Jesus was approached by the Sadducees in Matthew 22:23-33 with a ridiculous question about marriage in heaven. They described a situation where a woman had been married to a series of brothers (one at a time) after following the Old Testament law. Jesus was asked whose wife she was in heaven since she had been …
Many novels and movies these days are set in the near future, and they generally have something in common. The future most of us expect is a disaster. Whether that means living through world wars, nuclear disasters, environmental catastrophes, or cruel dictatorial governments, most visions of the future are bad. There are many who have …
When Jesus entered the temple in Jerusalem in Matthew 21, he did something very odd. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling pigeons. And he said this: “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” (Matt. …
Ahab and Jezebel and their family ruled Israel as tyrants; we read of their exploits in the latter part of the book of 1 Kings. They were not satisfied with setting up an alternative religion to Baal instead of worshipping the true God. They went much further than this, seeking out God’s prophets to kill …
Many single Christians, at some stage, will wonder if it is really that bad to marry someone who doesn’t trust in Jesus. After all, that nice guy or girl we know ticks almost all of the boxes we are looking for! They have their lives together, they are so nice and fun and interesting, and …
How much information do you receive every day? If you are anything like me, it is a lot. Much of it is kind of incidental; we learn things from speaking with people and going about our day. We absorb information from social media and the news; far more information than people of most previous generations …
We often think of God as the one who saves his people and works on their behalf. But the Biblical view of God is much wider than this. Consider this verse, for example: Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because …
2 Kings 5 introduces us to a Syrian general named Naaman. He travelled to Israel to be healed of his leprosy after hearing that a prophet named Elisha could heal him. After his remarkable healing, this powerful man was changed in deep ways. He showed humility that wasn’t evident before and he confessed that the …
When Elisha healed the foreign army general Naaman from leprosy, he left to return home a changed man. That is where we might expect the story to finish, but the writer of 2 Kings includes the actions of Naaman’s servant Gehazi as well. Gehazi was upset that Naaman had brought such a lot of money …
Samuel had a most unusual childhood. He was born as the result of God listening to the prayer of his mother, Hannah, who had been barren for many years. Samuel was given to God’s service and spent his life serving the priest Eli at Shiloh. He was faithful to God from a very young age …