Daniel and his friends knew that they were chosen to eventually be leaders in Babylon. Out of all the cream of the crop from Judah, some would get the honored positions while others may end up in mere middle management as some department head. Did Daniel and his friends try to get to the top [...]
I picked the book of Daniel for my study. I was going to skip Chapter one because I have studied Chapter one so many times. But each time I read the Word of God, it changes me in a different way. I am glad I read Chapter one. I’ve been on Chapter one for two [...]
(Read yesterday’s post first) Yesterday, I posted a scenario that Greg Koukl encountered with a Jewish man. The Jewish man said he believed in God, and was living a moral life. Those were the important things, it seemed to him—how one lived, not what one believed. What would you say to this Jewish man? Greg [...]
This is from the Stand To Reason Ambassador Insights that are emailed to me by Greg Koukl: Earlier I wrote about everyday encounters we all have in restaurants. As an ambassador I’ve learned that encounters are the bread and butter of my witness for Christ. For example, while giving a talk at a local Barnes [...]
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” [...]
Joseph was pursued by a married woman; David pursued a married woman. Joseph was tempted by a beautiful woman; David was tempted by a beautiful woman. Joseph was a mere slave; David was a king with a public life to uphold Joseph probably didn’t have too many women to choose from; David could have any [...]
“…so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Romans 12:5 We were at church and I asked, “Can I borrow someone’s car to take my daughter home?” Without hesitation, 2 people handed me their car keys. Later, I asked, “Can someone give me a ride [...]
This just occurred to me that I find interesting: While Jesus was being arrested and Peter pulls out his sword, Jesus reprimanded him saying, “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” It is clear that the Father’s will for Jesus is to be arrested, and eventually go to the cross. So [...]
What do you think of when you hear the story of Jonah? We usually think of Jonah as the main character. His disobedience landed him in the belly of the fish. Then he repented and he went to preach in Ninevah. After hearing God’s message through Jonah, the Ninevites repented and were not destroyed. What [...]
When you feel discouraged about life, read Genesis 37-50, the life of Joseph. When Joseph was merely 17, God told him he would rise to greatness. He was going to be big, a CEO, a huge success. God could’ve taken Joseph from point A of his teenage life to point B to his ultimate position [...]
This thought challenged me: Jesus lived a sinless life and condemned sin. He taught about living a holy life and he walked the talk. Since he was so perfect, wouldn’t he be rather intimidating? Who can stand to be next to someone who is perfect? Wouldn’t you worry that he might point out one of [...]
Some people who are against capital punishment use this argument: “People are created by God, so we should not kill them, even if they are hard criminals. After all, they are made in the image of God.” Did you know that the Bible uses this same reasoning for capital punishment? Take a look at Genesis [...]
God’s MO is always different from how we think He should act. In Acts 18:9-10 in the Bible, Paul receives a vision from God saying to him: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I [...]
“For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.” What descriptions of Jesus are repeated in [...]
One of my favorite books in the Bible is Esther. There is some question of its place in the canon of Scriptures because the word “God” is not mentioned anywhere in the book. But you can easily see that throughout the story of Esther, the fingerprint of God is all over the pages. What I [...]
Gary McIntosh, professor at Biola University, says in the Biola magazine, “I wish people understood that the heart of church growth is basic evangelism. It is not about marketing, business practices or a host of other mis-perceptions…Since all people are lost apart from a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, every church must be concerned with [...]
In the sermon the past Sunday, our pastor preached on the conversions of the Ethiopian, Saul, and Cornelius in Acts, chapters 8,9, and 10. In each of those cases, God used a human agent to bring someone to salvation. I noticed that even though God set up the situation, and success was sure, He doesn’t [...]
Today’s sermon was on the feeding of the 5,000. If you’ve been a Christian for about 30 years like I have, you would’ve heard a zillion sermons on the feeding of the 5,000 like I have. I’ve studied and taught it myself a zillion times. Yet, each time I read the Word of God, it [...]
I attend a Bible Study on Tuesday mornings, studying the book of II Timothy this year. I want to remember what I’ve learned by jotting down three major lessons that I learned: 1. Don’t expect the Christian life to be easy. Paul and Timothy and countless others suffered for the sake of the gospel. Paul [...]
In the book of Numbers, chapter 11, the Israelites were complaining that they didn’t have meat to eat. The Lord told Moses that he will indeed give the people meat to eat, not for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, but for a whole month. Moses was incredulous. Where [...]