The Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, was so egotistical that he thought that he was all-powerful and could wield his authority to coerce anyone to do anything that he wanted. When Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego did not bow down to him or his image, the king threatened to throw them “into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.” And then he asked this sneering question, “Who…

There is a Greek word used often in the New Testament that literally means “to place or lay away from.” It was used of clothes in Acts 7:58, but mostly it is used figuratively. Romans 13:12 states, “Let us cast off the works of darkness.” The idea of the word is to “put away from oneself, never to take it up again.” In Colossians 3:8,…

When the twelve spies came back from their 40-day reconnaissance mission into the Promised Land, the majority reported that “the people” and “the cities” in the land were “greater” and seemingly indestructible. The report, although based on false information, “discouraged” (literally, “melted”) the “hearts” of the people (Deut. 1:28). What a negative influence! Compare that with Philemon in the New Testament. Paul wrote that he…

God foresaw the time when His people would demand a king, and He set out some parameters for those who would reign over His nation. Consider these two responsibilities. First, the king was to “write for himself a copy of this law in a book” (Deut. 17:18). Do you remember when you used to study for tests in school? Did it help you to get the…

We need to read the Bible slow enough and carefully enough to catch expressions that we would not normally expect. And, sometimes, we skip right over the beginning or end of a letter, because we think it’s “just going to say the same thing.” They don’t! Consider the very last words of the letter to the Ephesians. “Grace be with all those who love our…

How much of your life does your work consume? Quite a bit? Then you get your paycheck. How much of that is consumed by bills (blah!) and family and recreation (yay!)? Have you ever wondered, “What is all of this for?” Tie the following two verses together. In Ephesians 4:28, Christians are instructed, “Let him labor, working with his hands what is good…” Why work? The rest of the…

On the night that He was going to be betrayed, Jesus was offering comforting words to His apostles in an upper room, including an insider’s scoop on what He was going to do when He left the earth. “I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2). All of the descriptions of heaven in the New Testament offer a mouth-dropping description of an…

When Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem and began rebuilding the walls, he was faced with considerable opposition, particularly from Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab. They “laughed,” “despised,” “mocked” and “conspired” against Nehemiah and the Jews in their rebuilding efforts (Neh. 2:19; 4:1, 8). They tried to trick Nehemiah into working with them and compromising his efforts (6:1-2).…