Jesus once asked, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?…And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?” (Luke 6:32-33).  In the context, Jesus was addressing how we are to treat others, especially our enemies.  Interestingly, the word “enemies” is used in Romans 5:10 to describe our…

As far as I can find, the New King James Version may be the only translation that puts a proper name in Psalm 99:8, which makes it very intriguing.  Psalm 99 describes the holiness of the Lord and the awe, exaltation and praise that is due unto Him.  The Psalmist mentions Moses, Aaron and Samuel specifically, who all “called upon the Lord…

2 Corinthians 5:17 is one of the most wonderful passages in all of Scripture – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”  Christians are new creatures in the eyes of God, for we have been reconciled to God—changed from enmity to friendship (5:14-21).  Therefore, while he may…

Ten times in Scripture a reader will find this petition addressed to God, “Be merciful to me,” and over half of them come from David’s pen.  One such passage is Psalm 56, where David cries out for mercy from his enemies.  His enemies, he said, “…would swallow me up…would hound me all day…fight against me…they twist my words; all their thoughts are…

The story of Gideon’s initial hesitation to fully trust the promise of God has many lessons that we can learn.  Obviously, there is the lesson that we need to trust God and His Word fully, no matter what!  One wonderful part of this story is that even after Gideon doubted and then put God to the test, God still loved him and…

The story of Gideon’s valiant army of 300 against the 135,000+ Midianite army is one of my favorites in the Bible.  But, it took Gideon a while to really believe God and go to battle. In Judges 6:12, God made this statement to Gideon, “The Lord is with you…!” Pretty simple.  Pretty straightforward.  But, Gideon had trouble believing God’s Word.  He said,…

When Gideon took his valiant army of 300 up against the 135,000+ Midianite army, “he put a trumpet into every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers” (Judges 7:16).  These were their “weapons” to use in battle!  Weapons?  What good is an empty pitcher in battle? What good is a torch inside a pitcher? When you read the story…

Close your eyes and imagine for just a moment.  (Ok, don’t close your eyes—you’ve got to be able to read this!)  While you have had various struggles as a Christian, nonetheless you have devoted yourself to serving the Lord to the absolute highest level you can reach.  Your commitment to the cause of Christ is where you have focused your life, as…