Joel: Prophet of Repentance
Read: Joel 2:1-3, 30-32, Joel 3:12-13, 16 Have you ever thought about the coming day of Judgment? People ought to! And God’s spokesman Joel tells us what to do to be ready for that awesome day. The end-times are a hot topic nowadays. Books, articles, pamphlets and sermons are all addressing the subject with increasing frequency. Part […]
Amos: Prophet of Justice
Read: Amos 2:6-12, Amos 3:2 Listen with me to the stern message that God’s spokesman Amos delivered to a people who were prosperous, powerful, and proud. There is an old saying: “Don’t kill the messenger for bringing bad news.” It isn’t fair, of course, but it still happens. Someone honestly and without malice relays news we don’t […]
Elijah: Prophet of Courage
Read: 1 Kings 18:17-39 When it comes to the hard choices in life, many people like to put them off. But one of God’s greatest spokesmen can help us make the most important choice of all. In the ancient world, every tribe had a special class of religious leaders. They were called by different names—shamans, witch […]
God Has Spoken
Read: Hebrews 1:1-4 Over the years God spoke his word to people through many different prophets. But when he wanted to communicate his most important message, God sent his Son into the world. Think of the amazing revolution in communications we have witnessed over the past hundred years. First was the telephone, towards the end of […]
When You’re Condemning Yourself
Read: Romans 8:1 Nobody likes to feel guilty, least of all when you’re the one condemning yourself. You can try to stifle your conscience or you can use the gospel way to deal with feelings of condemnation. “I can’t forgive myself after what I’ve done . . . I hate myself for the way I’ve acted […]
Our Prayers are a Sweet Aroma to The Lord
READ : Revelation 5:6-12 “…Angels were holding golden bowls, full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints” (v. 8). “Another angel…was given a great quantity of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints” (Rev. 8:3). Do you remember the wonderful aroma of cookies baking, the smell of a freshly bathed baby, […]
A Man of Sorrows
Read: Isaiah 53:3 He could have been called a man of holiness, for he lived a perfect life. He could have been called a man of love, for no one was ever kinder. But the Gospel according to Isaiah calls Jesus “a man of sorrows.” What a name! Line by line and phrase by phrase […]
Despised and Rejected
Read: Isaiah 53:3 Of all the hurts life can inflict upon us, none is more bitter than the pain of rejection. It might surprise you to know that God’s own Son experienced that pain too. Of all the pains life can hold, of all the hurts others can inflict, among the bitterest is the pain and […]
Love is Sacrificial
Read: 1 Corinthians 13:5 In a world that says, “I want it my way,” lovers must learn to say, “Not my way, but yours.” I continue to be impressed by the way the great love song of the Bible explains what love is by describing what love does. Here is love’s definition: “Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous […]