“But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in you heart, that you may observe it” (Deuteronomy 30:14). One excuse people offer for not obeying the gospel or not being a strong Christian is that the commandments of God are “too hard.” They feel overwhelmed by what the Lord requires of His children. In order to “be excused” from the hardships and difficulties of a Christian life, people say, “God wants too much.” In order to “be excused” from adapting and changing their lives to be pleasing to the Lord, people claim that God is too strict and unsympathetic. If anyone had the right to comp ..read more

In a few words, I want to reach back into the Old Testament to look at the forgotten face of a man who cared. His name was a prophet called Nathan. Nathan was a man of God who served in the times of King David. We know little about him personally, but it is obvious that Nathan was a man who cared, as we will see from these episodes in the life of Nathan. In 1 Chronicles 17, David wanted to build the house of the Lord. It had been in a tent for hundreds of years and David thought it was time to build a temple to worship God. David’s intentions were good and Nathan approved his plan. He told Dav ..read more

R. L. Whiteside wrote, “Narrow-minded? Well, a person’s mind should be narrow enough to shut out everything but the truth, and broad enough to accept all truth.” How true a statement this is! Jesus said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). He said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Finally, He said in John 17:17, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” It is through God’s precious words that we obtain our freedom and receive the gift of eternal life. Are we narrow-minded? I hop ..read more

Two men are inept in areas of public leadership. Neither is particularly talented in leading singing, preaching, teaching Bible classes, or fulfilling other roles that are so essential to effective worship periods. Both have tried, but their inabilities in such realms are apparent, to themselves and to others. But while they share this limitation, their attitudes differ dramatically. The first man draws back into a shell, manifesting all the symptoms of an inferiority and persecution complex. He feels that he does not belong and that others do not appreciate him. He does nothing for the benefi ..read more

Some people ask, “Can I be a Christian without working in the church?” It’s probably best to allow people to put their own question into perspective before someone else jumps up and answers. If you asked the question, then consider that being a Christian without serving in the church is something like: A student who won’t go to school. A soldier who won’t join an army. A citizen who doesn’t vote or pay his taxes. A salesman with no customers. An explorer with no base camp. A sailor on a ship without a crew. A businessman on a desert island. An author without readers. A trombone player without ..read more

John 4:46-54 records the story of a nobleman who looked for Jesus so that He would heal his son who was near death. Some confuse the nobleman with a centurion who also sought help from Jesus to heal a servant who was deadly ill. This account is recorded in Matthew 8:13 and Luke 7:1-10. The two healings are very similar but are not the same. Both men were men of authority, one a nobleman and the other a centurion. Both were from Capernaum. Both wanted healing for someone they loved. However, there are differences in the accounts which indicate two different incidents. The nobleman was likely a ..read more

May we publicly identify groups of people as being in error? For instance, may we say that Baptists believe in the church-degrading doctrine of premillennialism? Or, is it wrong to lump a group of people together and tag them with the onus of error? Let the Bible be our guide. The New Testament of Jesus Christ reveals many instances when groups of people are identified with error and sin. Pharisees, Matthew 5:20; 9:34; 12:14, 24; 22:15 Sadducees, Matthew 3:7; 16:1; 22:23 Scribes, Matthew 23:13-36 Lawyers, Luke 11:45-52 Cretans, Titus 1:12 Jews, 1 Corinthians 1:22-23; 2 Corinthians 11:24 Genti ..read more

Nahum prophesied of the destruction of Nineveh between 633 and 612 B.C. There is a very unique aspect concerning the prophecy of the destruction of Nineveh that is only found in the prophet Nahum. In the other prophetic books that concern the judgment of a nation, even though the wrath of God is shown, hope of restoration is promised if and when the nation turns from its evil ways (Jeremiah 18:8; Joel 2:12-32; Micah 7:18-20). In Nahum, we find the wrath of God on Nineveh with no hope of restoration. It is certain that Nineveh will be destroyed (Nahum 1:1-2, 12; 2:8, 13; 3:7, 19). To really see ..read more

Jesus said in Matthew 12:36-37, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” We use words for instruction, edification, and encouragement, but we also use them for gossip, slander, profanity, lying, and inappropriate talk. We will be judged by our words! For this reason, Paul said negatively, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers ..read more

Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (Jn. 10:27). The force of this statement is that only those who “hear” the voice of Jesus and “follow” Him are of His fold, His flock. Only those who heed the commands of the Lamb can rightfully claim to be His sheep. Therefore, it stands to reason, those who do not “hear” the voice of Jesus or do not “follow” Him, are not of His fold or flock. Many people want to claim to be a part of the flock of God, they want to claim Jesus as the Shepherd of their lives, yet they are unwilling to truly “hear” the Lord. They hear and ..read more