The value of godly prudence

Chances are that if you are a saint who has sought out and embraced godly wisdom, you also have an attribute called prudence. What is prudence? According to Webster's 1828 dictionary, which defined words based on Biblical contexts, prudence is "wisdom applied to practice." Taking into account Bible verses that mention it, a prudent person…

Good works are based on God’s good grace doctrine

It's really no thanks to any of us who are saved that we are saved. While all of us were busy being "foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another" (Titus 3:3), God showed us kindness and love to save us in spite of ourselves…

Why we as saints can’t afford to rest on our laurels

In the academic world, once professors accomplish certain objectives, such as getting published, they gain tenure and are pretty much set for the rest of their career. When that occurs, all too often the result is that many become slackers in certain respects and tend to rest on their laurels. That can happen also in…

How then will ye know all parables?

In Mark 4, after Jesus shared the parable of the sower and the seed, his disciples asked him what the parable meant. Jesus explained to them in Mark 4:11, "Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in…

Digesting the bitter and the sweet of God’s word

When we stock our cabinets, refrigerators, and pantries with food, that food does us no good physically when we just stare at it. In order for us to thrive and gain strength to do the things we need to do throughout the day, we have to eat it so our bodies can get nutrition. So…

Peter, a female entrepreneur, and a town called Beautiful

In the New Testament church, one does not have to look very far to see the prominence and influence women had in the early years of the church, disproving the often repeated lie that Christianity has always been sexist.  One of the most beautiful stories in Acts serving as an example of this took place…

Fulfilling the work of faith with power

In 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, Paul shares a prayer of his for the saints in few words that give a glimpse of the responsibilities and ramifications in the Christian lifestyle. Like Paul, our prayer and hope should be that all who claim Christ will be counted worthy of "this calling." Our worthiness in this calling can…

We saints are jewels in God’s book of remembrance

As in all the prophetic books of the Bible, the Lord through Malachi provides encouragement to his faithful followers in the midst of scathing rebukes to the unfaithful. Malachi 3:16-18 provides a glimpse of the conduct of God's saints in the last days when he says, Then they that feared the Lord spake often one…

Asaph, the psalmist prophet

Asaph was a musician from the tribe of Levi who served under King David in the music ministry for the tabernacle (1 Chronicles 15). He was also a prophet. Although he only wrote 12 of the 150 psalms in the Bible's book of Psalms, those psalms had such an impact that Hezekiah used them decades…

Some basic principles of a Christian harvest

The Lord Jesus never passed on an opportunity to take advantage of a teachable moment. In John 4, as the Samaritan woman at the well was returning with the men of her town to meet Jesus, the Lord took a quick moment to teach his disciples a few principles on how God's kingdom works when a harvest…