The Bible records the biographies of many rich people. Job was very rich. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were rich. David was rich. Solomon was extremely rich. Jehoshaphat was rich. Joseph of Arimathaea was a rich man. Being rich is not evil, but it brings with it many dangers. Compared to many people of the world […]
Picture with me what it might have been like for the shepherds in the field the night Jesus was born. They probably had their sheep inside of a simple sheepfold, perhaps made of a stone fence with thorn bushes on top. They may have been sitting near the entrance around a small fire trying to […]
The hymn writer Emily Ellicott penned the following words to the hymn “thou Didst Leave Thy Throne” Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown, When Thou camest to earth for me; But in Bethlehem’s home was there found no room For Thy holy nativity. This evening’s portion of the Christmas Story is about […]
Jesus told of a man who made big plans but who never saw them fulfilled. (Luke 12:16-21) “And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:” (17) “And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my […]
I would guess that Joseph had been counting the days until his marriage to Mary. It appears that the date was very close. Mary had just returned from a three-month trip to the south of Israel to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Suddenly he dreams were shattered with the shocking news that Mary was expecting a […]
These days we normally do not travel long distances by walking. Many people have never walked for hours at a time. I will never forget how tiring it was to hike for eight hours over the mountains in PNG to reach a remote village where a small group of Christians lived. Compared to travel in […]
Alan Redpath came up with the following acrostic. T: Is it true? H: Is it helpful? I: Is it inspiring? N: Is it necessary? K: Is it kind? If what we are about to say does not pass theses tests, we should keep our mouth shut. It works! Transition This morning, I want us to […]
Years ago when we lived in jungles of PNG, I was on a walk and suddenly spotted a snake in the path very close to me. The sudden start made my heart race. I wisely backed away and the snake slithered off. We have all been startled by an unexpected event. It may have been […]
As we near the time of year that we remember the birth of Christ, this year I want to take you on a chronological journey through the events leading up to and following the birth of Christ. For the next five weeks on Sunday evenings and Wednesday evenings we will examine ten major events of […]
Bible heroes like Joshua, Gideon and David defeated overwhelming enemies because God was with them. In Romans 8:31 we read, “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” We too can defeat overwhelming temptations if we follow God’s instructions and let Him take control. Transition […]