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Jeremiah 31:17 shines like a bright light in a dark night. In a book overflowing with doom and destruction, we find this statement: “There is hope in your future, says that Lord, that your children shall come back to their own border.” Judah was going to Babylon and nothing could be done to stop it. Their sin had found them out (Num. 32:23)! And yet, there was hope. After 70 years (Jer. 29:10) Judah would return, the walls and the…

The old colloquialism, “Your word is your bond” has roots in scripture. Numbers 30:2 says, “If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.” But, in a culture that no longer values honesty and integrity, it can be easy to forget that our word must be trustworthy. Consider three examples that are…

Shakespeare’s Hamlet said, “Ay, sir; to be honest, as this world goes, is to be one man picked out of ten thousand.” How right he was. Solomon asked, “But who can find a faithful man” (Pro. 20:6)? He sought for a man who was dependable, trustworthy, and truthful. That kind of person may be hard to come by in the world, but it should not be so in the church because God’s will for His people is that they be…

Psalm 34 is thought to have been written by David in remembrance of his escape from the courts of Achish, king of Gath, as recorded in 1 Samuel 21:10-15. For fear of his life, David fled from the pursuit of an angry king Saul. He made his way to Gath, evidently expecting to receive quarter from Achish. But, David was not met with the greeting he expected. Instead, the servants of Achish identified him as king and he quickly realized…

Additionally, sound doctrine will create people in the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29; Col. 1:10) and allow them to be examples that others can look to (vs. 16). Paul says, “However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.” Wayne Jackson summarized the point of this passage very well. But Paul’s point of emphasis here is God’s…

Why do we place such a strong emphasis on sound doctrine? Why does God stress the importance of sound preaching and teaching so heavily throughout His Word? Does is really matter that much? The first two sections of 1 Timothy 1 help to answer these questions. In the first section (vss. 1-11) Paul discusses the problem of unsound doctrine. He says that it only causes problems–“disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith” (1 Tim. 1:4). False and unhealthy…

“Show me a person who is thankful and I’ll show you a person who is faithful.” I heard this sentiment offered by a speaker at a lectureship several years ago, and it really struck home. Americans on the whole are the most materially blessed people in the world. This can certainly be a good thing for God’s people if we use the things God has provided in a responsible, godly way (cf. Luke 16:1-13). However, far too often our material…

Today the average American lives 78.8 years. That averages out to approximately 945 months, 4,111 weeks, 28,781 days, or 690,746 hours. On the surface that certainly seems to be a long, long time. But, really it is not. Ask someone who has lived for 80 years how quickly their life has progressed and it is almost guaranteed they will say that is has absolutely flown by! The Bible says the same. “Man that is born of a woman is of…

Have you ever found yourself feeling like you’re stuck in a rut that you just cannot dig out of? We all feel that way at some point in our lives. In those times it seems no matter how hard we fight and scratch and claw, getting back on our feet feels hopeless. But “let not your heart be troubled.” Our God is a compassionate God “who comforts us in all our tribulation” (2 Cor. 1:4). He has given us a…

Malcom Gladwell popularized “The 10,000 hour rule” in his book, Outliers. The idea is that anyone can become an expert in any given field provided they dedicate 10,000 hours of practice to it. Though science has shown the rule to be more like a guideline, it still points to an objectively true principle. That is, that a person who dedicates vast amounts of time and energy to pursuing proficiency in a given area, very likely will find it. He may…

Jesus said, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:18-19). How should we deal with those who hate and fight against us? Two passages from the Sermon on the Mount are worthy of our consideration. First, consider Matthew…

Throughout history, the Lord has chosen to accomplish His will in some very unorthodox ways. The occasion of Judges 7:1-8 is a prime example. As Jehovah prepared Gideon to wage war against the Midianites, He commanded a strange way of mustering his troops. Israel’s army of 32,000 was scaled to a mere 300 men. Twenty-two thousand left for fear (Judges 7:3) and the rest were removed because of how they drank. As they arrived at the water the Lord commanded,…