By: Mark McWhorter This three word title is rather rare in Scripture. The three words are found in close proximity only 15 times in all the Bible. The first instance is in Genesis 17:1 when God told Abram when he was 99 years old that he was making a covenant with him, and He changed his name to Abraham. So, the importance of the scheme of redemption through the lineage of Abraham is connected with the three words, “Lord God Almighty.” The second time those appear together is in Exodus 6:3 when God talked to Moses about the Israelites leaving Egypt and going to the Promised Land. He mentioned the covenant He had with them. Other instances in the Old Testament are Numbers 24:1–4 (the incident with Balaam), Psalm 68:14–16 (this Psalm was used by David at the moving of the Ark of the Covenant), Psalm 91:1–2 (speaking of protection, refuge, trust and dwelling with Him, and the term Most High appears as well), Ezekiel 10:4–5 (where judgment was pronounced on Israel and Judah) and Joel 1:14–15 (again where judgment was pronounced). The three word title is used seven times in The Revelation 1:6–8; 4:8 (God on His Throne); 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 19:15–16 (v. 13 mentions The Word of God) and 21:22. The Revelation concerns Judgment along with God’s abiding care, protection and salvation for the faithful. The only other instance where the words are used together is 2 Corinthians 6:16–18. It is this text that gives a very good

Jesus was crucified. His dead body was hanging on the cross. A soldier had already pierced His side with a spear. Everything Jesus had undergone had been prophesied. His body could not remain on the cross on the Sabbath. This was against Jewish law. Yet, who would take our Lord’s body down from the cross? A rich man named Joseph from Arimathaea was a disciple of Jesus. Joseph was a member of the elite Sanhedrin. He had kept his belief in Jesus a secret up to this moment. He went to Pilate and asked for authority to take Jesus down. Joseph had a new tomb in Jerusalem that was for his family. He took Jesus to that tomb. Another disciple helped Joseph. His name was Nicodemus, who had approached Jesus at night (John 3). He was also wealthy. We are told in John 19:39 that he brought about a hundred pounds of aloe and myrrh to put on Jesus for His burial. Some skeptics have said this was too much for one burial, and so, the Bible must be a mistaken. However, such an amount was used for those who were given special honor in death. It is reported that Rabbi Gamaliel was buried with eighty pounds of these items, while it is recorded that King Herod was accompanied to his tomb by five hundred servants carrying these items for his burial. So, Joseph and Nicodemus were not flaunting their wealth. Instead, they showed great honor toward Jesus. Study your

Hosea 14:1-2, “O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips” (KJV). The Israelites had become wicked. Hosea was attempting to call them back to God. Notice that a significant part of their turning to God was the use of their lips. They were to use the “calves” of their lips. The ASV translates it “as bullocks the offering of our lips.” The NKJV reads, “offer the sacrifices of our lips.” Bullocks were used as sacrifices under the Old Testament. So, Hosea pictured the use of the lips as a sacrifice to God. The same thought occurs in the book of Hebrews. “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15). Our speech should always demonstrate that we are servants of God. We should sing in worship, not sit and listen to others. We should always remember to pray. It sounds funny to refer to the calves of our lips, but it is a serious matter. Study your Bible. Learn how to offer sacrifice with your lips. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.

In Joshua 7, the Israelites attacked Ai but were soundly defeated. God then revealed to Joshua that someone had taken items from Jericho. All the things of Jericho were to be burned. God considered this action by the disobedient person not only as sin but as stealing from Him. Joshua learned from God that it was Achan who sinned. Achan and his family were punished by being put to death. Afterward, the Israelites went up against Ai again, and this time the Israelites defeated the city. After they were finished with Ai, they traveled to the valley between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. Moses had told Joshua to take the people there when they entered the land. Joshua was to read the Law to the people. He read all the blessings and the cursings. Half of the tribes stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half stood in front of Mount Ebal. The blessings were called out from Gerizim, while the cursings were called out from Ebal (Joshua 8:33). These were given to educate and encourage the people to obey God. We also need to obey God. The only way to be blessed by God with spiritual blessings and with eternal life in Heaven is to obey Him. Study your Bible. Learn how to obey God. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. (1 Peter 5:8-9 NKJV) A lion’s roar can be heard over a distance of nearly five miles. The roar is so loud that if you were standing next to the lion, your whole body would vibrate. The lion roars for several reasons. He roars to create fear in those he is hunting. He hopes that the fear will cause the hunted to stand still. This makes it easier for him to find the animal and to kill it. The lion roars to gather his family. Other lions hear the roar and go toward the roaring. By working together, they can capture bigger animals. The lion roars to claim his territory. The roar lets others know that if they remain there they could die. The lion roars to let competitors know of his presence. The loud roar is intended to intimidate those who might be interested in the same prey. All of the above apply to Satan and our relationship with him. He wants us to be scared when he roars. He wants us to become inactive in our Bible study, prayer life and works so that he can capture us and destroy us. He roars so that he can attract those who love sin. He uses those people to lead us

Saul was on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). He was going there to arrest Christians and take them back to Jerusalem for punishment. Jesus appeared to Saul and blinded him. Saul was told to go to Damascus; it was there that Saul was to be told what Jesus required him to do. Jesus also appeared to Ananias in a vision. He was a Christian who lived in Damascus. Jesus told him to go to a house on Straight Street. This was one of the main roads in Damascus. He was told that Saul was in that house. The house was owned by a man named Judas. It is highly likely that Judas was not a Christian. The men who had been with Saul would have probably taken him to their contact in Damascus. The fact that the Lord did not appear to Judas is a good indication that Judas was not a Christian. We are not told anything else about Judas. We have no idea if Saul’s conversion had an impact on Judas. Yet, the healing of Saul’s blindness and his baptism into Jesus must have made some kind of impression on him. We hope that Judas was converted. Jesus wants all people to be Christians. It is truly sad if Judas did not become a Christian. He would have seen with his own eyes and heard with his own ears what Jesus was doing with and through Ananias and Saul. Study your Bible. Learn all you can about

You do not want to grow up to be a hoddy-doddy. According to the American Dictionary of the English Language by Daniel Webster (1828), a hoddy-doddy is a foolish person. According to Scripture, there are several things that justify labeling someone as a hoddy-doddy. The person who says there is no God is a fool (Psalm 14:1). Anyone who refuses to gain wisdom or listen to instruction is a fool (Proverbs 1:7). Those that laugh at sin and find entertainment in it are foolish (Proverbs 14:9). The person who ignores God’s law and makes up his own laws by which to live is a fool (Proverbs 12:15; Romans 1:22). The person who hordes material things and has no interest in helping others or giving back to God is a fool (Luke 12:20). Those that do not righteously consider how they are walking in this world are fools (Ephesians 5:15). Those who would allow someone to draw them away from obeying God are foolish (Galatians 3:1). It is not good to be seen by God as a hoddy-doddy. The right thing to do is to study the Bible. Learn all you can from it. Obey God. Teach others to obey Him so that none of them will be known as a hoddy-doddy. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.

Saul was a strict Jew who persecuted Christians. He believed they should all die. He thought he was doing God’s will. In his mind, Christians were apostate Jews. Saul was on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-5). He was traveling there to arrest more Christians. Suddenly, there was a very bright light that surrounded him and those with him. A voice called Saul’s name. Saul wanted to know who it was. It was Jesus, Who said Saul was persecuting Him by persecuting Christians. Jesus said it was hard for Saul to kick against the pricks. What did Jesus mean by that? A prick, also known as a goad, was a sharp stick that farmers used to make the ox go forward. The ox might kick against that stick, but doing so was painful to the ox. There were several well-known quotes in ancient times regarding humans and the goad. The Greek writer Pindar stated, “It is profitable to bear willingly the assumed yoke. To kick against the goad is pernicious conduct.” Terrence stated, “It is foolishness for thee to kick against the goad.” Euripides stated, “I, who am a frail mortal, should rather sacrifice to him who is a god, than, by giving place to anger, kick against the goad.” Jesus was telling Saul that refusing to accept Him and persecuting Christians would only lead to spiritual harm for Saul. The appearance of Jesus, and what Jesus told him, led Saul to tremble in astonishment (Acts 9:6). Saul wanted to

The Parable of the Prodigal Son is a well-known account in the Bible. A younger son took his inheritance and wasted it. He came to his senses and decided to return to his father. He did not return expecting to be accepted as a son. Instead, he intended to ask his father to make him a slave. At least, he would have something to eat. He had become so poor that he had nothing. On his return, his father gladly welcomed him. He made a big celebration for his son. He was so happy that his son had returned. The older son was not happy that his brother had returned. Luke 15:28 says, “He was angry.” This word translates a Greek word that means a long-held anger. This was not just a rush of emotion. This older brother had disliked his brother for a long time. In addition, he had not loved his father properly for a long time either. This anger finally came out on this occasion. The older brother refused to go into the celebration. The father came out and talked with him. In verse 28, we read, “Therefore his father came out and pleaded [“intreated” KJV] with him.” The word “intreated” is in a tense that means the father asked him over and over. The father knew that this son was lacking love. He knew that this son had an anger problem. Yet, the father continued to plead for his son to make those things right in

Every person wants to be safe. Every person desires to have peace by feeling safe. Danger can come from any direction. In the spiritual realm, Satan may attack from any direction. He will come from behind, from in front, from the side, from above or from beneath. Since Satan can attack from any direction, a person needs protection in all directions. It is impossible for a human to be awake at all times. It is impossible for a human to see in all directions at once. So, it is impossible for an individual to feel safe from Satan unless there is help from another source. Thankfully, there is another source. God wants to be that source. God loves every person. If a person will obey God, He will protect him or her from Satan. We read in Deuteronomy 33:26-27, “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to help you, And in His excellency on the clouds. The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, And will say, ‘Destroy!’” (NKJV). Notice that God is above in Heaven. He is around the person since He is the refuge, and thus, He is behind. He has His arms underneath the person protecting beneath. Furthermore, He is in front of the person, thrusting the enemy away from before him. Those protected by God are able to “dwell in safety” (Deuteronomy 33:28). What a wonderful God

We are told in Mark 1:40-45 about a man with leprosy who came to Jesus, desiring to be healed. The man kneeled before Jesus and said he knew Jesus could heal him if He desired to do so. Jesus was moved with compassion and healed the man. Then, Jesus told the man not to tell anyone Jesus had healed him. He was only to go to the priest, demonstrate his cleansing and give the appropriate sacrifice. However, the man went and told everyone he could what Jesus had done. We read the account and wonder why if the man had faith in Jesus that he did not obey Him. Jesus told him not to tell, and yet, the leper told everyone as he went. We can understand his excitement about being healed, but he should have obeyed Jesus. There are many who read the account and say they would have obeyed Jesus. They say they would have kept the secret, just as Jesus desired. Yet, there are many who are just as guilty as the leper. Many have been told to teach and to tell people about Jesus. Our Lord wants us to go into all the world and convert as many as we can (Mark 16:15-16). We have been told to tell, and yet, very few do tell. Many claim they have faith in Jesus, but few demonstrate it by obeying Him. They are just as guilty as the leper who was told not to tell. Read your Bible.

Christ is the true light (John 1:9), the light of the world (John 8:12), the light of life (John 8:12), the light of the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:6), the light of Israel (Isaiah 10:17), the light of the knowledge of the glory of God (2 Corinthians 4:6), the everlasting light (Isaiah 60:20) and His countenance as the sun shines in His strength (Revelation 1:16). As you can see from these references, Christ is “the Light” (John 12:36). The sun gives us light in the physical world during the day. The moon and stars give us light during the night. Those lights are helpful, but getting light from “the Light” is much more important than physical light. Christ’s light is for the whole world. His light gives us access to the glory of God and Jesus’ light gives us strength. His light gives us spiritual life, which is everlasting spiritual life. Christ’s light gives us proper spiritual knowledge. Study your Bible. Obey Christ. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.

There are many professed Christians who do not believe baptism is necessary for salvation. Many commentators even say it is not a mandatory thing to do. The conversion of Cornelius needs to be considered in such a discussion. Cornelius was a centurion of the Roman army. He lived in Caesarea. Cornelius believed in God and evidently did everything he could to obey God. Cornelius had been praying to God, begging God for instructions. In Acts 10:6, an angel from God told Cornelius to send for Peter, who would tell him “what you must do” (NKJV). That means there were some things Cornelius had to do. Acts 11:14 adds to what the angel said. There it is recorded that Cornelius would be told words by which he and his house “will be saved.” So whatever Cornelius had to do was what would save him. When Peter met with Cornelius, he started preaching to him and his house. While Peter spoke, the Holy Spirit came on Cornelius and others present there. They started speaking in tongues just like the apostles did on the Day of Pentecost. Notice that this was not something Peter told them to do. Neither did God giving them this ability saved them. The Jewish Christians were amazed when Cornelius was given that ability. Peter asked the Jewish Christians if they could deny baptism to Cornelius and the others since obviously God provided that as a sign. No one responded negatively. So, Peter “commanded” Cornelius and those with him

Everyone wants mercy for things they have done wrong. No one wants to be found guilty and to be punished. Mercy is not receiving what is deserved for wrongdoing. Every person sins against God (Romans 3:10, 23; 1 John 1:8, 10). Sin is transgressing God’s law (1 John 3:4 KJV). Sin separates a person from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). Every person who sins deserves eternal punishment in Hell. However, God has a plan of mercy. He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross as the ultimate sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 9:26). Jesus’ death on the cross was given for every person (John 1:29). Every person must obey God to access the mercy. Think about the amount of mercy required to cover the sins of every person who ever lived, lives now or may live in the future. A picture is given of God’s mercy in Psalm 36:5, “Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds” (NKJV). Not only does His mercy originate in Heaven, but it is as high and as far as the heavens. “Faithfulness” comes from a word that means “stability” or “firmness.” In other words, God’s is absolute, and there is no possibility that His mercy will fail. That stable mercy is as high as the clouds. What a wonderful God we have. Though none of us deserve mercy, He is willing to give it. He is willing to give it to every person who has and will ever live

“For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. …But this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:4, 12). The author of Hebrews spent a great amount of Scripture demonstrating that Jesus and the New Covenant are better than Moses and the Old Covenant. Christ’s priesthood is better than the priesthood of the Old Testament. His promises are better. His sacrifice is better, which is the point of Hebrews 10:4 and 12. The Mosaic Law prescribed daily sacrifices, weekly sacrifices, monthly sacrifices, annual sacrifices and special sacrifices. A vast number of animals were killed during the approximately 1,500 years between Mt. Sinai and the day of Jesus’ death. It is impossible to know exactly how many animals were sacrificed under the Law, but we can look at some numbers to get just an idea of the enormous amount. Numbers 7 tells us that at the dedication of the Tabernacle, 36 oxen, 144 sheep and 72 goats were killed over a twelve-day period. At the dedication of Solomon’s Temple, 220,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep were killed. The historian Josephus records that at one Passover 256,500 animals were sacrificed, though some modern commentators believe that Josephus exaggerated many of his numbers. They say that it would only have been possible to sacrifice around 27,000 in the allotted time, which would still have been a lot of animals. However, an ancient Jewish commentator

Small birds are easily scared. Birds will quickly fly away in response to any sudden movement or sound. Many times, they look for a tree or bush in which to hide. There were many rocky crevices and caves in the mountains of Palestine. The birds would fly to these. David compared himself and other followers of God to these birds. Psalm 11:1 reads, “In the Lord I put my trust; how say you to my soul, ‘Flee as a bird to your mountain’?” David said he was not like the little birds. He had no reason to fly away from his spiritual enemies. His faith was in God. In verse four, David said he had nowhere to flee if the foundations were destroyed. He was saying that if he did not have faith that God is in Heaven and able to defeat his enemies, then there was nowhere to run that would be safe. Study your Bible. Learn all you can about our great God. Obey and trust Him. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.

Jesus preached a long sermon, which is recorded in Matthew 5 through Matthew 7. It is known as the Sermon on the Mount. He had been preaching the Gospel of the kingdom and had been healing all manner of diseases. Large crowds were following Jesus as His fame spread throughout Galilee and Judea. He was even known on the other side of the Jordan. People were amazed at His teaching. At the end of this sermon, we are told that the people were astonished at His teachings because He taught as someone having authority, not like a scribe. Scribes always prefaced their teachings with the words that a certain Rabbi taught what they were about to speak. Jesus never referenced a Rabbi but instead said, “I say,” several times. Jesus also referenced the Father several times in this sermon. God is called Father over fifteen times in the Sermon on the Mount – once as “our Father” in 6:9 when giving the model prayer, five times as “thy Father” in verses 5:4, 6, 18 and ten times as “your Father” 5:16, 45, 48; 6:1, 8, 14-15, 26, 32; 7:11. Matthew 7:21 is the only time that Jesus referenced “my Father,” and it is the last reference in the sermon to the Father. In context, Jesus said that no one will get into Heaven by stating that he is a disciple of Jesus. Jesus stated that it is necessary to do the will of “my Father.” He made several points with

We read in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (NKJV). In Galatians 2, Paul dealt with individuals who were trying to convince Christians to live by part of the Old Law – the Law of Moses. He said that anyone who did that would take away the liberty they have in Christ and put themselves into bondage to the Old Law. He told them that he even had to confront Peter when he gave preference to Jewish Christians over Gentile Christians. Paul wrote that Christians are not justified by the Old Law but through the New Law. All the justification that comes through the New Law is based on faith in Jesus Christ (v. 16). No man could be justified by the Old Law. All Christians must be justified by Christ (v.17). This , then, is explained further in verse 20 above. The life a person lives as a Christian is only possible because Christ, the Son of God, was willing to die by crucifixion according to the will of the Father. If He had not done that, we could not be Christians or have justification in the sight of the Father. Paul said Christ gave Himself for us. Many would interpret that to mean he died in our

Second Corinthians 13:5 reads, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? — unless indeed you are disqualified” (NKJV). In this verse, Paul said each needs to look to his mind and actions to determine if they are in “the faith.” The definite article “the” is in the Greek, which means this is not talking about just a personal belief but about the system of belief (faith) or doctrine. There are rules and regulations that can measure one’s life and beliefs. To be “in the faith” means to be in the system of rules and regulations. Otherwise, Paul would have stated they should have faith, but he said people need to be “in the faith.” Then, Paul stated that Christians have Jesus Christ living in them unless they are reprobates. So, if they are not living “in the faith,” Christ is not in them. If they do not have Christ living in them, they are not “in the faith.” This goes against what many religious leaders today teach. They say Christ can be in you if you just say you have a belief in Him. Some say nothing you do or think after that acceptance will take Christ from you. Some say there is no law that you must obey. Paul said a person must examine himself. If there is nothing I can do to alter my eternal destiny, then why bother to examine anything? This letter to the

In Zechariah 4, Zechariah saw a golden candlestick. It had a bowl on the top of it. There were seven lamps and seven pipes. The Hebrew wording gives some indication that instead of seven pipes there may have been seven times seven. These pipes brought lots of oil to the lamps. Therefore, there must be a source of that oil. There were two olive trees, one on each side of the golden candlestick. These trees had branches emptying into the pipes. There was a never-ending source of oil from these trees. We are told that the two trees were the anointed ones standing by the Lord. This may mean they are Joshua, the High Priest, and Zerubbabel, the King [Governor]. However, it must be understood that they represent two aspects of the Messiah. He is Priest and King. From Him comes the Word of God. The power for the Christian and for the church is not from human power or might. The power and might is the Gospel (Romans 1:16-17). Salvation can only come from God. It can only come by being in the church that Jesus established. Under Zerubbabel the physical Temple was completed. Under Christ the spiritual Temple was built and completed. Under Joshua, the High Priest, the physical Temple was completed. Under Christ the church was completed. This vision gives a picture of Christ and the church. Study your Bible. Learn about Jesus and His church. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult

We read about Cornelius in Acts 10-11. He was a Roman centurion who lived in Caesarea. God sent the apostle Peter to help him become a Christian. Many commentators say that Cornelius knew almost nothing about Jesus and the church before he became a Christian. They use him as an example for today, teaching that a person does not need to know very much at all about Christ and the church to become a Christian. Yet, the Scriptures do not support that conclusion. Cornelius was a devout man. That means he was reverent and pious in his life toward God. He feared God with all his house. That means he respected God and recognized Him to be in charge of all things. Evidently, all his family members also feared God. As the head of his house, he had led them in worshipping God. He was praying to God at 3 p.m. This was one of the standard times for Jews to pray. The Greek word for “prayed” is the word meaning “begging” or “entreating.” He was constantly asking God what he needed to do to please Him. Cornelius constantly desired to follow what God commanded. He was told to send for Peter so that the apostle could tell him what to do to be saved (11:14). Cornelius actively did many benevolent works. This means he followed God’s directions to love all men. He was willing to share what he had with others according to God’s commandments. Peter said in Acts

Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians partly to impress upon them the importance and the blessings of the church. He told them that the church is the body of Christ (1:22-23; 5:23-29). Redemption and forgiveness are in the church (1:7). One’s hope is in the church (1:18). True wisdom and knowledge are in the church (1:17). The church is the family of God (3:15). All spiritual blessings are in the church (1:3). Those in the church are spiritually alive instead of dead spiritually (2:1, 5). In the last half of Ephesians 2, Paul wrote about the peace that is in the church. There are two different types of peace. In verses 11-15, he discussed peace between Gentiles and Jews. In verse 14, the apostle mentioned the “middle wall of partition” (KJV) or “separation” (NKJV). Jesus Christ broke down the partition between Jews and Gentiles who are in the church. In verse 15, Paul told the Ephesians that the Old Law (Mosaic Law) was that partition. God gave the Mosaic Law to the Jews. The Jews were God’s chosen people. Jews had come to think of themselves as higher than Gentiles. They had come to think of Gentiles as spiritual dogs. The dog was not regarded highly in Palestine. However, now Jews and Gentiles are at peace with each other. Christians are all equal in Christ. There is no animosity or hatred among Christians. Formerly, a Gentile could come to God through the Mosaic Law. Now, though, both Jews and

There is so much said about our Lord, Jesus Christ in the Bible. The entire history of the Old Testament was pointing toward Jesus. The four Gospel accounts tell us about His life. Truth is important with God. The word “true” is used referring to Jesus and His character. Let us look at a few instances. In John 1:9, we read, “That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world” (NKJV). In the beginning of the book, John discussed the Word – Jesus – before He came to earth. Jesus came to earth to be our spiritual light. If we follow Him, we will never be in darkness. In John 6:32, we read, “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.’” When the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, God gave them manna to eat. Jesus said He is the true bread that gives spiritual life. If we continue to feed on Jesus, we will never starve spiritually. We will have life. In John 15:1, we read, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.” We must be branches of the spiritual vine – Jesus. If we stay connected to Him, we will receive the nutrients and water we need for a proper spiritual life. In 1 John 5:20, we read, “And we know that the Son of God has

Mules are known for being stubborn. Many times, they will try to do exactly the opposite of what an owner wants. If the desire is to go forward, the mule will attempt to go backwards. If the owner wants to plow a field, the mule may decide to sit down. Mules require a bit and bridle. The bit is a piece of wood or metal that fits in the mouth. It is hooked up to a bridle. The owner holds onto the bridle. It is usually straps of leather. The owner pulls on the bridle to indicate what he wants. People are not supposed to need bits and bridles. God made people to think and to make rationale spiritual decisions. People can read the Bible and learn how God expects them to live. Psalm 32:9 reads, “Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you” (NKJV). God does not force people to come to Him. God wants us to desire to come to Him. The only way to do that is to study the Bible. To not study the Bible, to not learn what to do, to not learn how to please God and to not obey God makes a person a spiritual mule. Who wants to be no smarter than a mule? Study your Bible. Do not be a mule. Teach others so they will not be mules. If

When one is thirsty, it is nice to have a filled glass of water, tea or milk. Sometimes when one is dirty, tired and sore, it is nice to have a tub full of hot water in which to soak. When on a long trip, it is good to have a tank full of gas. While these things are good or nice to have, there are some things that are much more important with which to be full. Christians are to be filled with fruits of righteousness. “Being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:11 NKJV). It is very important that a Christian gives glory and praise to God. This cannot be done if the Christian is not actively making sure that he is full of the fruits of righteousness. Christians are to be filled with the knowledge from God. “Filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding” (Colossians 1:9). Christians cannot continue to grow in faith unless they continue to study God’s Word, the Bible. It is only from the knowledge it gives that a person can get wisdom and understanding. Christians are to be filled with the fullness of God. “That you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19). The fullness of God only comes by making sure our hearts are full of the love of Christ along with the knowledge from His Word. Study your

Christians talk a great deal about the forgiveness of God. Christians are thankful for the forgiveness of God. We understand that God is willing to forgive us of all our sins if we repent and obey Him. He is willing to love us and give us a multitude of spiritual blessings if we will turn from our sins. He no longer holds us guilty of our past sins when we are forgiven. Christians strive to be just as forgiving as God. We are to be long suffering towards those who desire to live for God. We strive to forget past wrongs toward us and others, as well as to embrace new Christians. Ananias demonstrated proper forgiveness. He was contacted by God in Acts 9 to go and to preach to Saul about conversion to Christ; Saul was known as the great persecutor of Christians. He was in Damascus to find and to imprison Christians. Ananias was hesitant, but God assured him that Saul was turning from his past actions; he desired to do what was right. So, Ananias went and told him what to do to become a Christian. That was impressive enough, but in verse 19, we find that Ananias was now willing to eat with Saul. When one understands how intimate the action of eating with someone was to a first century Christian, one understands how important it was that we are told that Ananias was willing to eat with Saul. This shows acceptance. This shows love. This

The letter to the Hebrews was written to encourage the Christian Hebrews to remain faithful to Jesus. One of the main points is that Jesus is a better High Priest than high priests under the Old Law. The writer told them in 2:18 that Jesus suffered with temptations just like we do. He lived on earth as a man and had the same temptations that we have. Because He understands our temptations, He is able to succor them who are tempted. The word “able” comes from a Greek word for power. Jesus has the power to succor. The word “succor” comes from a Greek word that means “cry and to run, aid, relieve.” Jesus is ready and willing to run to us, to aid us and to relieve and aid us of the trials and temptations that Satan brings. He is willing and has the power to forgive us of our sins. Jesus is a compassionate and loving High Priest. At the time Jesus lived, the high priest was not known for being loving and compassionate toward the people. The high priest and the Jewish leaders had come to think of themselves as above the people. They thought they were better than other Jews. However, Jesus never thought He was better than other men. He never shunned away from being among the people. He listened to their concerns, helped them with their troubles and showed deep interest in their problems. He continues to do the same today from Heaven. I

Many soldiers carried shields in ancient times. The shield was very important. It helped protect the soldier from enemy swords and javelins. In some ancient societies, the shield was a symbol of honor. A soldier was not supposed to drop his shield. He was not supposed to return from a battle without his shield. Lacedomia [ancient city near Sparta] was one of these societies. A Lacedemonian mother gave her oldest son the shield of his father. She said these words when she gave it to him: “This shield thy father preserved, do thou preserve it also or perish. Bring it back or be brought back on it.” Greeks who lost their shield were put to death. According to them, only cowardly soldiers threw away their shields and ran from the battle. This symbolism is used in Hebrews 10:35. “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.” The word for “confidence” in the Greek is a word meaning “frankness and boldness of speech.” This boldness of speech acts as a shield. It is a boldness in speaking about Christ. The Christian should never be ashamed to speak about Christ. The Christian should always be ready to speak in defense of the Christian faith (1 Peter 3:15). The confidence or boldness of speech has a great reward. If the Christian is not ashamed of Jesus, Jesus is not ashamed of the Christian (Matthew 10:32-33). Study your Bible. Learn all about Jesus. Learn what He wants you to do.

Almost everyone knows something about the apostle Judas. He is the one who arranged to have Jesus arrested and tried. He did this for 30 pieces of silver, which he later tried to return. We are told in Matthew 26:47-48 that he kissed Jesus as a signal to those sent by the chief priests. Whoever he kissed was the one they were to arrest. It is such a sad thing and yet a marvelous thing. It is tremendously sad that Jesus was arrested, tried and killed even though he was completely innocent, but it is a wonderful and marvelous thing that He did for us. It is only through His sacrifice that we have hope of living in Heaven. I noticed something in verse forty-eight recently that had never caught my attention. Judas said that whoever he kissed, the arresting men should “hold him fast.” The Greek word translated “hold fast” means to obtain, take hold of, take charge of, hold without letting go, seize and seize with authority. It is the same word used in Colossians 2:18-19 where Paul told those in Colossae that they should let no man influence them to give up Christ, “not holding the Head.” Paul said we should hold the Head fast. Judas, who betrayed Jesus, told others to hold Him fast. How ironic and how sad. Instead of spiritually holding on to Jesus, Judas chose to tell others to physically hold Jesus fast. Instead of spiritually holding fast to Jesus, Judas chose to

The letter to the Hebrews was written to encourage Jewish Christians to remain faithful to Christ. The author did not want them to return to the Law of Moses. Numerous names and designations are attributed by the author to Christ. All of these are used to demonstrate how superior and better Christ and his Covenant are. I am so glad Christ is Testator of the Will. I am so glad He was willing to offer Himself. I am so thankful His blood makes us perfect. I am so glad He is the Way and the Veil, by which we travel and through whom we go to Heaven. Study your Bible. Learn how to obey Christ, and if any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.

The letter to the Hebrews was written to encourage Jewish Christians to remain faithful to Christ. The author did not want them to return to the Law of Moses. Numerous names and designations are attributed by the author to Christ. All of these are used to demonstrate how superior and better Christ and His Covenant are. I am so glad Christ is our Priest. I am glad he is the Author of our salvation. I am thankful he is our Forerunner and our Surety. I am glad that He is Majesty. I am glad He is our Minister in Heaven. Study the Bible. Learn all you can about Christ, and if any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.

The letter to the Hebrews was written to encourage Jewish Christians to remain faithful to Christ. The author did not want them to return to the Law of Moses. Numerous names and designations are attributed by the author for Christ. All of these are used to demonstrate how superior and better Christ and His Covenant are. I am glad that Christ came to give us the most important message ever given. I am glad He is our High Priest in Heaven. I am glad He built the church and has promised us a rest in Heaven. I am glad that He is the One who knows me. Study your Bible. Learn all about our wonderful God. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you. Mark McWhorter has written daily devotionals for youth for decades. He lives in Pell City, Alabama, USA.

The letter to the Hebrews was written to encourage Jewish Christians to remain faithful to Christ. The author did not want them to return to the Law of Moses. Numerous names and designations are attributed by the author for Christ. All of these are used to demonstrate how superior and better Christ and His Covenant are. I am so glad Christ is our Captain of salvation. I am glad He came to Earth and lived as a man so that He is our Brother. I am so glad He obeyed the Father and is of the seed of Abraham. I am so glad He is the Reconciler. Study your Bible. Learn all you can about Him. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you. Mark McWhorter has written daily devotionals for youth for decades. He lives in Pell City, Alabama, USA.

The letter to the Hebrews was written to encourage Jewish Christians to remain faithful to Christ. The author did not want them to return to the Law of Moses. Numerous names and designations are attributed by the author for Christ. All of these are used to demonstrate how superior and better Christ and His Covenant are. I am so glad that Christ is our God. I am so glad He became man. I am so glad He is our Lord. I am so glad that through Him we can also be heirs of Heaven. Study your Bible. Learn all you can about what Christ wants us to do. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you. Mark McWhorter has written daily devotionals for youth for decades. He lives in Pell City, Alabama, USA.

Many religious people in the world believe that the name Lucifer was given in the Bible for Satan. However, the name Lucifer is actually used in Isaiah 14:12 for the king of Babylon. The word Lucifer is a Latin word used to translate the Hebrew word for morning star. The word was first used for Satan by Tertullian and Origen, but it did not become common as a name for Satan until Milton used it in his Paradise Lost. After Paradise Lost became popular, many people started believing that Lucifer was actually a name given in the Bible for Satan. The king of Babylon was compared to the morning star. All of those hearing Isaiah’s prophecy would understand this comparison. There was an ancient Canaanite story regarding the morning star. According to the story, the morning star desired to become king of the mountain of the gods in the north. The morning star wanted the highest place of the highest god and wanted to be ruler of the world. He was defeated in his attempt and was thrown down to the underworld. This is what Isaiah was saying would happen to the king of Babylon. He desired to be the greatest of all kings on earth. He even considered himself as high as God, but he discovered that God is more powerful. Do not be like the king of Babylon. Do not think too highly of yourself. Be humble no matter how important you may become in this world. Study your Bible. Learn

Many religious people around the world are familiar with the name Lucifer. Most believe it is a name for Satan. It appears in the King James Bible [and some other translations] in Isaiah 14:12. “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” Isaiah 14:4 identifies the person of verse twelve. This condemnation was toward the king of Babylon. The king of Babylon was a haughty and an arrogant man. Isaiah told him that even though the king thought himself to be the greatest man in the world, he would be brought low by God. The Hebrew word used in verse twelve is the word for morning star. This star was the last star on the horizon just before the sun came over the horizon. It was extremely brilliant in its shining just before the sun came up. Yet, as soon as the sun came over the horizon, the morning star could no longer be seen. Just as the morning star was bright for a brief time, so would the king of Babylon be. He would shine brightly among men but disappear quickly when God, the ultimate light, decided to destroy him. Leaders of countries today should learn a lesson from this. They should desire to serve God and be the best leaders they can be. They should realize that they should lead their people in proper ethics and morals. They should be good

Have you ever watched an old movie with scenes of wooden ships at sea? Movies about pirates have such ships. Movies about the early sailors have such ships. One of the dangers with sailing wooden ships was hitting rocks in shallow water. Another danger was sailing in severe storms. Either one of those dangers could lead to the ship breaking apart and sinking. The ancient Greeks had a word to describe a ship breaking into pieces – “schizmata.” The word “schizmata” was also used by the Greeks to describe the use of an ax in dividing something. It could be the act of bringing the ax down on a person’s head and breaking it apart. It could be bringing the ax down on a piece of wood and splitting it. This word “schizmata” is used in 1 Corinthians 1:10, which reads, “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” “Schizmata” is translated as “divisions” in that verse. God sees division of His church like a ship being torn apart at sea. For someone to cause division in the church is like taking an ax and swinging it down on another Christian’s head. God does not like division in the church. He desires unity. Christians are to all have the same mind in spiritual things.

When the Jewish leaders brought Jesus to Pilate, they wanted Pilate to kill Him. Pilate tried several ways to figure out how not to find Jesus guilty unto death. He finally made them choose between Jesus and a known murderer, Barabbas (Mark 15:7). To his surprise, the Jewish leaders managed to influence the crowd to ask for the release of Barabbas (Matthew 27:20). Pilate wanted to know what he should do with Jesus. The crowd cried out that they wanted Him crucified, but they went even further in their insistence that He be killed. It is recorded in Matthew 27:25 that they stated, “His blood be on us, and on our children.” That is a remarkable statement. They wanted it on record that they desired His blood to be shed, and they wanted it known that they took responsibility for it. It is sad that this was not the way Jesus wanted His blood to be used. They took their rejection of His life and love for them as a badge of honor. Jesus intended to shed His blood, but He was doing so to save them. Instead, they rejected Him. Later, the Jewish leaders got extremely angry when an inspired Christian accused them of having Christ’s blood on their hands. In Acts 5:28, the Jews told the apostles to stop bringing Jesus’ blood upon them. This is an amazing indication of hypocrisy. They took responsibility for His death when it was convenient. Then, they wanted to deny their responsibility

In Philippians 3, Paul wrote to warn Christians that they will have to confront false teachers. These individuals would teach the Gentile Christians that they must be circumcised to be Christians. They also probably taught that some of the other rules and regulations from the Old Testament needed to be followed. Paul told Christians that such teaching is wrong. Paul told them that no one was more Jewish than he was. In verse 5, he itemized things to prove without a shadow of a doubt that he knew exactly what it meant to be a Jew under the Old Law. He was not an Ishmaelite; he was circumcised as an infant. He was not a Hellenized Jew; he spoke Hebrew. He was not just from any tribe, but from Benjamin—the same tribe as Saul, Mordecai and some other famous individuals. He had been one of the 6,000 or fewer Pharisees whose whole intent was to keep all Jewish laws and regulations. He had been so devout that he formerly persecuted Christians. In verse 7, Paul said, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.” He had given up all of those prestigious things about his life for his new life in Christ. He no longer thought they were important or binding. The word “gain” is actually in the plural in the Greek. The word “loss” is singular. This gives an even more impressive picture of what Paul said. He considered each prestigious item as an

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews encouraged Hebrew Christians to remain faithful to Christ. These Christians were being influenced to go back to the Old Law. The writer warned Christians that disobedience brings negative judgment from God. Hebrews 3:8-9 reads, “Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.” The specific reference is to Exodus 17 and is a quote of the Septuagint of Psalm 95:8. It describes one of the times after the Israelites came out of Egypt that they complained to God. In Numbers 14:22, God told the Israelites they had tempted Him ten times. Because of the ten times (which is the same number of plagues that God had brought on the Egyptians), God would make them wander for a total of 40 years. (Deuteronomy 2:14 says it was 38 more years from the time God made His statement of condemnation.) God does not specifically mention the ten incidents. However, there are ten incidents recorded (Exodus 6:9-12; 14:10-12; 15:23-26; 16; 17:1-7; 32; Numbers 11:1, 4-33; 12:1-15; 14). We do not know if these are the exact ones that God meant, but it is curious that Moses recorded these. The point is still true: God is patient but will bring negative judgment on those who disobey. He did so under the Old Covenant, and He will do so under the New Covenant. Study your Bible. Learn

The Gentile population of Colossae had several false gods and goddesses that they worshipped. One of the goddesses was Cybele. Cybele was the Phrygian goddess of fertility. She represented the principle of life and reproduction. She was considered by many as the Mother of the Gods. Her crown was a miniature city wall. She was worshipped with cries and shouts associated with clashing cymbals and drums. The Romans introduced an interesting rite to her worship. An initiate was placed in a pit beneath a wooden floor. A bull was sacrificed on the wooden floor. The blood would run through gaps in the floor and drench the initiate. This was thought to cleanse the initiate of sins and signified a rebirth. Cybele became associated with the endless cycle of life, death and rebirth due to having been involved with resurrecting her lover Attis. While Paul did not name any false gods in the letter to the Colossians, some of what he wrote does address false beliefs. In 3:16, Paul gave the proper musical worship toward God. In 1:4-6, Paul made the point that the faith, love and hope of Christ and His church is what produces spiritual fruit. In 1:9-10, he stated that it is the knowledge and wisdom of Christ’s will that makes one fruitful. In 1:14, Paul taught that it is Christ’s blood which gives forgiveness of sins. In 1:16, he said that Christ created the world, and in 1:17, by Christ all things stay together. In 2:12-13, Paul told

Some preachers and teachers tell listeners that being a Christian is very easy. They make it sound like once a person is a Christian, that person will never have troubles. While being a Christian makes it easier to live with life’s problems, being a Christian will not make your life trouble free. God tells us we must have endurance. This means that problems will arise; troubles or situations will still be in our lives. What does God say we need to endure? Hardness – “Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:3). Affliction – “Endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist” (2 Timothy 4:5). Chastening – “If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons” (Hebrews 12:7). Grief – “For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief” (1 Peter 2:19). Contradiction – “Consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself” (Hebrews 12:3). Temptation – “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation” (James 1:12). All Things – “Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sake” (2 Timothy 2:10). I am glad we have a God who cares for us. If we lean on Him, He will help us get through the difficult times. This makes it easier to deal with them. We always know that no matter how bad things are on earth for us, things will be so much better for us in Heaven (Romans 8:18). Study your Bible. Learn what is necessary to live

In John 7, Jesus had been at the Temple during the Feast of the Tabernacles. During the Feast, the priests kept four huge candelabras lit at night. These candelabras were 75 feet high. Each was made of gold. Each had four golden bowls at the top. When lit, the light could be seen all over Jerusalem. Some believe these huge candelabras were to remind the people of the pillar of fire that led the Israelites out of Egypt and through the wilderness. When these were lit, men walked in cadence around them while singing hymns and songs of praise. Some Levites would be stationed on the fifteen steps that led into the women’s court and which were considered to correspond to the fifteen psalms of degrees—Psalms 120-134. These Levites played instruments to accompany the songs. At first of dawn of the next morning, the blasts of the priests’ silver trumpets of the army of God, as it advanced with festive trumpet sound and call, would awaken the sleepers of the city. The people on awakening were to utter solemn protest against heathenism. In John 8, we are told that Jesus came to the Temple early on this morning. It is at this moment that the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery to Jesus to tempt Him with a decision. Jesus did not fall for their deceit. Jesus embarrassed the men, and then Jesus told the woman to go and sin no more. Jesus next said He

In Colossians 2:2, we read, “That their hearts might be knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ” (KJV). Paul was writing to the Colossians to assure them that the Gospel they had obeyed was the truth. He wanted them to stand against any teachings that stated Christ was not the actual Son of God. He wanted them to know that the truth he received from God was the same truth that Christ and the Father taught. He wanted them to know that the truth they had obeyed was the only spiritual truth. Then, in the verse above, Paul told them that rather than being divided, they needed to be united in love. They needed to stand united in knowing with assurance that they were already receiving the true spiritual riches that can only be found in Christ. The English words “knit together” tend to give a picture of a passive act of joining hands. There is not necessarily anything wrong with that picture, but the Greek word has a basic meaning of driving or forcing things together. With that understanding, one gets a mental picture of Christians having an internal driving force that compels them to join hands. Without joining hands in unity, there is an intense feeling of something lacking. Each Christian would feel incomplete and disjointed unless that knitting together was a reality. The intended strength

Hebrews 2:17 says that Jesus was a faithful High Priest in that He made reconciliation for the sins of the people. The word “reconciliation” is a big word that means “to appease.” The Greek word is “hilaskomai.” It refers to the role of offering atonement and making peace. All mankind has sinned. Every person commits sin. Sin separates man from God. There is no peace between God and a sinner. However, Christ made that peace possible. He made reconciliation. He offered the atonement sacrifice. What did He offer? He offered Himself. He was the atonement sacrifice. Read 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 and Romans 5:11. Both of these Scriptures tell us Jesus is our atonement. He is also the One Who offered the atonement. First John 2:2 and 1 John 4:10 say He is our propitiation. That is another big word. It means “atonement sacrifice.” It comes from the Greek word “hilasmos.” Jesus was the Sacrifice, and He was the One Who sacrificed. He was a Great High Priest who offered Himself so that there could be peace between man and God. Study your Bible. Learn all about our High Priest and Reconciler. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.

Most people desire love. Most people want to be loved. Most people want to love someone else. The world has many ideas as to what love is. There are a multitude of books written by men and women about love. They have all kinds of theories and philosophies as to how people can have love. They have various definitions of love. Unfortunately, very few experts or scholars go to the Bible for information on love. God created man and woman. He knows everything there is to know about mankind and love. In Philippians 1:9-10, Paul wrote, “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment, That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.” Paul wanted the Philippians to abound in love. The word “abound” is from a Greek word that means “flood.” He wanted the Philippians to live in a flood of love. How would they live in this flood of love? They needed to have a knowledge of Christ and needed to have the judgment that comes from that knowledge. By having those things, they would be able to approve (test) things to know if they were excellent. Having the kind of love that allowed them these skills would make the Philippians pure in the eyes of God. Study your Bible. Learn about the love of Christ. Learn how to have Christ’s love. Apply the Bible’s teachings so that you

“For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). Many professed Christians believe that God’s people were under a law with Moses but that they are under grace with Jesus. They deny that there is anything one can do to be saved by Jesus. They say Jesus gives us His grace and grace is all that we need. The above verse states that by Jesus came grace and truth. So, this verse by itself shows that grace alone was not what Jesus brought. It shows that one must have the truth as well as His grace. The writer of Hebrews in 12:28 wrote, “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” The words “godly fear” come from a word meaning caution or dread. Grace includes a proper understanding that God is someone to be feared. If grace alone ruled His kingdom, there would be no reason to have caution while professing to live in Him. Notice also in Hebrews 12:28 the word “reverence.” This word means to be shamefaced or bashful. It indicates that the person acknowledges his personal shortcomings and weakness in comparison to God. One has shame in seeing oneself so small in comparison to God. One has shame in understanding that one does not live perfectly according to the expectations of God. This indicates there are things that one must do to live in a proper relationship

Almost everyone knows the name Jonah. Most know that he tried to run from God and was swallowed by a large fish. After three days, God had the fish throw Jonah up. Jonah, then, went to the great city of Nineveh and preached to them. All of those in Nineveh, including the King, were converted by Jonah’s message. The account of Jonah is primarily to show that the Lord cares about all men. He wants all men to be saved. Even as bad as the Assyrians were, God wanted them to be saved. There are others in the Book of Jonah who were saved as well. Not much is ever said about them. Jonah hired a ship to take him to Tarshish. He thought going that far from Israel would get him away from the Lord. The Lord sent a mighty storm. The sailors all called to their gods. Of course, there was no answer. They cast lots to see who had caused the storm. The Lord gave the answer. The sailors wanted to know who he was. It seems from that question that Jonah may have been wearing a disguise. They could not recognize he was a Hebrew. When he told them that he was a Hebrew and served the Lord, the sailors were afraid. Jonah told them to throw him overboard if they wanted to be saved. They did not want to do that, but no matter how hard they tried, they could not bring the boat to

In Acts 9, we are told about the conversion of Saul. He had spent a few years doing everything he could to destroy the church. He went into Christians’ homes and dragged them out. He put them in shackles and brought them to prison. He was in total agreement when Stephen was stoned to death. He agreed when other Christians were given death sentences. He received letters of authority from the High Priest and the Sanhedrin to go to Damascus to arrest Christians. As Saul was nearing the city of Damascus, Jesus appeared to him. He was instructed to go into Damascus to find what he needed to do to obey Jesus. Our Lord told him to find a man named Judas who lived on Straight street and stay there. The irony of the man’s name cannot be missed. Judas was the name of the apostle who betrayed Jesus. This was not that Judas, because that Judas killed himself. Yet, Saul was going to be converted in a house owned by a man named Judas. Saul was in a house on a street named Straight. Saul was not living a straight and a righteous life. He was living a crooked spiritual life. However, he was about to be straightened out. There is an interesting passage in the Old Testament that Saul would have known. One wonders if, during the three days he was waiting and praying in Judas’ house, he thought of it. Isaiah 42:16 reads, “And I will bring

Jeremiah, the prophet, was from a small town named Anathoth. This town was about two miles northeast of Jerusalem. It was a city of priests. Anathoth means “answer.” The word was used many times in regular speech to indicate the answers to prayer. When Jeremiah prophesied to the kingdom of Judah, no one wanted to listen. Many simply ignored what he had to say, and some wanted to kill him. They did not want him preaching to them at all. The people of Anathoth were among these people. In Jeremiah 11:21-23, we read about these terrible people. They told Jeremiah, “Prophesy not in the name of the Lord, that thou die not by our hand.” They continually threatened him with death if he told them what God wanted them to do. This is so sad. Not only were the men priests, but they lived in the city that gave the picture of answers from God. The priests were the ones who were supposed to remind the people of the laws of God. They were supposed to lead the people in proper worship so that God would answer their prayers with blessings. The High Priest was the one who had the Urim and Thummim, through which God answered specific questions. There were signs that God was bringing punishment upon Judah. The people were going to their false gods for answers to their problems instead of going to God. God was going to answer them anyway. However, the answer was going to

In Acts 15:24, we read, “Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment.” Gentile Christians in Antioch had trouble. Some Jewish Christians from Jerusalem traveled to Antioch and taught that the Gentiles had to be circumcised. They also taught them they had to keep many other things in the Mosaic Law. Some of the Gentiles evidently were being convinced to start following the Mosaic Law. To turn from the Law of Christ to follow the Law of Moses was sinful. A Christian has promised to obey Christ. A person cannot obey Christ and obey Moses. The Law of Moses was nailed to the cross with Christ. Christ fulfilled that law. In the verse above, we notice that the false teachers were “subverting” souls. The Greek word for “subverting” had several usages. One of those was for moving furniture. The furniture in this instance is the souls of Christians. The souls of Christians are in the Temple of God, the church. To leave the church and go to the Law of Moses was taking the furniture out of the Temple built by Jesus. There is no salvation to any furniture not in the Temple. Study your Bible. Learn how to be a Christian. Obey Christ. And always keep your furniture in the church. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to

“Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean” (2 Kings 5:14). This verse is about Naaman, a Syrian official. Naaman had been told by Elisha to submerse himself seven times in the Jordan River to heal his leprosy. Naaman thought it ridiculous that he should do such. It did not make any sense to him, and, in fact, he was insulted by such advice from Elisha. His servants finally convinced him to follow Elisha’s directions. All of us will sin. Sin is the transgression of God’s law. A child has no sin. Ezekiel 18 makes it plain that a child does not inherit his father’s sin. God does not hold a child accountable for his father’s sin. Sin gives our soul spiritual leprosy. Today, we are told to be baptized to wash away our sins (Acts 22:16). By washing away the sin, God makes our souls like the soul of the child—clean and safe in God’s eyes. Many people today are like Naaman. They think it is ridiculous that they should be baptized. They will accuse others of practicing ‘water salvation.’ Naaman was not cured because of the water. He was cured because of his obedience. Today, individuals can be cured of their sin. It is not the water that cures them, but it is their obedience to God’s command to

The prophet Elisha traveled the country of Palestine. One place he stayed on numerous occasions and grew to have a friendly relationship with was the home of a Shunamite woman and her elderly husband. They gave him food and even built a guest room on their roof for him. The woman did not have any children, but Elisha promised her a son. At the appointed time, she had a son. When the son was just a lad, he fell sick and died. Elisha raised him from the dead. Later, there was a great famine in the land. Elisha told the woman to leave the land until the famine was over in seven years. When the woman and her son returned, her land and home had been taken over by someone. Evidently, they did not want to give her what was legally hers. She decided to go to the king and ask for his intervention. The fact that she was the one asking indicates her husband was dead. (Remember, he was elderly before the son was born.) King Jehoram was not a good king. He did not follow God’s commandments. So why would Jehoram consider and care for this lowly Shunamite woman? He probably would not have except at that moment he had asked Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, to tell him about the marvelous things Elisha had done. Gehazi was telling the king about Elisha raising a woman’s son from the dead. Gehazi recognized the woman and told Jehoram that

Before the apostle Paul was converted to Christianity, his name was Saul. Saul was a devout Jew who believed Christians were Jewish apostates. He believed they were practicing a false religion. He believed they had left God and were worshipping a false teacher, Jesus. He persecuted Christians. He went into their homes and dragged them off to prison. He took pleasure in the death of Christians. In Acts 9:1, we read, “And Saul, breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest.” Notice that Saul was involved in threats and killing of Christians. It says he was ‘breathing out’ these things. The Greek actually gives a deeper message with those words. The Greek means he was ‘breathing these things in.’ He was not just doing these things. His life was completely involved in and devoted to these things. Just as his life was dependent on breathing in oxygen to live, his spiritual life was dependent on his persecution of Christians. Saul had a one-track mind. He believed that to be a true follower of God, to be a true Jew, he had to destroy the church; he had to destroy Christians. How sad that he had this understanding. He knew the Old Testament Scriptures, but he refused to accept that Christ had fulfilled them. There are people living today who hate Christians. There are people who want to destroy the church. They literally ‘live’ or ‘breath in’ that hatred. Hopefully, someone will be

Matthew 23:37 reads, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not?” The name “Jerusalem” means city of peace. Yet, Jesus said that this city of peace had killed prophets and others sent to them by God. The very city that should have been at peace with God had continually turned its back on God. It had refused to listen to Him. In the verse, the words “killest” and “stonest” are in the present tense. This means that these were not things done solely in the past. These things were still being done. Jesus had come to bring peace by bringing salvation to man. By giving a way of covering sin, man could be at peace with God. Yet, Jerusalem refused to listen. Jesus was the highest prophet ever to live on the Earth. He knew they were going to kill Him. Study your Bible. Learn how to be at peace with God. Do not be like those in Jerusalem who refused to listen. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.

Jeremiah was a prophet of God. He spoke to the people of Judah. He warned them of Divine punishment if they did not return to God. In Jeremiah 22:29, we read, “O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord.” Notice the word “earth” is repeated three times. Repetition by God gives emphasis to His words. All God has to do is say something once. Attention should be given to anything He says. However, sometimes He repeats certain words to let people know that they must pay attention. In this context, God was saying, through Jeremiah, that the earth needed to listen. He was not speaking about the physical globe of the earth. He was speaking to the people of Judah and to all the people of the world. The people of Judah were being told that they were going into exile. The people of the world were being told about the punishment of Judah. The fact that God was willing to send His chosen people into bondage and slavery should be a warning to us. The people of Judah were supposed to obey God. They had given their word that they would obey Him. When they broke their promise, God punished them. Today, Christians are God’s chosen people. Christians promise to obey God. However, if a Christian does not obey God, then that Christian will not be with God in Heaven. The person who does not obey God during his or her life will be eternally punished by

In Zechariah 5, the prophet saw a flying scroll. This is the type of book people had at that time. A scroll was material that had writing on one side and was blank on the other side. It was long and rolled up. The scroll Zechariah saw was twenty cubits by ten cubits in size. There must be some significance for God to have given those dimensions. The Holy Place in the Tabernacle was these exact dimensions. The Holy Place was a symbol of the church in worship. That is where the table of showbread was. The priests ate it every seven days. That is where the candlestick and the altar of incense were located. When we worship today, those spiritual counterparts are there. The scroll Zechariah saw had writing on both sides. This indicates that all that could be said or written had been done. Whatever could be said was settled. The scroll was flying over the whole earth. There are Christians all over the world. There are curses coming from the scroll. This is because those who do not accept and follow the commandments of God are condemned. These curses in Zechariah are said to be for those who steal and those who swear. It is possible that this is representative of adding to and taking away from God’s Word. Those two things basically cover all sins. Whatever one does in sinning is either taking away from God’s Word or adding to His Word. This is especially true

In Matthew 12:42, we read, “The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.” We know that the Queen of the South is the Queen of Sheba. We read about her coming to Solomon in 1 Kings 10. There, we read in verse one, “And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to prove him with hard questions.” We are not given this queen’s name. All we know is that she was from the southwest part of Arabia and that she was very wealthy. The historian Josephus wrote that she was very interested in philosophy and logic. The queen was not just interested in the riches that Solomon had. She was not just interested in hearing him talk about all the animals in the world. We are told he could do that (1 Kings 4:33). She was not just interested in hearing him speak proverbs. We are told he gave 3,000 of those (1 Kings 4:32). The queen came to test Solomon’s spiritual wisdom. She was interested to see if what he had was from the God Jehovah that the Israelites claimed led them. After she had questioned him in every way she could think, she admitted that indeed Solomon was wiser than she had

In 2 Corinthians 8-9, Paul discussed the grace of giving. The Corinthians had vowed to send money to those in need. Almost a year had passed, and it had not been sent. Paul commended them for being spiritual but said they also needed to fulfill their vow. Intentions were good, but they were empty if not fulfilled. In Chapter 8, he said the Macedonians had a great gift of grace by giving when they were in poverty. He said the Corinthians could learn a lesson from them. He, then, used God’s great gift of Jesus Christ as the ultimate example (8:9). Jesus became poor so that man could become rich. Jesus had all things when in Heaven, but he gave that up so that we might be rich. Paul closed Chapter 9 with these verses. “And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you. Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” This is almost a parallel to Chapter 8:7-9. He was saying that he was confident that the Corinthians would fulfill their vow with the great grace of God in their giving. Further, he emphasized the importance of such graceful giving by giving thanks to God for His great gift of Jesus Christ to man. Some people do not like to hear sermons on giving. Yet, God gave Jesus to us. The least we can do is to give bountifully back to Him. We do this by giving on the

Everyone wants to be happy. No one likes being unhappy. Happiness makes a person feel good. It has even been documented with research that those who are happy tend to be physically healthier. There are all sorts of books that have been written telling people how to be happy. One can go into any bookstore and find some of these books. Yet, there is one book that is better than any of the others. The Bible is the ultimate source for happiness. Psalm 33:21 reads, “For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.” The source of joy for all individuals should be a trust in God. Trust in God means that a person depends on God. Depending on God involves knowing what He wants and what He supplies. God supplies the principles of life that bring mental and spiritual happiness. Learning those principles and applying them to one’s life indicates trust in God. Then, happiness rules one’s life. Study God’s Word. Learn all you can from God. Apply those things to your life. Let God bring you happiness. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.

Have you ever seen a small, new growth coming out of a stump? Or, have you ever seen a new tree just beginning to grow out of the ground? These plants are called sprouts when they are just beginning to grow. In Isaiah 11:1-2, we read, “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.” The word “rod” in the first verse comes from a Hebrew word for “sprout.” These verses are a prophecy about Jesus. Therefore, Jesus is the sprout growing out of Jesse. Jesus is the one who had the wisdom, understanding, counsel and might of God. It is interesting that in Matthew 2:23 we learn Jesus grew up in Nazareth. This was to fulfill a prophecy that He would be called a Nazarene. What is very interesting about the name Nazareth is that it comes from the same root word for “sprout.” So, Jesus was not only a sprout coming out of Jesse, but He grew up in a town with a name meaning “sprout.” I am glad that we have the Bible. God gave it to us so that we could learn about His plan for the salvation of man. If we read the Bible, we can see how God

In 2 Peter 3:5, we are told that Christians are a holy priesthood. Every Christian is a priest (Revelation 1:6). Under the Mosaical Law, only men could be priests. However, women and men are priests in the church. Every person, whether black or white or Chinese or Egyptian or able to walk or paralyzed, can be a priest if the person becomes a Christian. We know that the priests under the Old Law performed sacrifices. The sacrifices they gave to God were animals in many cases. An animal had to be killed and placed on the altar. Christians perform sacrifices as well. Christians do not kill animals and place them on an altar. Instead, Christians pray, sing and give. Those go up to God as sweet-smelling sacrifices. Christians also make themselves living sacrifices (Romans 12:1). Some professed Christians say that there really is nothing a person has to do once a person is a Christian. They say there are no works, commandments or regulations that God requires. That was not the case under the Old Law, and that is not the case under the New Law either. God has always required service and obedience. Even under the Patriarchal Law, individuals had to be obedient. This obedience principle is stated very well in 1 Samuel 2:35, where it says, “And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house;

Colossians 3:21 reads, “Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.” Men tend to have a harsh or hard tone to their voices. Men tend to be stricter in what they want and when they want things. Men tend to have short tempers. This is not true for every man, but it is more likely a man will have these problems than a woman. In the context of our verse above, Paul gave rules by which people should live. They are not suggestions. They are imperatives, meaning they must be followed. Specifically, the apostle addressed wives, husbands, children, fathers and servants. Fathers need to be careful in their dealings with their children. They should not rule their children in such a way that the child is discouraged. The word “provoke” is from a Greek word that means one creates and arouses anger or wrongful strong emotions. The father in this instance, is one who always finds wrong or shortcomings in the child. The father does not hesitate to always negatively criticize the child. There is very little protective and positive reinforcement from the father. The father is not necessarily angry. In fact, the father may think he is helping the child by pointing out the child’s perceived failures. This behavior will make the child angry. The child’s creativity, imagination, determination and will to succeed is severely harmed or destroyed. More importantly, the child’s spiritual world is harmed. The child may see the father as being a hypocrite

We read in 2 Timothy 3:15, “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” Paul was encouraging Timothy to continue living and teaching the things pertaining to Jesus Christ. He wanted Timothy to remember all that he had been taught when he was growing up. In 2 Timothy 1:5, Timothy was reminded of the wonderful faith that his mother and grandmother had. In 2 Timothy 1:13, he was reminded that those things were sound words in Christ Jesus. In 2 Timothy 2:2, he was encouraged to teach those things to other people. In 2 Timothy 3:14, Timothy was reminded that he was assured of these things at one time, and he was reminded of those who taught him and brought this assurance. In 2 Timothy 4:2, Paul commanded Timothy to use the Word to reprove, to rebuke and to exhort other Christians. Timothy was to use the Scriptures for this purpose because they were given to him for that purpose (2 Timothy 3:16-17). In the midst of this encouragement and reminder to Timothy is the verse quoted above. Notice that Timothy was taught the truth from the time he was a “child.” The Greek word used indicates the teaching began when he was a baby. In fact, the word can refer to the baby still in the mother’s womb. Timothy’s mother and grandmother did not wait until he was old enough to

“Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures” (James 1:18). Christians are the first fruits of God. This means that we are special in His sight. The verse above states that we become special through the “word of truth.” God’s Word is never false. It will never lead a person the wrong way. Proverbs 30:5 states that the Word of God is pure. It is not anything but the Truth. It is not a mixture of some good thoughts and some bad thoughts. It is not a mixture of truth and some things that might be good or bad. It is completely good. In the Old Testament, this Word of truth is called the Word of the Lord numerous times. Almost everyone agrees that the Word of the Lord demanded obedience. There are many examples of people being punished by God for not following His laws. Yet, there are many people today who say that the Word of God does not need to be followed. They will say that the Word of God in the New Testament is too hard to understand. Some will say it is in God talk and cannot be understood. They will say that God does not expect us to understand it. These same people say there are no commandments that must be followed today. They will say that if a person has good intentions, then God will accept that person. However, the verse

Luke 2:52, “And Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” This verse is at the end of the retelling of His trip to Jerusalem when He was 12-years-old. He went with his parents to observe the Passover. After His parents fulfilled their responsibilities, they started traveling back to Nazareth. After a day and a half, they realized that Jesus was not with the caravan. They returned to Jerusalem to look for him. They found him in the Temple sitting with the doctors of the law. He was asking and answering questions. His parents stated their anxiety toward Him by stating they sought Him “sorrowing.” They did not understand His extreme interest and yearning to know the Father’s will. He was a carpenter’s son, but he wanted to know the Scriptures. Yet, His desire to formally study the Scriptures did not stop him from obeying His parents. In verse 51 we read, “And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them…” That is when our verse above is revealed. In the verse, the word “advanced” is the Greek word derived from the act of pioneers cutting down trees in front of an advancing army. Jesus hewed down all obstacles in the way of his growing mind. The use of this word lets us know that Jesus expended great effort in growing in wisdom and stature. He gave a great deal of energy in making sure He was right with God

In Luke 6, Jesus paralleled hearing His sayings to digging down to get to rock. It was necessary to find rock so that the foundation of the house could be put on it. In verse 47, Jesus talked about the man who hears and then does what he hears. Then, in verse 48, Jesus said such a man is like the man building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation. The foundation sits and is affixed to the rock. It is possible to dig down to the rock, and then just build the house on the rock without creating a conventional foundation. Then, when an earthquake or a severe flood occurs, the house would move on the rock and probably even collapse. Sometimes the foundation was made of more rock, and sometimes it was made of substances like concrete. This foundation was attached to the rock by some method. It was not simply placed on the rock base. Our actions in doing God’s Word is the process of building and properly affixing our spiritual foundation to the Rock. The more we put His Word into action, the better our foundation and the better it is affixed to the Rock. Our spiritual house, our life, will be built on the foundation, which is attached to the Rock. The bigger and the better we desire our lives to be, the bigger and the better affixed our foundation must be. If at any time we attempt to build our house bigger

Jesus declared that He and His Father were one in John 10:30. He did not mean that they were the same person. He meant they were united in purpose, plan and thought. This was clarified when He stated, “He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father… believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?” (John 14:9-10). They were so united that seeing one meant the other had been seen. They spoke the same thing. They meant the same thing. They thought the same thing. This idea of unity of the Godhead was revealed in the Old Testament. There are two Hebrew words for “one.” One of those words is yo-chid. This word is used for absolute aloneness, single and individual. An example of this word being used is when God told Abram to take his only son (Genesis 22:2). The word “only” is yo-chid. Isaac was the only son living with Abram. The other Hebrew word is e-chod. This word has the idea of unity. It is used to refer to at least two, but with oneness in thought, action, or expression. A verse to show this usage is Genesis 2:24, where it is said a man and a woman leave parents and become one flesh. Marriage is being addressed. The man and the woman do not literally fuse together into one person. They join together in thought and action. The word e-chod is always the word used in the Old Testament when referring to God. There can

The Jewish leaders considered themselves as holy. They considered themselves better than other Jews. They became self-righteous. They had gotten to the point where they did not think they had to forgive others if their honor had been attacked. “If the disciple of a wise man be despised or reviled publicly, it is unlawful for him to forgive any affront to his honor; and if he forgive, he is to be punished, for this is a contempt of the law. He is on the contrary to avenge and keep the thing in mind, like a serpent, until the offender entreat to be forgiven” (Practical Lessons from the Experience of Israel. F.C. Gilbert, 1902, p.68). In Matthew 6:14-15, Jesus stated, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” According to Jesus, forgiveness is important. A person should never have the attitude that forgiveness is a weakness or a sin. Forgiveness is more important than personal honor. Study your Bible. Learn all that Jesus has to teach. Obey Jesus. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.

God created mankind with a love for music. The first reference given regarding music is Genesis 4:21 (NKJV) where Jubal is noted as the father of all who handle the harp and the flute. People love to be entertained by music. Song writers tell stories and fables through song. People can listen and fantasize about being in the story, yet, the listeners never have to actually live out what the songs say. God sent numerous prophets to Israel. Through them God attempted to get the Israelites to come back to Him. He loved them and wanted them to be saved. He strongly desired to be in the proper covenant relationship with them. Sometimes, the Israelites would not listen at all to what a prophet said. At other times, they would listen intently and repent. Still other times, they would listen closely but not repent. Ezekiel 33: 31-32 reads: So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain. Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not do them. The Israelites listened to Ezekiel and thought that his speeches and sermons were interesting. They took pleasure in listening to him, but they had no intention

Jesus is the High Priest for Christians (Hebrews 4:14). Since He is the High Priest, there must be a priesthood. Peter tells us that Christians are the priesthood. “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). God has said that He is holy, and therefore, we should be holy (Leviticus 20:26). Since we are a priesthood, and we are to be holy, we are a holy priesthood. What do priests do? Under the Mosaic Law, they were the ones who put sacrifices on the Altar. They presented all sacrifices to God. Christians present sacrifices to God as well. Yet, these are not physical sacrifices. These are spiritual sacrifices. It is spiritual sacrifices that God wants now. Further, God the Father accepts only sacrifices made through Jesus. This means one must be a Christian to make sacrifices. This holy priesthood was prophesied. In Isaiah 61:6, we read, “But ye shall be named the priests of the Lord: men shall call you the ministers of our God…” This demonstrates that the church made up of Christians is the plan God had. The church is not something that God decided to make because His original plan failed. He had His prophet Isaiah tell about it. Study your Bible. Learn how to be a Christian. Become a holy priest of God. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help

Before the apostle Paul became a Christian, he persecuted Christians. At that time, his name was Saul. From a young age, Saul was against Christianity. He stood guard over the garments of those who stoned Stephen to death (Acts 7:58). Acts 8:1 tells us that he was “consenting” to Stephen’s death. The Greek word translated “consenting” means that he took pleasure in Stephen’s death. Acts 8:3 tells us that Saul went after Christians. He went into their homes and dragged them out. He committed Christians to prison. He did this to men and women. The fact that he went after women shows how much he despised Christians. We are also told he “made havoc” of the church. The Greek word translated “havoc” was used in two different ways by those living at the time. It was used to refer to disease that attacked and destroyed the body. It was also used to describe the destruction that wild animals caused to crops, animals or people. So, God had recorded that Saul was like a terrible disease that led to death, and that Saul was like a wild animal. Later in life, after his name was changed to Paul and he was a Christian, Paul would say that he had been a horrible sinner. He was so sad for all the bad things that he had done. At the time he was making havoc of the church, he thought he was doing the will of God. This teaches us that we must

The birth, life and death of Jesus Christ are of great importance to mankind. Yet, without His resurrection, those things would have no meaning for man’s salvation. There are numerous ways that His resurrection has meaning. His resurrection means that He is Lord both of the living and of the dead (Romans 14:8-9). His power and His Lordship is not nullified when we die. He lives in Heaven and is Lord over all who have died. This tells us that a part of us survives death and that part has a mind. His resurrection is a pledge that we do have an inheritance in Heaven (1 Peter 1:3). He is ruling in heaven, and He will not forget those who serve and obey Him. His resurrection is the proof that He will resurrect us (Romans 8:11). We do not have to doubt our resurrection. His resurrection guarantees that the righteous who have died since the beginning of the world will be resurrected (1 Corinthians 15:20-22). All the righteous will come out of their graves to new lives. His resurrection assures us that we will see all the righteous in Heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:14). All the righteous will live in Heaven with Jesus Christ. His resurrection is the ultimate example of God’s power (Ephesians 1:19-20). That power is granted to all who live for Jesus. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead will be used to raise us into new lives at baptism. It will also be used to

In Luke 15, Jesus told a parable about a young man who decided to leave his family and his home. The young man had a very good father. He lived in a very nice home. His family was wealthy. There was no reason for him to leave home. However, the young man did not just leave home. He asked his father to give him his inheritance. This was a terrible thing to do. A father could decide to give a son his inheritance early. It might be done if the father thought his son would be better if he left home. This was a rare occurrence. It, though, was a horrible thing for a son to ask for his inheritance. This was equal to saying he wished his father was dead. The young man’s loving father did as his son asked. It must have been a very emotional thing for the father to do this. He had loved his son as best he could, but the son basically said he hated his father. The young fellow left and wasted away the money in a short time. He initially made friends because of his money, but when his wealth was gone, he had no friends. He became poor and homeless. He decided to go back to his father. He made up his mind that he would ask to be a slave. At least he would have something to eat and a place to sleep. His father saw him from a distance.

“Bishop” is another word to identify an elder in the church. There are several ways to know this, and the usage in Philippians 1:1 is one way to know. The bishops and deacons are addressed by Paul along with all the saints. If bishops were something different than elders, it would bring up the question of why Paul ignored the elders in his salutation. Elders are the leaders of the church. They are to care for the flock. They are responsible for properly feeding the flock. They are to be the leaders in defending the truth. The word in our verse translated bishop is “episkopoi.” This word means to oversee and direct or to superintend. In secular usage it described those responsible for overseeing and guiding a newly acquired territory. In the first century, the church was definitely a newly acquired spiritual territory by Jesus Christ. What is of particular interest is that our verse is the first usage of this word in chronological time in the New Testament. It was used for the elders in Philippi. This was the first congregation established in Europe. Paul had not intended to go there on his second missionary journey. He wanted to go to Asia. However, the Holy Spirit directed him to go east. Then, Paul wanted to go north to the south coast of the Black Sea. Instead, he got a vision of a man asking him to come to Macedonia to help people there. So, Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke

“Awake to righteousness, and sin not: for some have not the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame” (1 Corinthians 15:34). An agnostic is someone who says he does not know. He says something could be possible but he cannot know for sure. What most people consider a religious agnostic is someone who says he does not know if there is a God—and he really does not care. Yet, in our verse above, we find other agnostics. In the context of 1 Corinthians 15, Paul gave the assurance that Jesus was raised from the dead. There were Christians in Corinth teaching that Jesus had not risen from the dead. Paul gave several arguments against such false teaching. Paul said that they need to avoid believing such doctrine. He warned that those who already believed such needed to awake to righteousness. They needed to come to the truth. The Greek word that is translated “have not the knowledge” is the word from which we get “agnostic.” There were Christians in the church at Corinth who were against proper knowledge. They evidently were saying they could not know if Christ had been raised, and possibly they did not care. Yet, Paul pointed out that such belief undermines all New Testament teaching. Paul wrote that a person cannot be such an agnostic and be saved. Study your Bible. Be assured that Christ died and was raised from the dead. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to

In Philippians 1:27 Paul wrote, “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ…” Paul desired that the Philippians act in a certain way. He wanted their behavior to be as a Christian’s should be. It does not make much sense for Paul to tell the Philippians that they needed to act a certain way if there was no way to know how to act. The word “conversation” refers to a duty as a citizen. Duty implies responsibility. It also implies that a rule of some kind must be involved. The word ‘becometh’ is from a Greek word meaning weighed. It means one thing’s weight equals another’s weight. The inspired Paul was saying that the Christian’s manner of life should be in equal weight to the Gospel of Christ. This means that the Christian’s life will be compared to the Gospel. There is a device known as a balance. It has a place on one side to put weights. On the other side one puts an item for which he wants to know its weight. It is necessary to keep putting weights on the opposite side until it balances with the item. Then, you add up the weights to know how much the item weighs. Paul was giving such a picture of a person’s life. One’s life is on one side and the Gospel is on the other side. Paul said the child of God’s goal is to equalize his life with the Gospel. This was not

Acts 8 tells us about the persecution that the Christians in Jerusalem underwent. They had to flee from Jerusalem and spread out to many other places. The chapter also tells about the preaching of Philip. It further tells us about the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch. We are also told about the conversion of Simon the Sorcerer. Within the context of those accounts, we are given several different names or titles of our Lord, the second person of the Godhead. In verse 5, Philip was preaching Christ. In verse 12, he was preaching about Jesus Christ. In verse 16, we are told that the Samaritans had been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. In verse 20, we are told that Peter was able to pass on the gift of God, miraculous powers. In verse 32, Jesus is represented as a sheep and a lamb. In verse 25, He is referred to as simply Lord. In verse 35, He is simply called Jesus. In verse 37, the eunuch said he believed that Jesus is the Son of God. In verse 26, it is very likely that Jesus is referred to as the angel of the Lord. In the Old Testament, there are several instances where this designation is for the second person of the Godhead. Notice in this context it is not “an” angel of the Lord but “the” angel of the Lord. A specific individual is indicated. The word “angel” means “messenger.” Jesus is the Messenger, the Word.

Everyone wants to be loved. A person wants to know that someone cares. God loves everyone. God is the God of love. He gave us the Bible so that we could learn about His love. God’s love is great. Paul told the Ephesians (2:4) that God’s great love was manifested in His rich mercy. His love is a giving love. In John 3:16, we are told that God so loved us that He gave us His only begotten Son. It is because of this that we have hope of everlasting life. His love is an everlasting love. It will never cease. In Jeremiah 31:3, the Lord told Jeremiah that He had loved Israel with an everlasting love. Because of this love, we are drawn to Him by His loving kindness. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Paul, in Romans 8:35, said that no tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril or sword could separate us from the love of Christ. If we are in contact with the love of God, we have no fear of the Judgment Day. The perfect love of being in Christ casts all fear of that Day away (1 John 4:16-18). Study your Bible. Learn what God wants you to do to be in contact with His love. Obey Him. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.

You are probably familiar with the recording of Moses and the plagues on Egypt. God sent Moses to confront Pharaoh and bring Israel out of Egypt. Aaron was sent as Moses’ spokesman. In Exodus 7, God told Moses and Aaron that Aaron would perform a miracle in front of Pharaoh to prove that they were sent by God. Aaron was to throw his rod down and it was to become a serpent. When the time came, indeed, Aaron threw his rod on the ground and it became a serpent. Pharaoh called his wise men and sorcerers, and they did the same thing with their rods. Their rods became serpents. However, then, something marvelous happened. Aaron’s serpent ate up all of the Egyptians’ serpents. The Egyptian sorcerers were known for doing magic tricks with serpents. They could make serpents stiffen up and become like rods. It was not unusual for them to do such tricks as making a rod turn into a serpent. God knew this. Moses knew this because he had been reared as a Pharaoh’s grandson. Yet, it was not normal for a foreigner’s serpent to swallow up the Egyptian sorcerers’ serpents. It should be understood that the serpent was a sacred symbol to the Egyptians. Pharaoh had a serpent on his crown. The Hebrew word used in Exodus 7:9-10, tannin, was the word for this serpent. This Hebrew word was not used in Exodus 7:15, in reference to when Moses threw his rod down in front of the burning

The author of Hebrews warned about letting the Gospel slip. Hebrews 2:1 reads, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.” The writer was speaking to Christians. They were being warned that they could lose the blessings of being Christians. They could let slip the instructions, as well as the grace and the mercy associated with them. The Greek word for “let slip” means to “allow to flow by or glide by.” It was used in the secular sense for a ring that slipped off a finger. It was also used for snow slipping off a soldier’s body, and it was used for being swept along past an anchor that was within reach. So, you can see that it means a separation from something. It is clear that God was letting Christians know that they could lose their salvation and become separated from God (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9). The Greek for “earnest heed” was also used for mooring a ship. So, the author said to moor our ship to Christ. We must not let our faith slip away from Him. Many professed Christians believe that a person is always saved once that person becomes a Christian. The inspired author of Hebrews disagrees. Study your Bible. Learn all you can about Christ and His salvation. Make sure that you always stay moored to Christ. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult

Psalm 84 is a song about desiring the Lord and the blessings obtained from the Lord. The author says it is wonderful to be in the house of the Lord. It is wonderful to dwell there. It is wonderful to praise Him there. A man’s strength can be found in the Lord. One man can give strength to another man if they dwell in the house of the Lord. The author asks God to look down upon him. He calls God his shield. The author says one day in the Lord’s court is better than a thousand anywhere else. The author would rather be a lowly doorman in God’s house than dwell in the magnificent tents of a wicked man. Then in verse 11, we read, “For the Lord is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” There is a parallelism used in the verse. Sun is equal to grace. The sun represents the warmth and growth inducing light that comes from God through His grace. Only through His grace do we have the Bible so that we can know what to do to please Him. Only from His grace do we have the opportunity to contact the blood of Christ and be acceptable in His sight. Shield is equal to glory. The shield represents His Kingship. As soldiers in His army, we are allowed to carry the shield that protects us from harm that

Jesse was a native of Bethlehem (1 Samuel 16:1) and was of the tribe of Judah. He was the grandson of Boaz and Ruth, and the son of Obed. Jesse’s three oldest sons fought with Saul’s army against the Philistines (1 Samuel 17:13). The prophet Samuel was impressed with all of Jesse’s children (1 Samuel 16:6). Evidently, Jesse was a simple sheepherder. Nothing is written about him being of any importance within the people of Israel. He was not wealthy. He did not have power. David’s enemies even used the phrase “son of Jesse” in a derogatory manner toward him. However, as we have pointed out, Jesse’s sons were of high character. Some had fought for Saul. All of them impressed Samuel. His son David is said to be “a man after [God’s] own heart” (Acts 13:22). These things show that Jesse was a good father. He had reared his children with a proper reverence of God and His Word. Jesse did not serve God because he expected wealth and power to come from such service. Jesse quietly served God because he loved God. He instilled this servant attitude into his children. Jesse did not become famous throughout history for his great military, economic or political success. He became famous because God tells us about his success as a father and because one of his children did become great. God chose David as King because of the character that his father had instilled in him. Most young men and women

Almost everyone would like to be remembered for something. Some would like to be remembered for their singing voices. Some would like to be remembered for great acts of service. Some would like to be remembered for being smart. Some would like to be remembered for inventions they made. Christians want to be remembered for serving God. They want to be remembered for helping others go to heaven. They want to be remembered for demonstrating Christ in their lives. In Isaiah 65:15, we read, “And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord God shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name.” Isaiah was condemning the wickedness of the Israelites. The Israelites considered themselves as God’s people. Yet, they believed that they could not be condemned. They thought they could do anything they wanted and still be given blessings by God. They actually thought that they would be remembered for generations as the kind of people God wanted. But Isaiah told them that they would not be remembered with a good name. They would be remembered as cursed by God. They were going to die by the hand of God. God was going to completely reject them. Make sure you will be remembered with a good name. Do not leave your name as a curse. Study your Bible. Obey what it says. Help others to learn the truth, and if any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help

Almost everyone that knows about Jesus has some knowledge about Satan tempting Him after He had not eaten for 40 days. Satan tried three different ways to tempt Jesus (Luke 4). Of course, Jesus was able to resist the temptations and quoted Scripture to Satan. However, many people do not think about how Jesus may have been tempted during the rest of His ministry. He was followed and troubled by the Jewish leaders. He was constantly asked for help and healing by the multitudes that followed Him. He rarely got enough sleep. Those are just some of the ways He was tried and tempted. We read in Luke 22:28, “Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations.” This was stated to the apostles. They were not with Him in the desert when Satan tempted Him. They were not with Him for the 30 years before His ministry began. So, Jesus was talking about the years of His ministry. This helps us understand Hebrews 4:15, which reads, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Even on the cross, Jesus was tempted by the Jewish rulers. They mocked Him as the Son of God and stated that if He really was the Son of God that He would save Himself. Yet, Jesus knew His mission and remained focused on it. He needed to die so that

“And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped saying, This is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24-25). Paul was writing the Corinthians about some problems they were having in the church. The last half of Chapter 11 deals with the Lord’s Supper and the abuse of it. The Corinthians were eating it like a regular meal rather than doing it as a memorial of Jesus. Some of the Corinthians were quickly eating the Supper before others could even be present. Paul said that the Lord’s Supper is eaten to remember Christ. We partake of the bread to remember His body. We partake of the juice to remember His blood shed on the cross. It is interesting that the Greek word translated “remembrance” can have a particular inference. While it can be used as a synonym for other words meaning to remember something, this word can carry the idea that the remembering comes from the individual rather than an external force or action bringing a remembrance to mind. In other words, we remember Christ’s body and blood given on the cross, and this gives us the motive to eat the Lord’s Supper. If this inference is present in our text, it means

There are professed Christian leaders who say that Jesus failed to establish His kingdom. They say that Christ came to establish an earthly kingdom. Since Jesus failed, He had to establish the church. However, Paul’s letters show this to be a false idea. Colossians 1:20 tells us that peace was made between God and man through the blood of Jesus. This was done to reconcile all things. It makes no sense that Jesus failed in His mission but still died to reconcile all things. If He has reconciled all things, why would something else be needed later to reconcile them? In verse eighteen, Paul said that Jesus is the Head of the church. He wrote that Jesus is the firstborn. This is a reference to him as the Creator and the most important One Who rose from the dead. Having done both, He is preeminent in all. This means that He is above all things. Yet, that would make no sense if He had actually failed in His mission on earth. He would not have preeminence on earth if He failed. Satan would have that on earth, but Jesus defeated Satan in His resurrection. Verse thirteen says saints are in the kingdom. Since Jesus is Head of His body – the church, the kingdom must be the church. So, from this we know that whatever allows one to be in the church allows one to be in the kingdom. Verse twenty tells us it is through the blood of the

The father of John the Baptizer, Zacharias, gave a very interesting speech at the circumcision of John. He said that his son would prepare the way for the Highest (meaning the Christ). Then in Luke 1:78, he stated, “Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us.” Zacharias called Jesus “the dayspring.” The Greek word translated as “dayspring” refers to the springing of the sun over the horizon each day. It is translated “east” several times in the Scriptures. The wise men who came to visit Jesus when He was a small child came from the “east.” That is the same word used for Jesus by Zacharias. It is interesting that those from the east came to see the One called the East – the Dayspring. The special star they saw which declared that he had been born led them to the True Star that would bring a new spiritual day. Jesus is the Light of the world (John 8:12). He brings light to those in the darkness of sin (John 1:5; 3:19). He wants all men and women to come to Him. Zacharias said that Jesus would bring us to peace. Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace. Only through Him can we have peace with the Father. Study your Bible. Learn all you can about the Dayspring. Obey what He wants you to do. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.

You are probably familiar with various types of fruit. You have probably eaten strawberries, bananas, oranges, apples and blackberries. All of these are very tasty. They can even be pleasant and fun to eat. Imagine if you had a fruit tree or vine that went several years without producing any fruit. Would you want to keep taking care of that tree or vine? You expect it to produce fruit. You would probably cut the tree down or pull up the vine and plant a new one. The tree or vine is useless if it does not produce fruit. In Colossians 1:5-6, we read, “For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth.” Notice that Paul says the Colossians produced fruit. They did this from the time they accepted the Gospel. The Gospel is the Truth. It is the Word of God. One must have the truth; one must have the Word of God; one must have the Gospel in order to produce fruit for God. Without the Gospel, fruit cannot be produced. In John 15:16, Jesus said that His disciples are supposed to produce fruit. This fruit was a lasting fruit. There are two types of spiritual fruit.

During times of drought, men will look everywhere for water. Many times they will dig wells trying to find water. Sometimes they may have to dig very deep to get water. Without water, men die. Water is absolutely necessary to live. When water is finally found after digging, there is great excitement. Even if there is not very much, those finding it will greatly appreciate it. If a large underground stream is found, the water may gush upward like a large fountain. It may be like a geyser. When that happens, the joy can hardly be surpassed. When this happens, men know that there will be enough water for the present as well as for the future. In the spiritual world, most people are living in a dry desert. They will search and search for something to give them peace of mind. They search for the thing or things that will help them understand why they are alive. They will read all kinds of books to figure out how to get along with other people. They will look far and wide to find out how to have proper family relations. In John 4:14, Jesus said, “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” The water that Jesus gives is spiritual. He has given us the Bible. He gave us the Scriptures that give

In James 2:26 we read, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” The body cannot be alive without the spirit. God created Adam’s body, but Adam was not alive until God gave him the breath of life. When the body dies, the spirit does not remain in the body. James says that faith is like the body. Faith requires works. Without works, faith is dead. Works of righteousness are what give life to faith. A person needs both faith and works to be a proper Christian. This is shown in Colossians 1:9-10. “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding“ (v. 9). This verse shows us faith. Faith is based on a full knowledge of God’s desire for us. We are to get spiritual wisdom and understanding. Faith is based on the facts given to us in the Bible. Knowledge, wisdom and understanding are based on facts. Our faith (belief and trust) is grounded in the faith (system of rules, commandments, statutes) given by God. “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God” (v. 10). In this verse we have the works. We must be fruitful. Spiritual fruit is produced from and in good works. Further, a result of

In 2 B.C., Augustus celebrated his 25th year as Emperor. Rome was celebrating its 750th year of existence. Festivities were held in Rome, its provinces and client kingdoms. There were magnificent displays and carnivals throughout the Empire. A new forum was dedicated bearing Augustus’ name. Augustus was seen as a type of “Prince of Peace.” He was given the title “Pater Patriae” (Father of the Country) on February 5, 2 B.C. This was the traditional day that honored peace and reconciliation among all classes of people in the Roman Empire. Throughout this year he was recognized as the one who brought peace and tranquility to the world. He was titled the guardian and keeper of the Empire. The Roman poet Virgil forecast that a child destined to bring in a Golden Age of peace and prosperity would be born at this time. Seutonius, in the 2nd century, stated that Romans at this time had long believed that it was destined for the empire of the world to be given to someone coming from Judea. Tacitus records that the majority of Jewish people believed that at this time the east would renew its strength and from Judea a ruler would come. (Interestingly, later around A.D. 60, Nero was advised by some of his court astrologers that it was prudent for him to move his seat of the empire to Jerusalem because that city was destined to become the capital of the world.) Active war had nearly ceased, and large numbers of

When a seed is planted in the ground, it is intended to bring forth a plant that will grow into a mature plant. The seed first sprouts a root. Once the root is started, it obtains nutrition from the surrounding ground. It then begins to grow a stem, which will break the surface of the soil. As long as the root is able to get proper water and nutrition, the stem will have leaves and eventually the nut, fruit or vegetable that it has the ability to produce. In Colossians 2:7 Paul wrote, “Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” Paul pictured the Christian as a seed that is planted. The person must first be rooted. However, what is the soil in which the person is to be rooted? It is Jesus Christ. You read that in verse six. It is interesting that Paul put the word “rooted” in the perfect tense in the Greek. That means it is a one-time occurrence with ongoing results. The person is planted in the water of baptism. That is the burial ground. Unless one is baptized, one cannot be in the proper soil (v. 12). The words “built up” are in the present tense in the Greek. This means that being built up is an ongoing process. One is not built up only once. One must continue to receive nutrition and watering through the root to grow into a mature

The Jews had a day of thanksgiving to God for the first fruits of harvest. This was held on the day after the Passover. This harvest was primarily the barley harvest. The Jews also had a day of thanksgiving to God for the first fruits of harvest 50 days later. This day was known as Pentecost. This harvest was primarily the wheat harvest. The wheat harvest celebration was known as the “latter first fruits.” This is because it was the second main harvest, and God required first fruits in sacrifice for it. Barley was known as the grain of the poor. It made a bread of less quality than wheat. Wheat was preferred. During the early first century, the Romans took almost all of the wheat from Palestine and used it throughout the Roman Empire. The Jews had to settle for the poorer barley grain. Thus, at the time of Christ, wheat was especially valued. This brings us to the Day of Pentecost when the church was established. God had let it be known that something special would occur in the “last days.” And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of

There are differing ranks in military service. There are generals, corporals, sergeants, lieutenants, majors and other ranks. A person in a lower rank cannot go to a higher rank without being promoted. Those in higher rank must do the promoting. Those of lower rank cannot take it upon themselves to take on a higher rank. Those of higher rank make the rules and regulations that the lower ranks must abide by. The lower ranks must obey the rules. If they do not obey the rules of their rank, they are disciplined. The Thessalonians were told to warn the unruly. In 1 Thessalonians 5:14 we read, “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.” The word “unruly” comes from the Greek word for “out of the ranks.” The word was used of the soldier who did not remain in his rank. Christians are spiritual soldiers. They have been given their regulations by which they are to fight the spiritual fight and by which they are to live daily. The regulations are in the Bible. We must study and learn how God wants us to live. We must learn to do all that God commands. Anyone who says he is a Christian but does not obey God is out of rank, and that person will be disciplined by God in the Judgment. Learn what you need to do to live the life of a Christian. Obey God and stay

Half of the Israelites were on Mount Gerizim and half were on Mount Ebal. The cursings were on Mount Ebal, and the blessings were on Mount Gerizim. It is interesting that Moses had instructed Joshua to do this before the Israelites entered the Promised Land. In Deuteronomy 8, the reasons for the blessings and cursings were given. God said there was the danger that after they were in the land that the many physical blessings such as land, silver and gold would make them forget God. They would be tempted to believe that they had gotten those things on their own. Achan was deceived by the lure of riches at the very first city the Israelites conquered – Jericho. The defeat at Ai was a direct result of that sin. It was only after the nation of Israel made things right with God that they conquered Ai. This was a quick picture for Israel of the blessings and cursings. Immediately after the taking of Ai, they gathered at the mountains and reminded themselves of the blessings and cursings. Today, we can have the blessings of the Christian life. As a Christian, we have the hope of the blessing of Heaven. If we do not live for Christ, we will neither have the spiritual blessings here nor will we have them in Heaven. Study your Bible. Learn all you can from it. Obey God. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.

In ancient times, kings sat on thrones in the main room of their palaces. It was there that those wishing to speak to the king came. The king made major decisions and judgments from his throne. When the king had a son, and the son became old enough, it was not uncommon for the son to sit on a chair on the right side of the king. In some instances the son was allowed to make rulings and judgments from his chair. There were times when the king would stand when making a ruling or judgment. After he made such he would sit. That meant there was no more to be said about the matter. The issue was closed, and the king had completed his actions. In Mark 16:14-18, Jesus gave the Great Commission to His apostles. In verse 19, we read, “So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.” Notice that Jesus went to heaven and sat on the right hand of God. He had finished all that he would do on earth for man’s salvation. He had come to earth and lived as a man. He had given His life on the cross, and he was raised from the dead to never die a physical death again. What a wonderful thought that Jesus is sitting on right hand of God. In Acts 7, we read the sermon that Stephen gave to the Sanhedrin.

Paul told the Philippians that all the great and prestigious things about his life under the Old Law were nothing to him anymore. His Jewish heritage and associations added up to almost nothing in comparison to the blessings in Christ. In Philippians 3:7, he used the perfect tense in making his point. This means that he had made the decision regarding his Old Testament heritage at one point in time, and that the result of his decision was continuing. He did not have to make the decision over and over again. When he was convinced that Jesus was Lord and Savior, he made the great decision. Further, he had never regretted making it. In verse eight, Paul wrote, “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.” Paul said the knowledge of Christ is absolutely excellent. It overpowers anything under the Old Law. Paul used the present tense with the word “count.” This means that from the moment he put on Christ until the moment of his writing the Philippians this letter, he was convinced of his decision that the old things were much less than the blessings in Christ. False Jewish teachers followed Paul almost everywhere he went. Every time he had to refute their teachings, he had to speak about his heritage and the Old Law.

n 2 Corinthians 12, Paul told about him being allowed to see and hear things in heaven. He said that he could not tell what he was told. God does not allow any man to tell others the secrets of heaven. It is interesting that no one in the Bible who died and came back to life told anything about heaven. You would think that they would go around telling everyone what they had seen and heard. John was only allowed to tell certain things in the Revelation that he saw. Today, there are individuals who say they have been to heaven and were told certain things. Some write books and boast about the special information they were chosen to reveal. It would be easy to brag and even get a bloated image of oneself if one had really been shown and told the secret things of heaven. Yet, Paul in 2 Corinthians 12 told why he did not get a bloated image of himself. In verse seven, he said God gave him a thorn in the flesh so that he would not be exalted above measure. The first thing to notice is the word “given.” In the Greek, it is the word for “gift.” God gave Paul the thorn as a gift. We normally think of gifts as something to aid us or to show our love and respect for others. God believed this gift was necessary for Paul and gave it to him in love. The second thing to notice