That Christian is Different – Acts 4:1-13

Let’s pretend that tomorrow a moving van pulls up to the house next to yours. You go over and introduce yourself to your new neighbor, and he is carrying a copy of the Koran. “Hello, My name is David; I live next door; if I can help you, please let me...

The Discipline of Faith – Joshua 6

I cannot emphasize enough the absolute necessity of regular BREATHING. Breathing is a part of the bio-mechanical, bio-chemical processes essential to keeping you alive. If you choose not to breath you will die. Fortunately, that is a bodily function which God controls...

What is Your Life? – James 4:14

When James asked the question in this text there was a point towards which he was driving. His letter deals with people where were claiming to be Christians, but who perhaps were not. It deals with people whose mouths claimed faith, but whose lives disagreed. It deals...

Job’s Confession of Sin – Job 7:20

By the time we meet Job in chapter 7, he is a man wallowing in the depths of despair – for good reason. He has lost his most precious possessions – all the way from his wife, to his goats and everything in between. And now his four so-called “friends” are...

Self-Government – II Peter 1:1-6

The story has it that a scorpion wanted to cross the river, so he asked the turtle to give him a lift. “No way,” said the turtle, “You’ll get me out in river then sting me until I drown.” The scorpion retorted, “Hey, that is not...

What Makes a Friend – James 2:14-24

Some people say that James’ teaching here contradicts the doctrine of sovereign grace. Martin Luther, for example, didn’t want to include James in his German Bible, because he misunderstood what the brother of the Lord Jesus was saying. Unfortunately, not only did he...

Loosing the Shoe-latchet – John 1:19-27

It was never the business of John Baptist to attract followers to himself. He had a commission from the Lord to send properly prepared people to Christ Jesus. So he had no intention build a school, a monastic order, a religion, or even a church. He had no desire to be...

THE ABC’S OF JOB – Job 1:1-8

What does verse 3 mean when it says that Job was “the greatest of all the men of the east?” The context seems to suggest that his greatness was primarily a matter of money. The man’s flocks and herds were so large he had a hard time counting them – the...

Walk of the All-Star – I Thessalonians 2:11-12

Cal Ripken, Jr, has been nicknamed the “Iron Man of Baseball.” On September 6, 1995, he broke the record of 2,130 consecutive games in which he played. That is something like 13+ years without missing a game. But there were occasions when that consecutive...

The Growing Saint – Colossians 2:6-7

Life is the condition which distinguishes plants and animals from inorganic objects. Plants have life, but rocks do not – until that life is taken from those plants. Animals have life, but clouds do not – even though clouds move, grow and change shapes. People have...

Opportunity and Opportune – Ecclesiastes 3:1-10

In this chapter Solomon makes a change in his writing style. He drops the autobiographical form of the first two chapters and begins to wax philosophical. He could have put this to music and made another million dollars. Although what he says is obvious, the way in...

The Value of Prayer – John 16:24

Here on my left hand, around my third finger, is a ring of white gold. How valuable is this ring? The other day my wife looked at it and suggested that it might be difficult to get it off. It would be impossible to take if off – without using some sort of saw. Like...

Reaping and Weeping – Galatians 6:6-9

Some time ago, I heard a news report about a group of people who were defrauding senior citizens. That is not necessarily breaking news, but this one had a twist to it. There was a group of people looking for people who been defrauded. They claimed to go after scam...

Friends – Ecclesiastes 4

Solomon, the royal preacher, is musing about life – its qualities, problems and purposes. He has tasted, tested & rejected a great many things – things which lesser men think are important to life. He is dealing with the same things men and women are pursuing...

Where are Your Thoughts Leading You? – Philippians 4:8

Years ago, while she was on vacation, Jackie’s dog got lost. She hadn’t left him with Judy and me, but with a friend of hers, who had a dog who was friends with Kujo. Well, this lady made a trip out to Tum Tum, on the Spokane River, west of the city. Kujo got away and...