Today, let’s focus in on a single passage of Scripture and digest it carefully. One of the most helpful passages to help us train our minds is 2 Corinthians 10:1–7. Take a few moments to read and meditate on these seven verses.
Read MoreCategory Archives: Bible
Precepts and Principles
Whenever you see the scriptural phrase “This is the will of God,” you know for sure that’s God’s will. You also know that to disobey is to break His Word. Other clear indications of His leading are the precepts and principles in the Scripture.
Read MoreHow Do I Know God’s Will?
Want to know God’s will for your life? Let me ask you to stop, look, and listen. God makes His desires known to those who stop at His Word, look in with a sensitive spirit, and listen to others.
Read MoreTension in the Tank, Part One
Ever felt sorry for certain Scriptures? I sure have. I’m talking about passages like John 3:17, Hebrews 4:13, 1 John 1:10, and Philippians 4:14. Great verses, all . . . yet the popularity of their next-door neighbors has resulted in their being virtually ignored. Everybody who spends even a little while in the Family can quote Proverbs 3:5–6, but unfortunately, an equally significant verse 7 goes begging.
Read MoreThe Sting of the Thorn, Part One
Give the Reverend Dullard Drydust enough time and he will manage to confuse most sections of the Bible. Because we preachers are notorious for getting hung up on Greek tenses and purpose clauses and theological trivia, we often shy away from those passages that appear nontechnical and plain. Like the parables, to be specific. Like Mark 4, to be exact.
Read MoreObservation
A small bottle containing urine sat upon the desk of Sir William Osler. He was then the eminent professor of medicine at Oxford University. Sitting before him was a classroom full of young, wide-eyed medical students listening to his lecture on the importance of observing details. To emphasize his point, he reached down and picked up the bottle. Holding it high, he announced:
Read MoreThe Legacy of Learning, Part One
Slice it any way you wish, ignorance is not bliss. Dress it in whatever garb you please, ignorance is not attractive. Neither is it the mark of humility nor the path to spirituality. It certainly is not the companion of wisdom. On the contrary, it is the breeding ground for fear, prejudice, and superstition . . . the feeding trough for unthinking animals . . . the training field for slavery.
Read MoreThe Giant That Slew David
During my days in New England, I heard of a teacher who quizzed a group of college-bound high school juniors and seniors on the Bible. The quiz preceded a Bible-as-literature course he planned to teach at the Newton (Massachusetts) High School, generally considered one of the best public schools in the nation. Among the most astounding findings he got from the students were:
Read MoreFallibility, Part One
Ever since I was knee-high to a gnat, I have been taught about and have believed in the infallibility of Scripture. Among the upper echelons of doctrinal truths, this one ranks alongside the Godhead, the deity of Christ, and salvation by grace. We may fuss around with a few of the events in God’s eschatological calendar or leave breathing room for differing opinions regarding angels and local church government.
Read MoreAn Annual Refresher Course
We have given much thought to the subject of wisdom and taken time to hear the counsel of ancient Israel’s wisest teachers. This discipline undoubtedly supplied you with lots of helpful information. Such knowledge is a good beginning, but I hope you won’t be satisfied with mere knowledge of the Bible. My first suggestion for becoming wise might seem obvious or maybe even redundant. Nevertheless, I stand by it.
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