Picture in your mind a pie chart. (Or, if you’re particularly hungry, picture your favorite pie.) This pie is to represent the waking hours during a typical week in your life (do not include your sleep time). Now, on that pie, mark the slice that represents how much you work in a typical week. Got it? How much is left? Now, mark…
Let's Go Back to the Bible
Let's Go Back to the Bible
Posts by David Sproule (Page 277)
Elders of the Lord’s church have such a tremendous responsibility—taking heed to themselves, taking heed to the spiritual welfare of the congregation, feeding the church, tending the church, guarding the church against error and deceivers, overseeing the work of the congregation, watching for the souls of the flock, living a life worthy of imitation, being ready to give an account, etc. As…
The grand charge—“Praise the Lord!”—is the opening line and closing line of the last five Psalms and is actually found a total of 18 times in those psalms. Even more, in Psalms 146-150, the word “praise” is found 43 times, which is almost one per verse. God puts a great emphasis in these closing psalms on praising Him. What reasons does He…
The prayer of Nehemiah in Nehemiah 9 is such a fascinating look into the relationship between God and His people, His children in Israel. This, the longest prayer recorded in the Bible, swings back and forth (like a pendulum) between the majesty of God and the rebellion of Israel. The reader can see that pendulum swing, as at least 16 times these…
They say that elephants have good memories, but they’re not the only ones. Those who have ever been mistreated or wronged, especially by a friend, have some of the longest memories of any creature alive. Grudges are easy to pick up and carry, but they are very difficult to lay aside and forget. However, if we want the blessings of God, we’d…
The photo on the front of the bulletin this week of Novel Brown hanging out with Gorman Ericksen made me think of this oft-said and oft-needed advice in the church: “Be careful the company you keep!” (Ok, that was a joke at my good friend Gorman’s expense, but it is a truth we all need!) Think about it! The company you keep…
Have you ever (1) been cleaning out your closet, your garage, your desk, your office or your kid’s room, (2) found something that was once so wonderful, so neat, so gotta-have, so life-changing, so new, so clean, and (3) just tossed it in the big black garbage bag along with the other junk? What happened? How and why had this gone from…
While the New International Version has never claimed to be a word-for-word translation of the Bible, it is amazing how much this popular translation has allowed the thoughts and wishes of mankind to influence its work. As one small example, in the 1985 version, Mark 4:25 ends, “…whoever does not have (singular), even what he has (singular, masculine) will be taken from…