There are many modern-day proverbs that would surprise some people to find out that they are not in the Bible.  For example: “Cleanliness is next to godliness”; “Spare the rod, spoil the child”; “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.”   These are popular maxims today, but if you look them up in…

Paul said this, and Timothy understood the application. In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul is defending his right to be paid for his labor in the kingdom. In this context, he mentions an often misunderstood passage. “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became…

After being in Babylon for seventy years, the Jews had returned to rebuild Jerusalem and restore the worship of God in the new temple they had built. Jehovah sent His final three Old Testament prophets to finish delivering that covenant, and then for the next 400+ years He was silent. The last three books of the Old Testament are filled with great…

There are teachings in the Bible that are counter intuitive. For example, James teaching us to “count it all joy” when we are facing various trials (Jas. 1:2). The reason teachings like this seem strange is because they are things we learn from conscious reasoning, not instinctive feeling. Feelings and instinct are often for our immediate protection. Think of your fight or…

Where would you like to go on vacation?  Well, given the time and money to actually go on a vacation, there are so many choices.  Where would you like to go for lunch?  Well, given the time and money to actually to out for lunch, there are so many choices.  What kind of car would you like to buy?  Well, given the…

Those seventy years in Babylonian captivity had ended, and the Jews were returning to the land God promised to give to them in the days of Abraham. There were only three final books of the Old Testament to be revealed. What had God not told them which He needed to tell them? What truth had He not yet revealed? After these three…

There are few experiences that can make you feel helpless like being subject to the forces of nature in an underpowered boat. For modern boaters there are weather and tide advisories that help caution people to the upcoming conditions. Wouldn’t it be nice if life was that way? “This is your crazy life experiences advisory. You will not want to stay home…

While in prison in Rome for the first time, Paul picked up his pen, at the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to write a letter to a congregation in the city of Colosse.  Paul addressed the letter generally to the entire congregation, but he also referred specifically to numerous individuals.  There is something that we can learn about church membership from this.…