Bible Talk Articles (Page 3)

Cross-country moves sure have a way of getting certain things into perspective. Take creature comfort for example. By the last days before we left Oklahoma, every lamp, comfortable chair, toothbrush holder and coffee cup had been packed away. We lived like gypsies; eating out of paper plates, sleeping on mattresses stripped of box springs and comforters, sitting on those chairs and boxes we felt could be stowed away at the last minute. Our menu was reduced to chocolate milk and…

Nobody just reads the Bible and says, “I think this book is inspired.” It’s not just a logical deduction. The Bible actually says this about itself in different places. Doesn’t it seem natural that an inspired book would claim this about itself? The Old Testament takes this idea for granted since it continually describes a dialogue between God and man. The New Testament states the idea in different ways: 19 But when they hand you over, do not worry about how…

I believe Martha’s gotten a bad rap as far as Bible characters go. The most quoted reference about Martha is where Jesus gently admonishes her concerning this good woman’s frustration at not receiving help from her sister, Mary, in serving their guests. This story recorded in Luke 10:40-41 has become, for many, the defining image of this woman, a worrier, a person consumed with tasks, and a disciple not attuned to spiritual things like her sister, Mary. Martha was probably…

It’s amazing how being thirty thousand feet in the air can give you a whole new perspective on life. Recently, I flew out to California and, as the plane cruised far above the desert and mountains, I realized how different life seemed from this precarious angle. For example, I could actually see how insignificant human beings really are. Mountains look like wrinkles, rivers are ribbons, and great cities are not more than dots of light. From this height, people are…

The news of the passing of famous people reminds us once again that in the end, we all must die, even celebrities. For any loss, there is a time for grieving. This grieving, however, will only be complete when we accept that another’s death points to our own inevitable end. This realization should motivate us to plan for that sure event. Planning for our death means we have accepted the reality of it and are ready to go on living…

The duck people have gone and done it now. The patriarch of reality television’s Duck Dynasty has actually shared his Christian perspective on the subject of homosexuality with a reporter for trendy GQ magazine. Of course, the reaction to his unfiltered view of homosexuality as a sin and the comment that he didn’t get why gays preferred men to women was, to say the least, a cardinal offense to that group and those who saw this as an attack on their…

There is nothing more joyful than watching our children “grow” in the wisdom and admonition of the Lord. This thought leads me to wonder if children receive the same joy and encouragement from seeing their parents “grow”. I believe that much of the development we seek in them may be directly related to how much growth they see in us. When it comes to spiritual growth, you can’t just teach it, you’ve got to show it. In the area of…

In this day of roller-coaster markets and the threat of entire nations collapsing because of financial downturns, it’s easy to get into the “play it safe” mindset. Of course, there is nothing wrong with a prudent approach to investing and money management but some people think that prudence means never taking a risk. It is interesting to note that in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, where Jesus is teaching on stewardship, He says that the least one…

It seems that the surest way to secure your fifteen minutes of fame in America these days is to declare to the world that you’re gay. Homosexuals are literally tripping over each other in order to be the first in their respective fields of endeavor to “come out” and thereby clinch their spot in the Gay Hall of Fame. Whether it be in sports or politics, entertainment or academia, being gay now comes with some kind of mystique that simply…

The old adage, “Winning the battle, losing the war”, is a warning to those involved in a struggle that it is important to keep one’s eye on what you’re fighting for. You often see this principle at work in amateur sports where a player will lose control and strike out in revenge against an opponent who is provoking them in some way. The momentary satisfaction is lost when the referee penalizes the team which usually leads to losing the game,…

I have happily recovered from a nasty cold that never seemed to end. The experience led me to think about some very basic things that even the common cold can teach us. Here are seven that mine taught me: #1 – A 7 day cold does not last 7 days. Contrary to popular belief that you’re in and out of a cold in seven days, the reality is that full recovery is often not realized until 10 days or beyond…

When I was in Junior High my English teacher taught our class how to write a “precis”. A precis is a shortened version of an essay or article that maintains the meaning of the original piece of writing. He would do this by assigning us a 500-word essay on a particular topic and once completed would require the class to rewrite that same essay in 250 words, then 100 words, and finally 50 words. This exercise trained us to convey…

I recently baptized our eldest grandson, Christian. He is nine years old and because of his age I had some hesitation before going ahead with his baptism. There are many examples in the Bible of people who were spiritually sensitive at an early age. Samuel was a young boy when called by God to serve as prophet (I Samuel 3:1-21); and it was said of Jesus as a boy that He grew in wisdom and stature (Luke 2:52); and Paul,…

In Psalm 6, David the king of Israel goes through a range of emotions as he suffers from an undisclosed illness. 1O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your wrath. 2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am pining away; Heal me, O Lord, for my bones are dismayed. 3 And my soul is greatly dismayed; But You, O Lord—how long? 4 Return, O Lord, rescue my soul; Save me because of Your lovingkindness. 5 For…

I remember Christmas disappointments; left-winger equipment instead of goalie equipment; toboggan instead of pool table… Does anybody remember theirs? The problem many times as children are that we are not clear on what was promised. I want to go over a shortlist of things we might be confused about when it comes to God’s promises: PROMISED Always be with you (Hebrews 13:5) Provide what you need (Matthew 6:31-33) Execute final justice (Romans 12:17-19 You will not be condemned (Romans 8:1)…

They say that if you keep your clothes long enough they’ll come back into style. I guess the idea is that style is ever changing but never very new. It seems that one style that is coming back this summer is the very short dress and very short “shorts” for women. This is always a challenge for Christian females – how to keep up with styles without compromising what is proper. Of course, when it comes to proper dress, the…

The new millennium has reminded us of the many ways we are vulnerable. It began with the New Year’s Eve meltdown scare back in 2000 and has continued with successive onslaughts like the 9/11 attack, financial scandals, a wave of child abductions across the country, and an persistant conflict in the Middle East. Each one of these reminds us that our nation, our wealth, even our children are not safe even in their own beds! In response to these disturbing…

From 1702-1801 the population of England doubled. As more people moved to the cities to find work, the traditional ties to church and community were severed. As a result, several generations of children grew up without religious instruction and this led to a serious social breakdown at the time. Child workers with Sundays off would create a tremendous disturbance in the town where they lived. Robert Raikes, a newspaper publisher, pondered the fate of these youngsters without schooling or religious…

And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou has sent. – John 17:3 Note that in this passage Jesus says this is eternal life, meaning that this phenomena called eternal life is not just something reserved for the future, but something that was available to the people of the first century – in the first century. We think eternal life is the “good life” transported to another place and…

Enough cowering! Enough hiding out and social distancing from getting things done because of the virus! Paul said that there would be “in season” and “out of season” times for preaching the gospel (II Timothy 4:2) and for growing the kingdom. He did not mean that sometimes we work and serve, and at other times we should stop because it is inconvenient or dangerous. I believe he was exhorting the church to stay busy even when it was inconvenient and/or…