Articles

Have you ever been invited into a conversation where someone offered you the choice of hearing the “good news” or “bad news” first? Personally, I always take the bad news first knowing that the truth of whatever the circumstances may be at that time, may hurt for a little bit, but that pain and discomfort is only temporary. Anytime I hear the phrase “the truth hurts”, I recognize that reality because sometimes, the truth can be extremely unpleasant and difficult to understand. The implication from this phrase can often be understood as “the truth is sometimes more hurtful than lies” […]

Hosea 4:6-7 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame. Knowledge is something that almost everyone strives to get more of. This is why we go to school, seminars, training sessions, etc. Obviously, some things are not worth knowing and the Bible makes it clear regarding those things, gossip for example. General knowledge is […]

Galatians 2:16 nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. This passage is the thesis statement of this entire epistle. This verse is to Galatians what Romans 1:16-17 is to Romans. It is the unifying principle that ties everything together in the letter. Further evidence of this truth is found in […]

1 Samuel 8:1-9 And it came about when Samuel was old that he appointed his sons judges over Israel. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judging in Beersheba. His sons, however, did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain and took bribes and perverted justice. Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah; and they said to him, “Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to […]

1 Peter 4:15-16 Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name. The basic definition for the word suffering in English is “the state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship”. Suffering is an inevitable part of life. Depending on a person’s viewpoint, you may find people clashing against each other regarding the value of suffering. It would probably be safe to say that most people tend to lean towards the […]

God’s word is full of wonderful stories, encouraging examples, and comforting words. However, is the Bible merely a good book of stories, but lacking any authority or power? Many would argue that the Bible is just full of good anecdotal messages, but is not given from an omnipotent God. Others might feign faith in God, but treat His word as a tool to only excuse their sinful behavior, ignoring passages that expressly condemn false worship and immorality. Sure, the Bible is a good book. It certainly is an encouraging one. The Bible is a comforting book that is able to […]