to God for guidance, but instinctively acts with autonomy, deciding what is good and right for themselves. So all people begin life with this sinful mindset. Meanwhile, God left a promise of a new man who was to come, saying to the serpent, “He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:15; “bruise” in these two uses can also be rendered “crush”).
Continue readingThe “Our Father” prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 humbles me. The entire prayer is pointing us to see our need for the Lord in everything. The Father is exalted in heaven. We pray for His kingdom to come and replace the sorry mess we’ve made on earth. We pray that His will be done because what we want often doesn’t rise to His level of importance.
We need His daily bread because the world’s fare doesn’t satisfy. We need to face our sins and confess that we’re the problem after all. We need to forgive others and give them another reason to do well next time. The evil one is stronger than us and keeps leading us to temptation and ruin.
God desires that we be like His Son (Rom. 8:29). In the end, this is what salvation looks like, that we live the way He does because we have the relationship with God that He has. Jesus gave us a forceful command that helps us evaluate how we are living our lives and get back on track where we’ve gone off.
He said to His disciples, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt. 6:33).
Continue readingAs I read America’s Declaration of Independence this morning, I was struck by its many parallels to our times. The Declaration included a list of 27 grievances committed by the British king against the original “united States of America.” For these reasons, the colonies determined to be “Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown” and to live as “Free and Independent States.” (Uppercase and lowercase have been preserved from the original document.)
We have jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire, for the Declaration’s grievances against the king have parallels to problems we face now.
Paul, who devoted his life to earning righteousness through the Mosaic law, found something that was foreign to him: grace. To clarify grace, he later wrote, if it is “by grace, it is no longer of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace” (Romans 11:6 NKJV). Grace is not dependent on us having something to offer as a prerequisite. If we say, “I can’t receive grace because I did not do well,” we have turned grace into a reward. It is no longer biblical grace. Grace (for instance, in the form of God’s help to us) isn’t given based on how well we’ve behaved, good deeds we’ve done, some charitable work we are proud of, or some difficult goal we’ve achieved. If we have received Christ, we are positioned for blessing because grace depends on his finished work, not ours.
Continue readingWhen did Eve in the Garden eat the fruit forbidden by God? Answer: “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise” (Genesis 3:6 NASB).
Earlier, the first human beings followed the Lord from the heart. But when they were prompted by the Tempter, they followed the flesh. Today, the Lord wants people to get back to following Him from the heart. How will He do it? “I will put my law within them and on their heart will I write it” (Jeremiah 31:33 NASB).
I read with interest the quotes you had gathered about repentance, addiction, and other subjects to help you grow. They are really good quotes.
I see one glaring problem with your quotes. First, read Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation [deliverance, rescue, or setting free] for everyone who believes…” The glaring omission from your quotes is Jesus Christ. He should be the star on every page of your quotes. V. 16 says so.
Continue readingSome of us may wonder why Christian growth seems to take such a long time, and we wonder if it is happening at all. Jesus addressed this issue in Mark 4. It’s a matter of how well we are hearing and receiving the message the Bible passage is trying to teach us. Frankly, the principles behind Bible learning are the same as learning other things as well.
How well do we listen? Regarding the message of the word, and hearing it, Jesus said, “But these [seeds] are sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred” (Mark 4:20).
When Adam and Eve disobeyed the Lord and ate the fruit of the wrong tree, the Lord spelled out the consequences for each of them in Genesis 3:16-19. These curses were not because God was angry or vindictive. It was much worse than that.
After these curses, we learn that Adam called his wife’s name Eve, “because she was the mother of all the living,” v. 20. Yet she was not the mother of all all life, was she? She did not create the animals or creeping things, neither the creatures of the air nor sea.
Continue readingMany words have been inked about the Son of God becoming a human being in the Christmas story. However, I seldom read of one aspect of the story, one important reason that’s left unmentioned, of why Jesus had to be born a human male.
Yes, He came to die for our sins, be buried, and rise from the dead, saving us from the wrath to come and giving us hope. Yes, He came to fulfill prophecy. He came to set up His kingdom. To reveal what God is really like and be our example to follow. To break the power of sin and the devil. To offer salvation by grace through faith for all. All of these blessed reasons are true and not to be taken lightly.
After seeing King Solomon’s riches and hearing his wisdom, the queen of Sheba said to him, “Behold, the half was not told me. You exceed in wisdom and prosperity the report which I heard” (1 Kings 10:7, NASB).
What wonderful words to say when we’ve had our fill of daily bread in the Word of God, “The half was not told me” of my Lord. How wonderful is the wisdom of our Savior and the riches of grace we have in Him.
Continue readingWhile King Solomon stood before the people before the newly dedicated temple, he prayed for several scenarios in which they would need to pray before the temple of God’s presence. “When your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You” (1 Kings 8:33). This scenario of defeat will tell the people they have sinned and they’ll need to confess it to get God’s wisdom and strength for victory again. When they humble themselves and seek the Lord, order will be restored and the Lord will once again lead the way.
Continue readingAt the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem, a house of prayer, Solomon prayed that when a foreigner “comes and prays toward this temple, hear in heaven” and answer their prayers that they “may know Your name and fear You” (1 Kings 8:41-43).
The contrast between the Pharisees of Jesus’ time and the Old Testament times regarding Gentiles is striking. Here, Solomon prays for the Lord to hear the Gentile prayers. And when we look among David’s mighty men in 2 Samuel 23:8-23, we find many non-Israelite nationals. Moses married a Moabite woman. Ruth was a foreigner, yet by God’s grace her story put her in the lineage of the Messiah (Matthew 1:5).
Continue reading. My pain and loss echoes His own pain over our broken love relationship, for my sin separated me from God. I confess to hurting Him.
. I confess that it was my fault and my sin alone that understandably drove Him from me.
. I acknowledge that I still love Him more than my sin.
. I’m sorry for what I’ve done. I feel terrible over how I could chose momentary sin over a life with Him.
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal”
1 Cor. 13:1
If I don’t love the person when I speak to them, such as when using a gift of tongues, prophecy, or teaching, it doesn’t profit me or my hearers. Though I learn various languages, if I don’t really care about the person who’s listening, then it’s all noise and thunder that can’t steer people to Jesus.
Love uses words, but sometimes its actions speaks louder than words. Being patient and kind, seeking the good of another, not embarrassing people, being merciful (1 Cor. 13:4)–these actions are profitable because God is love. God moves through us when we love others. These actions and attitudes point people to the reality of God in your own life. It shows how the Spirit has changed you to be like the person who loves you.
Continue reading“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; and whoever will lose his life for my sake and the sake of the Good News will save it” (Mark 8:35).
Jesus has a cool way with words. In this verse, He is looking at “life,” “save,” and “lose” from two different perspectives. In the first part, your life represents the “me first” period before you became a child of God. We want to preserve, or save, everything about this life that we are comfortable with. We love to put ourselves first. When we agree with the world when it tells us that wealth, fame, and indulgence make life enjoyable, then we’ll tend to “save” this life. But if we do, Jesus warns us, we will lose what we cherish, with nothing to gain from it. No rewards accrue in the life to come for this pursuit of self.
Continue readingGod’s names throughout the Scriptures reveal His character and what He stands for. The more we hallow, or respect, His name, the more we will be delivered and be like Him. And how does that happen?
It happens when the sinner discovers that God is a “Savior.” When the estranged find in Him a “Father” to the fatherless. When the anxious learn of the “Prince of Peace.” Then the name is profoundly respected, the person of God is revered, and the heart of the believer is changed by the encounter.
Continue readingWe who are involved in the work of the Lord can fall into the terrible sin of pride. This was not a problem limited to the Pharisees. It is not a religious problem but a human being problem, because hypocrisy appears everywhere people do, not just in religious institutions.
The prideful try to make themselves a cut above, often by elevating themselves above others. The Pharisees prayed in public to gain the admiration of men (Matt. 23:5). They wore larger sleeves (phylacteries) to stand out among their peers. The proud are motivated to promote themselves, to gain recognition, in all that they do.
Continue readingThen Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
The Word of God contains words inspired by God and it is His vehicle to help us understand His Son, and His ways, and our place in His plans for the everlasting kingdom. Let’s dissect the above passage carefully for their meaning.
Note who the speaker is. It is “Jesus” the Christ, the Son of God made flesh, and who makes covenants with His people, of law then of grace. He is the express image of God, so to see His life is to know the person of the living God. He is the King of kings, and to Him all humanity will bend the knew as Lord and Ruler of all. He is the Creator, the one who made the worlds, who said, “Let there be light,” and light shined at His word.
Continue readingMany words have been inked about the Son of God becoming a human being in the Christmas story. However, I seldom read of one aspect of the story, one important reason that’s left unmentioned, of why Jesus had to be born a human male.
Yes, He came to die for our sins, be buried, and rise from the dead, saving us from the wrath to come and giving us hope. Yes, He came to fulfill prophecy. He came to set up His kingdom. To reveal what God is really like and be our example to follow. The break the power of sin and the devil. To offer salvation by grace through faith for all. All of these blessed reasons are true and not to be taken lightly.
Continue readingSome of the most enduring hymns contain a treasure-trove of scripture framing the whole. So it is with There’s a Song in the Air. It was written by Josiah G. Holland in the 1800s.
There’s a song in the air! There’s a star in the sky!
There’s a mother’s deep prayer and a Baby’s low cry!
A star, a song, a prayer, and a cry. The star was a promise from above that this Baby would be the Savior. The angels’ song points to God’s purpose of peace with mankind through this Savior, as foreshadowed by the deep prayer and answering cry.
Continue reading1 Samuel 15:1 “Because you have been anointed king, listen to the words of the Lord.”
We have been elevated to a higher position than any of the prophets and kings in the OT. How much more should we listen? Jesus said that to those who have, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, so it pays to listen and keep what you hear. We see by Saul’s example that he lost dearly. Yet our gains by the training of the Spirit through the grace of God are incalculable. It will be worth all we have to gain what God has to give us.
Continue reading1 Samuel 14:7 “So his armorbearer said to him, ‘Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart.’
Jonathan, King Saul’s son, had an armor-bearer. He was about to see if his attempt to engage the enemy in battle is something God will bless.
Do we bear our armor? If so, we will be protected from the wiles of the enemy that taunts and discourages us from pursuing the victory. With the armor on, we are ready to follow the Lord and fight. We know our armor is incorrectly worn when the enemy easily dissuades us from believing that the grace of God is more than sufficient for the challenge at hand.
1 Samuel 14:29-30 But Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. Look now, how my countenance has brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found! For now would there not have been a much greater slaughter among the Philistines?
Jonathan had just learned from the soldiers that his father, King Saul, had commanded that no one was to eat until the enemy was defeated. Jonathan thought that was just foolish, and it would have been better had the army had enough to eat.
God has a goal of conforming us into the image of His Son (Romans 8). He desires to deliver us from our sins and put us in the place of victory. There could have been greater victory over their enemies, but Saul made nonsensical demands on his army. He threatened to curse his own army if they ate. He was willing to kill his own son who started the victory. He was distracted when the people refused their king’s demand to give up his son, so Saul left off killing the enemy, so everyone just went home.
What is the Lord’s goal in your life? What rules and expectations have you put on yourself that prevent you from pursuing His plan for your life? We can make rash decisions at times that can affect our spiritual goals dearly. Keep your eye on the goal.
1 Samuel 12:17 “Is today not the wheat harvest? I will call to the LORD, and He will send thunder and rain, that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking a king for yourselves.”
Do we know what it means that Jesus is king, or is our focus more on being good people in church? How we deal with the Word of God helps us see whether Jesus is King or not. Have we made a king of ourselves?
Continue readingI’m visiting Israel at the end of October 2022 with a church tour group. I am meditating on the cities we’re going to so I can grasp something of the history of the place. We are starting at Joppa, next to Tel Aviv, and making a circuit counterclockwise around the land, ending at Jerusalem. Here is one meditation.
CAPERNAUM became Jesus’s new home after Nazareth. After His baptism in the Jordan by John and His testing in the wilderness (Matt. 4:13), He was led by the Spirit to His main ministry around the Sea of Galilee. He left the obscurity of Nazareth and made His home at Capernaum, on the northern shore of the Sea.
Continue readingI’m visiting Israel at the end of October 2022 with a church tour group. I am meditating on the cities we’re going to so I can grasp something of the history of the place. We are starting at Joppa, next to Tel Aviv, and making a circuit counterclockwise around the land, ending at Jerusalem. Here is one meditation.
NAZARETH was the obscure hometown of Mary the mother of Jesus, and Joseph’s city (Luke 2:39). Jesus grew up there (Luke 4:16). Though far out in the boondocks, it was not hidden from God. To this small town came an angel to young Mary to bring unusual tidings of a virgin birth (Matthew 1, Luke 1).
Continue readingI’m visiting Israel at the end of October 2022 with a church tour group. I am meditating on the cities we’re going to so I can grasp something of the history of the place. We are starting at Joppa, next to Tel Aviv, and making a circuit counterclockwise around the land, ending at Jerusalem. Here is one meditation.
If you were from Gadara in Israel, you were a Gadarene. If from Nazareth, a Nazarene. And from Magdala, a Magdalene.
One woman noted for her devotion to Jesus was Mary Magdalene. Under circumstances of which we are not told, Jesus had cast seven demons out of her, healing her and others at the time.
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