Unnamed Heroes of Faith

In a recent Bible study of Hebrews 11, we were reading about the faith of Moses’ parents (Hebrews 11:23). This was something that turned a light bulb on inside of me. Exodus speaks about the faith of Jochebed (Moses’ mother) and how she responded but does not give details of Moses’ father, Amram. Not only…

The Virgin Birth

“And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy–the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth…

Acceptable Words

“Let the words of my mouth…be acceptable in Your sight” (Psalm 19:14). There are many differences between mankind and the rest of Creation.  One of the primary differences is our ability to communicate through words and sentences that express thoughts.  Yes, I know, animals communicate through various means, and yes, I have read that some…

Humility

Humility, an essential Christian characteristic, is being set aside in our world of shameless self-aggrandizement and self-promotion. James clearly tells us that we cannot be children of God if we are not humble. “…Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and…

Faith

As some of you are aware, I have been on a long journey in search of that mystery called Faith.   For me, it was an elusive prey, confounding my attempts to quantify and understand it, much less incorporate it into my very being.   How is it, I wondered, that Faith was so simple…

Being a Traveler

I have often sung a song with the line, “this world is not my home, I’m just a passing through,” or another one, “here we are but straying pilgrims.” Both of these songs embody an ideal that it is sometimes hard for us to remember and grasp. Scripturally we can look at verses such as…

Be Sober

Our society has a specific use for the term sober.  Upon hearing the word sober I would guess that for most of you your first thought would go to substance abuse.  Sober is used to describe a person who is free from alcohol or drugs.  This is certainly an appropriate use of the term.  A…

Thinking Christians

A Pharisee who was a teacher of the Law asked Jesus, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”  Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love…

Dying on the Road to Baptism

What happens if a person dies before being baptized? Specifically, what if that person made it known that he wants to be baptized and was preparing, then died before his baptism? Such questions are usually asked during a discussion or debate about faith and works. Where do faith and works meet? Can faith justify purely…

Finding Unity

A congregation is never stronger than when it’s united and never weaker than when it’s divided. Jesus talks about this principle in Matthew 12:25, not in the context of an individual congregation, but it’s certainly true of congregations. “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself…