Strive to Support and Encourage Your Spouse We don’t know the name of Job’s wife. She’s a minor character in the Bible’s account of his life, so we could view her name as unimportant. Through no fault of Job, Satan attacks him, wiping away his wealth and killing all his children. Next, Satan afflicts Job’s […]
This Isn’t Another Cinderella Story I’ve always liked the story of Esther. She was a peasant girl who won a national beauty pageant and became queen. In my imagination, I’ve given this tale a Cinderella-like grandness, with Esther and the king, falling in love and living happily ever after. Alas, the story doesn’t mention love […]
Four Keys from the Early Church Just days after Pentecost, the people who follow Jesus begin to hang out. This is the first church. What did they do? In the book of Acts, Doctor Luke records four key things: In addition, they meet every day at the temple (outreach) and in homes (fellowship). They share […]
The Church in Laodicea: Lukewarm for Jesus Today’s passage: Revelation 3:14–22 Focus verse: “So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:16) We don’t know that Paul ever traveled to Laodicea during his missionary journeys, but he mentions their church in his letter to the […]
Examine Your Answer Carefully Jesus asks his disciples, who do people say that I am? The disciples reel off some common answers. He could be John the Baptist, others say he’s Elijah, and some think of Jeremiah. Or he could be anyone of the other prophets. Then the teacher brings the question into focus. “What […]
Discover 40 Practical Insights from Jesus’s Brothers What do you know about the book of James? When have you last read the book of Jude? In James and Jude Bible Study delve into the often-overlooked wisdom of Jesus’s brothers. Once skeptics but turned servants of Jesus, James and Jude offer profound insights into faith, perseverance, […]
Nimrod is the son of Cush, the son of Ham. Since Cush and Canaan are brothers, this means Nimrod is Canaan’s nephew. The biblical text tells us little about Nimrod. What we do know is he’s a “mighty hunter before the Lord” (Genesis 10:8–9). Though this is curious wording, we can understand “before the Lord” […]
Orpah Begins a Journey but Returns Home Orpah is the widowed daughter-in-law of Naomi and sister-in-law to Ruth. When Naomi decides to return to Judah, her daughters-in-law start out with her, but Naomi releases them. She encourages them to return to their mothers and find new husbands. Though Ruth stubbornly refuses, Orpah does the smart […]
What if God Told You to do Something Crazy? A guy named Peter knew how to fish. That was his trade, his livelihood. When it came to catching fish, he was the expert. Peter’s buddy Jesus was a carpenter by trade. He knew how to make things with his hands, things constructed of wood. He […]
The Church in Philadelphia: Weak but Worthy Today’s passage: Revelation 3:7–13 Focus verse: “I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.” (Revelation 3:8) The church in Philadelphia is another church that only appears in Revelation. In Jesus’s letter to them, he offers encouragement for […]