When Melody and I were in Bible College, Dr. Cedarholm, the president of our college, frequently said, “The most important thing to learn about history is to learn FROM history.” If we do not learn from history, we are bound to repeat the same mistakes others have made before us. When we do learn from […]
It ought to be mandatory for every young person, before he or she chooses a sweetheart, to have a good long talk with a Christian who is married to an unbeliever. That married person should tell the young person about the disagreements, the pain, the heartaches, and the grief that such a marriage brings. Over […]
“True greatness, true leadership, is found in giving yourself in service to others, not in coaxing or inducing others to serve you.” J. Oswald Sanders Most of us are leaders in one way or another. We may lead at work, at school, at home, or at church. Husbands are to lead their wives. Parents are […]
A person’s true character is revealed by what he would do if he was positive that he would never get caught. Another revelation of true character is what a person will do under pressure or in a lustful temptation. A woman may get a character score ten out of ten from the people at church, […]
God blesses obedience. I have seen this in my own life. When I disobey God, I have a guilty conscience and feel miserable. However, when I obey God, He blesses me with peace, joy, guidance, and answers to prayer. My life has not been perfect, but God has richly blessed my obedience. Think about your […]
(Colossians 4:5) “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.” Whether we are dealing with those who are without (i.e., unbelievers) or with fellow Christians, we ought always to walk in wisdom. When we are wise, we carefully guard our words and actions to ensure that they please God. Remember, wisdom is […]
On the farm, we often had a difficult time getting the cows to cooperate. Cows can be VERY stubborn. To motivate them to go when they did not want to go, we had an electric prod. It was a battery-operated tool about the size of a large torch that gave the cow a mild shock […]
The temple building began in 535 BC during the reign of Cyrus. The people allowed opposition to stop the rebuilding until the 2nd year of Darius, 520 BC. To emphasise the problem of opposition, Ezra included a record of letters (v.6-23) that were sent to Persia years later to stop the building of the city […]
It is sad when a house burns down. The work involved in rebuilding is great. The rubble must be removed. The ground must be cleared. Plans must be drawn up. New materials must be purchased. Workers must be hired. Then a lot of work must be put into it. The temple in Jerusalem had been […]
A genealogy is a list of names of one’s ancestors. One occasion when genealogies are important is when a will is being read. If you are an heir but cannot prove it, you will miss out. Genealogies or family trees may interest those who wonder if they are related to a famous person, but most […]