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The Bible is full truths that fly square in the face of typical human thinking. Scripture’s description of a blessed and happy life stands as a perfect example. Man seeks blessing in wickedness. For many, life is about self-actualization and fulfilling the desires of the flesh. Psalm 1 teaches us that such a life is destined for ruin. The Psalmist said the ungodly “are like the chaff which the wind drives away.” The ancients brought their grain to the threshing…

Birds are fascinating creatures. One could argue that they possess more freedom than anything else God has created. A bird is not contained to any one area, he can fly wherever he wishes. Yet, wherever a bird goes he eventually finds a place to settle and nest. The sons of Korah were servants in the house of God and undoubtedly watched birds of all kinds and numbers settle into comfortable nests throughout the temple complex. The Psalmist’s desire to be…

History is an unending cycle. Buried within the pages of the past are previews of the problems of the present. Humanity’s desires and needs, joys and struggles never change. Consider the problem of unhealthy teaching in the early church. This was one of Paul’s primary concerns in his first letter to Timothy and thus correct doctrine is an emphasis throughout the book. If Paul were writing today, he would write the same thing. The church still needs to be reminded…

People are masters at taking something simple and making it complicated. With the passing of S.B. 8, abortion is front-page news again, people are doing what they do best, complicating the issue. Statements about constitutional rights and vigilante justice, due to the way the law was written, are simply noise to distract the populace from seeing the picture clearly. Regardless of what may be said or what law may be written, the truth remains–abortion is murder. Scripture unequivocally condemns the…

Wisdom is the power of right judgment, the ability to discern any situation and know what to do, or see how a particular course of action will turn out. Imagine the happiness and success you could have with a good dose of wisdom (Pro. 3:13). The book of Proverbs is insightful because it offers wisdom about all of the practical affairs of life. The wisdom literature of Proverbs 3:1-12 exhorts us to do six things, three of which we will…

The story says that as Annie S. Hawks was busying herself with her usual household chores, she began to think about the closeness that one ought to have with God. She then sat down to write the lines of the poem that would eventually evolve into the soul-stirring song we know today. After contemplating the lyrics of the song there are several lessons that come to mind. First, we must have a desire to have God in our lives. James…

There it was, impossible to miss. Parked on the side of Washington Street in Ardmore, Oklahoma sat a little white car with big pink streamers tied to the back of it, and white shoe polish writing on the windows. As I drove closer, I expected to read “Just Married!” or an announcement of some other happy occasion. I was shocked when I read the words “Just Divorced!” written in giant white letters on the back windshield. How tragic that society…

The human eye is a marvel, to say the least! It is the second most complex organ after the brain. Each eye weighs about an ounce and spans an inch across and is composed of approximately 2 million working parts. A fingerprint has 40 unique characteristics but an iris has 256! The muscles that control our eyes are the strongest in our body. Our eyes require no rest, they heal quickly, and they play such an important role in our…

It must have been incredible to have heard Jesus pray. One can only imagine the passion and conviction that poured forth from Him as He approached the Father’s throne. Obviously, His prayers were moving and motivating to those who heard them because one of His disciples was prompted to request, “Lord, teach us to pray…” (Luke 11:1). Jesus responded to the request by issuing the model prayer (Luke 11:2-4). As we consider that prayer, and other passages on prayer throughout…