The events which followed the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel are recorded in the seventeenth chapter of Second Kings. The Assyrians moved many of the Jews, who were part of Israel, and sent them throughout the Assyrian world. Then, they brought men from other nations and settled them in Israel. This was an attempt, largely successful, to destroy the ethnicity…

In Mark’s account of the Great Commission, Jesus’ words are clear and simple. “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16a). As simple as this is, there are five different views regarding salvation. The first is, “He who has believed and has been baptized shall not be saved.” There are two groups that believe this statement. Atheists…

The first six letters of the word “Christian” give an obvious and helpful reminder that there is ONE who MUST come FIRST and absolutely foremost in our lives—CHRIST!  There is no question that one cannot be a CHRISTian without CHRIST, and the positioning of those six letters is FIRST in the word!   As a Floridian is one who is “of or belonging…

The prophet Isaiah gives us a picture of what Jesus looked like which is far different from that which is presented by artists or portrayed in movies. “When we shall see Him there is no beauty that we should desire Him” (Isa. 53:2). There was nothing physically attractive about Him, but those who truly saw Him found another kind of beauty which…

What a joy and blessing it is to praise our God in song!  To truly glorify Him, we must ensure that our “singing…to the Lord” is done “in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Col. 3:16-17).  That means that we must worship and sing only as He authorizes. Is it possible to truly WORSHIP Him and GLORIFY Him, if we sing words…

Two men went to the temple to pray. The Pharisee prayed to himself, “I thank God, that I’m not like all these bad people. I do great things for you, God. You are lucky to have me. I’m glad we had this talk.” The tax collector, not daring to look up said, “Have mercy on me, the sinner!” Luke records this parable…

“I will never forget the first time I saw him. It was love at first sight. He had the most beautiful smile I had ever seen, and then when I looked into his eyes—they were beyond beautiful.” Words like this are sometimes part of conversations in our land, but one thing you will never hear. “He had the most beautiful feet I…

Worry really worries us.  We worry a lot about worrying.  It is so common and almost natural for so many of us that we may figure that it’s an acceptable part of our lives.  Is that true?  Is worrying a big deal or not? How many of us are like Martha in Luke 10?  Jesus said that she was “worried and troubled…