Have you ever sinned and felt just horrible for doing it?  Have you ever sinned and wondered how in the world God could or would ever forgive you?  Have you ever struggled with overcoming a sinful temptation or sinful habit that seemed to afflict you day after day after day?  I think we’ve all been at one or more of these points…

Probably most of us have heard the Proverb, “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall” (16:18).  Can you think of anyone in the Bible who experienced such a result due to pride?  There was one Bible character who, after suffering first-hand the consequences of his haughty spirit, extolled the God of heaven, “all of whose works are truth,…

The Jews, following the Old Testament law, had annual feast days and “holy days,” but Christians, following the New Testament, have no authorized annual “holy days.”  Instead, God instituted holy days for Christians that are much more frequent (not even quarterly or monthly).  The Jews’ holy days corresponded to a major event in their history or lives (e.g., deliverance from Egypt, the…

God told Jeremiah that He had “ordained [him] a prophet to the nations” (Jer. 1:5).  That was God’s desire and plan for Jeremiah—to take His message to the people.  However, it was not Jeremiah’s desire or plan.  “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth” (1:6).  The Lord told Jeremiah, “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ for…

One of my favorite expressions in all of the Bible is “God is faithful.” There is nothing that provides more comfort and assurance than that truth.  The concept is found in the Old Testament, when even Balaam prophesied, “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent.  Has He said, and will He…

“I have enough.  I am satisfied.  I don’t need any more.  I’m ok with where I am in life and what I have.” For some reason, these are hard statements for human beings to make.  There are such strong cravings within us for “things,” that it is a constant struggle (seemingly) to find true, peaceful satisfaction in life.  Consider the following two…

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where everything seemed to be upside down or backwards or just not in the right position?  The prophet Jeremiah, who pleaded with Judah in tearful compassion, found himself in such a situation.  Speaking the words of God, he said in Jeremiah 2:8, “The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’” The very ones…

It’s one of those stories in the Bible that is striking at first, that such an event really happened, and then forever memorable in its lesson for us learn and apply.  After Elijah had ascended into heaven, Elisha was going up to Bethel, when “some youths came from the city and mocked him, and said to him, ‘Go up, you baldhead!  Go…