As the words of a certain hymn say, “We live in a changing world.” In the past few decades we have seen men of science rid the world of dreaded diseases like smallpox and polio. We have seen these men strap astronauts into rocket ships, send them into orbit around the earth, and even land them on the lunar surface. They have probed the depths of space and unlocked many of the secrets of the human genome. Today’s...
David and Goliath
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (Romans 8:31–32).
On March 19, 1966, the NCAA Division I basketball championship was played between the perennial powerhouse University of Kentucky (led by legendary coach Adolph Rupp) and little-known...
Fishers of Men
So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs” (John 21:15).
In this text, we find Jesus once again on the shores of beautiful Galilee, on this occasion recruiting disciples from among the fishermen of Capernaum. It is remarkable to see how Jesus was able to take...
The Sermon on the Mount
And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying… (Matthew 5:1–2)
Perhaps the greatest sermon ever preached on the planet Earth can be read in the fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of the gospel according to Matthew. This short, simple, but powerful sermon was presented by Jesus near...
The Good Shepherd
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (Psalm 23:1).
Probably a close second to John 3:16, this verse is (for good reason) among the best known in the entire Bible. What a comforting thought it is to us today––as it must have been to David, this psalm’s author––to know that the Lord is watching over us and has our well-being in mind at all times! The mystery behind God’s abiding love for man is one of which...
A Mansion Over the Hilltop
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know (John 14:1-4, KJV).
After a recent hospital visit, I found a...
The Fall of a Wise Man
In those days I also saw Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and could not speak the language of Judah, but spoke according to the language of one or the other people. So I contended with them and cursed them, struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters as wives...
Two Opinions
So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word (1 Kings 18:20–21).
There are many valuable lessons to be learned from Elijah’s encounter with Ahab and the prophets of Baal. We learn...
What Is Impossible for God?
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but...
“The Proper Order”
And David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites: for Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. He said to them, “You are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites; sanctify yourselves, you and your brethren, that you may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it. For because you did not do it the first time, the Lord our God broke out against...