So often in his letters to his brethren, Paul would tell them that he was “praying always for you” (Col. 1:3), and “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers” (1 Thess. 1:2). He told Timothy, “without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day” (2 Tim. 1:3). He said something similar in nearly…

During the reign of King Josiah, the Book of the Law was found in the house of the Lord (2 Kgs. 22:8). The book was brought and read before the king (22:10). “When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law” (and realized that its commandments had not been kept), he “tore his clothes” (22:11), in grief and shame over the…

Conflict resolution can be extremely uncomfortable, to the extent that many of us will avoid it all costs. We might even let a conflict simmer just to avoid the uneasiness of confronting someone or confronting the issue itself. Perhaps one reminder can help us with this. There is a verse that is often quoted out of context that applies to this subject. Jesus said, “For…

There is a lot happening in our nation right now. There is a divide among us that is full of hate. There are cultural pressures that we may not even realize. We have been influenced to think, respond and behave in certain ways. As a Christian, I must learn to always be MORE “mindful of the things of God” than “the things of men” (Matt. 16:23).…

How much do you “love” the things of this world and the things of this life? Meaning, how much are you devoting yourself to the things of this world and the things of this life? The devil makes it so easy and so appealing to “think” that we are good with God, while at the same time we are pursuing all of…

The inspired penman of the book of Hebrews continually appealed to his struggling brethren to not turn their back on Christ and give up their faith. As he emphasized their personal need for steadfastness, he penned the great chapter of Hebrews 11.  We know and love this great chapter, which highlights the faithful obedience of some of those Old Testament heroes.  Why does…

Sometimes people will hear about Bible stories, or maybe even read a Bible story without full context, and they will make God out to be some kind of monster. An example of this is the account of Uzzah, who “took hold” of the ark of covenant when “the oxen stumbled,” and “God struck him there for his error” (2 Sam. 6:6-7). Why would God…

Have you met the “Know Better” family? It’s a growing and rather influential “family”! There are those who “Know Better” than the elders of the church, or the ones who “Know Better” than the nice sandwich-maker at the deli, or those who “Know Better” than the driver still sitting at a green light while a slow pedestrian crosses in front of him. The “Know…