Finish the Race
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” (1 Corinthians 9:24) Super Bowl XXVII and the Dallas Cowboy are beating the Buffalo Bills as the game winds down. Buffalo fumbles the ball on the Dallas […]
Slaves to Sin
We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do (Romans 7:14–15). The Bible ties together the ideas of sin and slavery throughout its pages […]
God’s Team
“…But may they who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength.” Then the land had peace forty years. (Judges 5:31).” That’s the “happily ever after” ending of our message this week from Judges 4-5. But don’t let that little happy ending fool you. It was a hard-fought peace. I always […]
10 Shekels and a Shirt
“In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.“ (Judges 17:6, NIV) It is a refrain that is repeated over and over in the book of Judges. As we study it together in church, several of you are reading ahead and have mentioned how frustrating it is…things keep spiraling downward and […]
Forgetting God
“The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs (Judges 3:7, NIV).” Sounds like a familiar problem, doesn’t it? We might not serve Baals and Asherahs anymore. We have different, more modern idols we serve. But, like Israel, we do tend […]
Talkin’ ’bout My Generation
“After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel.” (Judges 2:10, NLT) Funny that this topic of “generations” comes up this week with so much talk about this topic lately. The “Boomers” didn’t have much respect for my generation, “Generation […]
Partial Obedience, Partial Victory
“In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.” (Judges 21:25, NLT) Looking for something light and fun to read by the pool this summer? Check out the Food and Drug Administration’s “Defect Levels Handbook.” It outlines allowances for problems (defects) in 100 different foods (Read […]
God’s Love and Boll Weevils
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28, NLT) We all face challenges in life. Arnold Toynbee, the famous historian, said that people will react to these in one of four ways: Some retreat […]
Empowering Others
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31-32, NIV) You might remember this moment: Simon promised Jesus that, though others might abandon him in his hour of need, Simon […]
I Believe in You
“Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.“ (Philemon 21, NIV) Paul wrote that line to a friend named Philemon. Philemon was a new Christian…but he was still working things out. There were some major issues in Philemon’s life that he hadn’t yet handed over […]
Integrity
“Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” (Matthew 5:37, NIV) Jesus is talking about integrity here. Sunday, we’ll study the story of Joseph – a man of great integrity. His integrity gained Pharaoh’s trust and Joseph became the second most influential man in Egypt. […]
Moses’ Mothers
In Exodus 1-2 we read the story of the birth of Moses. He happened to be born at a time when the Pharaoh was worried that the Hebrew slaves were growing too numerous. He ordered that Hebrew boys born during this time be murdered. Two Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, defied the king’s orders. So […]
