1 John 4:8 says, “God is love.” However simple those three words (four in Greek), the idea behind them is so deep, so profound, that we can barely grasp their implications. They don’t say that God loves, or that God reveals love, or that God is a manifestation of love but that God is love. Is love — as if … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Isaiah 14:12-14, Ezekiel 28:12-17, Genesis 3:1-7, Genesis 12:1-3, Acts 7:20-36, Exodus 19:4-8. Memory Text: “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:8). The book of Deuteronomy, of course, did not arise in a vacuum. As with everything in life, Deuteronomy exists in a context; and, as with everything … Continue reading –>
The Book of the Covenant: Deuteronomy The story goes like this: during the reign of King Josiah in Jerusalem (640-609 B.C.), someone, probably working in the temple, found a copy of a book, and the book was read before King Josiah. “Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Book of the … Continue reading –>
Tough First Day of School By Andrew McChesney The first day of school was hard for Niang Muang. Really, really hard. The 9-year-old girl had arrived in the United States only a month earlier from Myanmar. Her parents were refugees. She didn’t know English, and she didn’t have any friends. “Hello, what’s your name?” a … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: “We all desire immediate and direct answers to our prayers, and are tempted to become discouraged when the answer is delayed or comes in an unlooked-for form. But God is too wise and good to answer our prayers always at just the time and in just the manner we desire. He will do … Continue reading –>
One of the most-used apps on our smartphones is Google Maps. Most of us cannot remember what we did before GPS-based maps existed on our phones. We may be nervous heading toward a place that we have never been to before, but with Google Maps on our phones, we can confidently venture out and find … Continue reading –>
For long centuries now, Christians have been awaiting Christ’s return. It is, truly, the culmination of all our hopes — and not just ours, but the hopes of all God’s faithful throughout all history. Read Hebrews 11:13-16. What great promise is there, not just for the people of old but for ourselves, as well? In many … Continue reading –>
The prophetic big picture of history doesn’t just allow us to sit back and do nothing as events unfold, events that we really can’t control. So often the attitude can be, “Well, final events are going to happen as predicted, so what can we do about it other than just simply go along with them? … Continue reading –>
On the Mount of Olives, Jesus painted history in broad strokes as He responded to the questions of the disciples: “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3). Jesus’ famous sermon, recorded in Matthew 24, covers the uninterrupted, historical … Continue reading –>
The oldest surviving disciple actually to have been with Jesus sat on a rocky prison island far from everything that was near and dear to him. What must have been going on in John’s mind as he found himself stranded on this desolate island? How did he wind up here, and like this, too? After … Continue reading –>
