Jesus, the Son of God, came to John the Baptist to be baptized.  Does that seem strange to you?  It certainly seemed strange to John, who tried to prevent Him from doing it, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” (Matt. 3:13-14). You know how Jesus responded.  This desire of Jesus did not make sense…

One of the most interesting attributes of God mentioned in Scripture is the affirmation of God Himself—“For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God” (Ex. 20:5).  God even says His “name is Jealous” (Ex. 34:14).  In our minds, we may associate envy with jealousy, but that is not the meaning of the word used of God (He is not envious…

After one reads the letters of Paul, the closing line of First John may catch some readers off guard (about as unusual as reading a bulletin article with that as the title).  Every one of Paul’s letters (including Hebrews, if he wrote it) closes in almost the same way with the same appeal—“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” …

Peter’s inspired words in 1 Peter 3:15 are not optional for us today.  They are not instructions reserved only for those who are able or those who are good at that kind of thing.  These words come as an imperative from our Father:  “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who…

I think sometimes we forget this very simple yet prevailing truth—the power is in the Word! We try to do things on our own or we wonder why we are not more successful in some of our Christian endeavors.  When we fail to appreciate and live by this fundamental truth, our Christian life will be meaningless.  But, when our daily decisions and…

The names are not significant to the story, but the lesson to be learned should cause all of us to genuinely reflect on our own lives.  Two weeks ago, a little girl was getting ready to leave on a family vacation.  She went to her savings jar to get some spending money for souvenirs.  After opening the container and looking at her…

Have you ever uttered or even had the thought, “I just don’t enjoy worship”?  Have you ever heard anyone say, “I just don’t enjoy worship”?  Have you ever known someone who by their actions (perhaps their frequent absence from worship) was saying, “I just don’t enjoy worship”?  If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, may I ask you a few…

From the days of the Old Testament, God has commanded, “You shall not show partiality” (Deut. 1:17).  The wise man of Israel declared, “These things also belong to the wise: It is not good to show partiality in judgment” (Prov. 24:23). Partiality! It is one of those words that seems to immediately grab our attention when spoken in our presence.  Lest someone…