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Time
This past week a small notation was made regarding the highway system of the United States. Route 66 was decommissioned some 59 years ago. Other lesser known routes have also been replaced by the more bustling interstate systems. The older routes went through small towns; paused at intersections and stop signs. There were diners and family owned petroleum stations with resident mechanics to service the immediate needs of those who traveled. The major interstates now boast of fast moving traffic and on-time delivery service. America rarely sees what was once family. We are in a full sprint, but still going…
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When We First Began
Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. The book of Hebrews is conventionally thought to be written about 50 years after the initial outpouring of the Holy Ghost. By this time, the Gentiles were fully engaged in the operations of the church; the apostles having spread the Word in distant regions. The expansion of the Gospel found a sure footing in…
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Lessons of a Father
If truth be told, the keeping of tradition has enormous benefits. The Jewish culture has provided a wealth of customs which have sustained them through the centuries. There is a passage in the Talmud which explains what a father should do. It reads: “A father is obligated to do the following for his son: to circumcise him, to redeem him if he is the first born, to teach him the Torah, to find him a wife, to teach him a trade.” After reviewing the above duties, I assumed these instructions were common, howbeit unique to the culture. However, there is…
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Unleashed Spirits
Paul’s prophetic word to Timothy two thousand years ago resonates as if it was yesterday. He wrote of spirits unleashed in the world. 1 Tim 4:1-2 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron. John warned us not to believe every deceptive spirit. The Revelation depicts the moment when evil spirits would be loosed in the earth. These spirits roam the earth like frogs. The image speaks of debauchery and decay.…
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The Last Word
Hebrews 11:32 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Hebrews 11 is often called the Hall of Faith. The greats are mentioned in this chapter: Abraham, Moses, Enoch, Noah, and more. They were given a good report and their notoriety has echoed through time. Most of the names were also given a description of their faithful actions. Verse 32 wraps up the enumeration with a handful of other faithful men. Among them is…
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Plant The Seed
Acts 8:5-6 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. There is a great challenge given to the 21st century church. It refers to the seed of the Word. Paul referred to himself as a soul-winner when he wrote: “I planted.” Jesus’ parable of the Sower focused on the Seed and the Soil. Even before the outpouring of the Spirit in Acts 2, Jesus proclaimed that He would give them “power to…
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Demas Hath Forsaken Me
The final greetings sent by Paul to Philemon reveals a tragic scene. Paul is concluding his letter when he offers a sendoff from those he considered “fellow workers.” These were apostles, preachers, and fellow prisoners of Christ. They were among the elite of their time. Phil. 1:23-24 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers. Epaphras may have spent time with Paul in prison for preaching the name of Jesus. Mark, known as John Mark, is now called profitable to Paul. Aristarchus was the faithful man standing…
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Behold Thy Mother
John 19:27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home. In one of the handful of statements Jesus spoke from the Cross, He made sure that Mary, His mother, was included. Jesus was concerned that she would be cared for after His death. John 19:27 “Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother!” John was commissioned to provide for Mary and some historical accounts give evidence that she lived with him until her passing. Jesus only spoke seven statements as He hung from that instrument of…
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The Grind
In a rather obscure scripture, Elijah paused at what the Bible calls a broom tree and went to sleep. The emotional impact of Jezebel’s threats overwhelmed him as he collapsed in this nondescript place. An angel of the Lord came to feed him; his body was wasted from the prior event. The prophet fell back asleep as he needed the rest. Spiritual battles combined with daily duties are taxing on the mind and body. The constant running from one thing to another has left many with less energy and more anxiety. Some call it “the grind.” Elijah called fire down…
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Fruit of Your Harvest
2 Sam 10:2 Then said David, I will show kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father showed kindness unto me. It’s a small, almost obscure Scripture. We know nothing of Hanun, only that his father Nahash was kind to David. Now king, David, offers no insight into the reason for the blessing, only to say that Hanun’s reward had nothing to do with him. It was the actions of his father Nahash which David remembered. A handful of verses prior, David blessed Mephibosheth, who was the son of David’s covenant friend Jonathan. These blessings were given to…