“As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.” Obadiah Said The short book of Obadiah is a stinging rebuke to the nation of Edom, not for what they overtly did, but for what they did indirectly: for a failure to act, for smug attitudes, and […]
As followers of Jesus, we are encouraged to be generous and giving. Hospitality is part of that. Sometimes when we show kindness to others, we will never know the affect of our actions. As an encouragement in being generous and giving, Paul writes, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people […]
The phrase “trustworthy sayings” occurs five times in the Bible. It likely refers to phrases that were commonly used and accepted by the early church. Paul’s inclusion of these phrases in his letters affirms them as reliable truth. Here are the five trustworthy sayings that Paul recorded: 1. Christ Jesus came into the world to […]
Training for the Best In Paul’s letter to Timothy, he contrasts physical training (which is good) to spiritual training (which is better). I wonder, how often do we pursue things that are good, while pushing aside God’s things that are better? That’s something to think about next time we’re working out or pursuing some leisure […]
Living in the Prophetic In Paul’s letter to Timothy he talks about a prophecy that he made regarding Timothy. (A prophecy is a God-inspired foretelling of the future.) Often we think of a prophecy as being about some grand, distantly future event—like the end of the world or major catastrophe—but that is not always the […]
Discover Why Paul Says This In his letter to the Philippians, Paul tells readers to follow his example and to the Corinthians he writes, “imitate me” (Philippians 3:17 and 1 Corinthians 4:16). This strikes me as bold and audacious, arrogant and presumptuous. This seemingly brash statement, however, is illuminated when he later instructs readers to […]
I did a word study on the usage of yeast in the Bible. Here is what I found: Yeast is used symbolically to represent influence, usually negatively. Just as a little bit of yeast, permeates dough and produces a noticeable result, so to does influence, be it good or bad. [Check out where these references […]
Do you ever feel spiritually weak? If so, you are not alone. In fact, if anyone ever tells you otherwise, they are lying; if they seem otherwise, they are posing. The church in Philadelphia was also weak, but in that weakness remained true to God and his word (see Revelation 3:8). This is most encouraging […]