The chief priests and Pharisees were constantly seeking to oppose and thwart the efforts of Jesus.  In Matthew 21:23, they came and “confronted Him as He was teaching,” to question Him about His authority.  Yet, they were not honest or courageous enough themselves to answer the simple question that Jesus asked in response.  To deal with them, Jesus told two parables (The…

There are at this time an estimated 6.89 billion people on this planet.  You are only one of them.  It is estimated that between 15-20 billion people have ever lived on this planet.  You are only one of them.  The earth itself is about 1,097,509,500,000,000,000,000 cubic meters.  The average human, that’s you, is only one of those cubic meters. Makes you feel…

You know how an actor has his legal name (given by his parents), his public name (sometimes a different name given by his agent or publicist), and then his screen name (given by whatever film he is working on at the time)?  Did you know that God also assigns names? On January 16, 2011, Ricky Dene Gervais hosted the 2011 Golden Globe…

The event in the life of Jesus recorded in the first four verses of Luke 21 is one of great solace, encouragement and wonder.  Jesus was sitting “opposite the treasury” and watching as “people put money into the treasury” (Mark 12:41).  Luke 21:2 reveals, “He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites.” I want you to think about each…

Oh, boy!  I’m confident with a room full of parents we could have a passionate discussion about who is the harder gender to raise.  And, you know what?  Every parent would be right!  There is not an “easy” gender to raise, for there is nothing inherently “easy” in raising children.  It is a parent’s sole responsibility (given by God) to take that…

Is it possible that you could love your spouse more than you do?  What about your children?  Is it possible that you could love your Christian brethren more than you do?  Even the ones who are not so lovable?  Is it possible that you could love the elders, deacons, teachers, workers, preachers, etc. at your local congregation more than you do?  What…

The Bible says that Satan is a crafty, subtle and cunning being, who can transform “himself into an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:3, 14; cf. Gen. 3:1).  So, it should be “no wonder” that his “deceitful workers” and “ministers” are able to transform themselves, as well, “into ministers of righteousness” (2 Cor. 11:13-15).  They can do things that make them look…

There are some things that are very difficult and next to impossible to understand (like quantum physics), but with time, focus and intense study, a person can master that which seemed at first to be unfathomable.  If you were to make a list of things that you believe are the hardest things in the world to grasp, what would you put on…