When we think of cleanliness, we think of removing dirt from our bodies, clothes, dishes or our houses, but the Jews used the word far differently. God spoke often to them using this word and almost without exception it applied to being ceremonially unclean. This concept can be seen so clearly in the book of Leviticus where He uses the word “clean”…

What were the first words ever literally given by God that are part of the Bible? You might immediately answer, “The first words of the Bible are ‘In the beginning…,’” but you would be wrong. Before Moses ever wrote Genesis, our God gave the first written words at Mount Sinai. These words were spoken by God and even written by the hand…

Isaiah is truly the Messianic prophet because he gives so many detailed descriptions of the nature of the Christ and the work He would do. Most individuals know the words of Isaiah chapter 53, where we read of the One on whom our iniquity would be laid. We know of that lamb and sheep lead to the slaughter or to be sheared…

It is remarkable that we so often overlook the importance of those who are standing in the shadows. Yet their impact on the lives of all those around them can shape the future far more than those who stand in the limelight and the center of the stage. Take a moment to focus on one of the most unheralded heroes of the…

I am not sure the first time I heard the saying, “God is good all the time and all the time God is good.” Recently, I have been thinking about these words, and they have become even more meaningful to me. May I share with you some of the ways I have been using this phrase and how it has helped me?…

Sometimes the best way to define a word is to look at the word which stands in opposition to it. We use the words “blessed” or “blessing” so often and in so many ways that we lose track of their exact meaning. Take a moment and look at the words that are the opposite words—cursed and cursing. Think of the emphasis the…

The grandeur of Israel with their renowned leader, Moses, does not end when Moses ascends to the peaks of Mt. Nebo to view the Promised Land. It does not end when God takes the body of Moses and buries it in an unmarked tomb. The reality is that far greater days lay ahead for Israel under a new leader, Joshua the son…

I remember a game I played as a child, but I am not sure what it was called. I think it was called “Follow the Leader,” where one child became the leader and whatever he did had to be exactly duplicated in all those other children who were following the leader. If he jumped, they jumped. If he turned in a circle,…