Let no one think this is a blanket condemnation of motorcycles. It is not. Illustrations from life and personal experiences, however, sometimes can be helpful in understanding principles. When I was seven or eight years old, my oldest sister married a long, tall, thin drink of water named “Jack.” Jack loved motorcycles. He owned the […]

THE ANCIENT LINES OF CAIN AND SETH CONTRASTED We are given some insight here into our ancestor’s ingenuity and industry. They were not cave men but had highly advanced intellects. Perhaps God wants us to know that the line of Cain had choices. They were not oppressed or deprived or disadvantaged. The decisions they made […]

A querist asks, “Can a man biblically have more than one wife? The Bible says that a bishop should be the husband of one wife (1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:6). That means that if

The poet Ralph Waldo Emerson once said about enthusiasm: “Every great and commanding movement in the annals of the world is due to the triumph of enthusiasm. Nothing great was ever achieved without it.” Charles Schwab once made this statement: “A man can succeed at almost anything for which he has unlimited enthusiasm.” What is […]

Do we realize that we are an absolutely unique person, a Christ-redeemed human being who could never be replaced or duplicated?

You are ushering in another day Untouched and freshly new So here I come to ask you, God. If You’ll renew me, too. Forgive the many errors That I made yesterday And let me try again, dear God. To walk closer in Thy way…. But, Father, I am well aware I can’t make it on […]

Have we ever thought of where we would be without God? Without God, there would be no purpose for our existence — no mission — no challenge. Without God, there would be no courage — no honor — no destiny. It was said of an atheist who was lying in his coffin with his best […]

In the well known narrative of Jesus’ temptation, the Scripture says, “And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth […]

There is a striking parallel between a misread compass and false biblical teaching. Both can cause a disastrous shipwreck. In fact, Paul warns us against “fables and endless genealogies” (1 Timothy 1:4) doing just that (1 Timothy 1:19). Alexander (see 5.) and Hymenaeus were two individuals who opposed the Word of God by placing false […]

From the 2010, volume 48, number 3 edition of The Sword and Staff publication, pg. 2, comes the following proverbs of wisdom (appropriate Scriptures and related articles have been added):

Capital Punishment In The New Testament What was the purpose of the New Testament? Unlike the Old Covenant, the New Covenant is not designed to govern or regulate civil governments. It is designed for those in Christ’s kingdom (the church), which is spiritual in nature (John 18:36). Its purpose is to help man achieve and

“My sheep hear my voice.” One morning while shepherds were eating their breakfast, one of their sheep jumped off a 45-foot cliff to its death. Then, as they looked on, they were stunned as the rest of the flock followed. In all, 1,500 sheep mindlessly stumbled off the cliff. The only good news was that […]

There is a principle of life that holds true in every aspect of life — that whatever we do not use, we lose (Matthew 25:24-29-NKJV). Just as our physical body functions more effectively when we exercise it, our faith

Darkness and light are contrasted in the Bible’s presentation of Jesus: The prophet Isaiah tells us: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined” (Isaiah 9:2-NKJV). John provides us with this illustration of Jesus‘ life: […]

The story is told of a preacher who had attained the ripe old age of 92. The church he was a member of asked him to preach one Sunday. Some of the members wondered why the leadership had

If we wanted to only acquire a few nuggets of gold, we would use simple prospecting equipment, such as pans and shovels (see other types) However, if we wanted to find a greater quantity of gold, we would have to use heavy equipment, designed to dig much deeper into the earth’s core.

Have we ever thought why our spiritual passion fades so easily? After we were baptized into Christ (Gal. 3:26-28) , we spent hours thinking about Him, studying His Word, and telling others how much He meant to us. Then it happened. Our busy schedules slowly dampened our

Solomon declared in Ecclesiastes 1:8, “All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, or the ear its fill of hearing” (NIV). As in the above scripture, Solomon also teaches us in Proverbs 27:20 that man’s desire for “something better” is as insatiable as the grave. Sometimes people […]

A marketing professor at a well-known university once asked his students to make a side-by-side taste comparison of two soft drinks — Coca-Cola, and Sam’s Choice Cola. Each student was asked to taste both colas and indicate which tasted better. The majority of participants stated that the Coke tasted better to them than the house […]

The following poem by an unknown author, is designed to make us “think” about living the way we pray: