According to Hebrew law, a slave could permanently bind himself to his master if he so desired. Upon making the request, the slave would then be brought to the door post where his ear would be pierced with an awl, signifying to all his devotion to his family and his master (Exodus 21:5-6). “Pierce My Ear” is a song that highlights this ancient ritual, and it serves as a reminder that (1) we have been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23), and (2) of the dedication and devotion that we are to have toward God. May we constantly remind ourselves as Christians that we have been crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20). We have crucified the flesh with its passions (Galatians 5:24). Through the cross of Christ the world has been crucified to us, and we to the world (Galatians 6:14).

Same-sex marriage is now legal in the state of Alabama. Many are hailing this as a victory, a victory for love. They feel that we are moving in the right direction as a nation, and that those who oppose this are on the wrong side of history. To be completely honest, I have no idea what people mean when they say that I’m on the wrong side of history for saying that same-sex marriage is not approved by God. To be completely honest again, I’m not at all concerned about being on “history’s” side, but rather being on God’s side, since that is the only side that matters. So what can I do now that same-sex marriage is here? First of all, I can continue to educate others on what God says about the marriage relationship. Second, I can continue to love and to minister to those who struggle with sin of any kind. Third, I can pray that people realize that true love wants others to go to heaven and would never compromise that opportunity for selfish desires.

Some people never learn. They neither learn from history in general, nor do they learn from their own past. Take the nation of Israel, for instance. Even by the time of David, the vast majority still had little faith in God. In 1 Samuel 17, the armies of God were fighting the Philistines. Each army was encamped on a mountain with a valley between them, and each was waiting for the other to go down into the valley first. As the armies were working themselves into a frenzy, the Philistine behemoth of a man, standing (conservatively) anywhere from 9-9.5 feet tall, challenged any of the Israelites to single combat. The winner of the fight would be the winner of the war. For 40 days this giant from Gath, named Goliath, challenged the armies of God, and for 40 days his challenge went unaccepted. Goliath was quite a large man, thus very intimidating, but it seems that, once again, Israel forgot how big God is. Despite all the thousands of soldiers that Saul had under his command, the challenge was accepted by a young shepherd boy who remembered the past, specifically his own. This boy remembered that God delivered him from the paws of the lion and the bear, and he trusted that God would deliver him from the hand of this Philistine. If we will remember that God is bigger than any giant we could ever face, who knows what we could accomplish!

Though it started out as a daytrip for David, his episode with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11) turned into something far worse. David saw a beautiful woman bathing, but instead of averting his eyes or leaving the roof, he sent for her, even when he found out that she was married to one of his mighty men, no less. Perhaps he thought that since her husband was far away that he would never find out. Whatever the case, something unexpected happened; Bathsheba became pregnant. As the account unfolded, Uriah (Bathsheba’s husband) was brought home to be with his wife, to cover things up. David underestimated his loyalty. Uriah refused to go home to his wife, so he slept at the gate of David’s house. Finally, David sent Uriah back to the front carrying his own death warrant. David got rid of the problem the only way he knew how. Do you think David ever thought his one-night stand would ever end up with him murdering one of his mighty men? If David knew that his daytrip would turn out this way, do you think he would have ever started down that road? [Editor’s Note: Of course, we can learn something from that old-time soap opera whereby we can guard our paths through this life to eternity. ~ Louis Rushmore, Editor]

Luke 15 tells the story of a young man who approached his father and demanded his inheritance. The son left his father’s house and traveled to a far country where he squandered his inheritance with loose living. Doubtless, the young man thought he knew it all already, but the sad truth is that he learned far more in that far country than he ever wanted to know. He learned what it meant to be in need (14). He learned what it meant to be hungry (15). He learned all about shame and guilt, too. He was embarrassed to return to his father’s house, but he decided to go anyway to be made a servant even though he was a son (17-19). The truth of the matter is that sin is a master teacher, but it specializes in heartache and despair. Education is important, but the price of this school is far too high.

Samson loved to flirt with danger, and he loved to play with fire; eventually he got burned. Samson loved a woman named Delilah, and the Philistines offered to pay her a great price to discover the secret of his strength and how they could overcome him (Judges 16:4ff). Samson would tell her various things, and then the Philistines would come to capture him. He would break his bonds and defeat his would-be captors, only to repeat the same scenario several times. Samson thought he could handle it; Samson thought he was in control. Samson was toying with sin, and then, it was time for sin to toy with Samson. He finally broke down and told Delilah the truth about his strength; she shaved his head and the Philistines captured him. When the time came for Samson to pay up, he found it was much more than for which he bargained. He lost his strength, his eyes, his freedom and his honor, all in a flash. Samson was the strongest man who ever lived, yet all his strength was not enough. Sin still got the best of him. [Editor’s Note: How close dare we allow ourselves to come to sin? What is worth risking being overcome by sin (Matthew 16:26)? The wages of sin is terminal (Romans 6:23). ~ Louis Rushmore, Editor]

The song, “Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross,” is really a plea. When we sing this song, we plead to be reminded of the salvation that flows so freely from Calvary’s mountain, and we plead that we remember that in the cross alone do we have reason to boast (Galatians 6:14). The cross of Jesus (and through His resurrection) was where love and mercy won the day, paving the way for anyone who desires to enter the blessed light of the bright and morning star. May we never forget that God took on flesh (John 1:1-14) and ransomed Himself for us (1 Timothy 2:6). May we ever live our lives walking in the shadow of the cross!

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “prophet” or “prophecy”? You might think of a prophet as a teller of future doom, or a prophecy as a mysterious message filled with frightening and terrible imagery. When it comes to biblical prophets, this is not entirely accurate; yet, it is not too far off the mark, either. A prophet would occasionally tell of a future doom, but there was more to his message. The coming doom would be in response to the wickedness of the people. Therefore, the prophet, as God’s spokesman, would issue warnings either to submit to the coming enemy (as was the case in Jeremiah) or to repent (as was the case with Jonah). Sometimes the message would be veiled and elaborate (like Zechariah’s preaching), while at other times it was simple and straightforward (like Haggai). Jesus fills the role of Prophet as God’s spokesman by declaring the will of God to us. He announced at His first coming that the kingdom of God was near and that it was time to repent (Mark 1:15). In His preaching, He also gave warnings concerning the future. He foretold that Jerusalem was to be destroyed, and He warned all who would listen to leave the city when they saw Jerusalem surrounded by armies (Luke 21:20). He gave another future warning, this one concerning eternity: “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those …

What is the difference between a priest and a prophet? In college I heard someone put it this way: The duty of the prophet was to represent God to the people, whereas the priest represented the people to God. Prophets were sent to preach repentance, but priests were continuously serving in the Tabernacle and in the Temple. It was the priest who administered the sacrifices on behalf of the people. The priest, then, and especially the high priest, was a mediator to God for the people. As Christ, this is another one of the major roles Jesus came to fill. He came to serve as our Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 8:6; 9:15; 12:24) and our High Priest (Hebrews 2:17; 4:14-15; 5:10; 6:20; 9:11). However, instead of offering sacrifices on a daily or on a yearly basis, He offered Himself once for all (Hebrews 7:27), having entered the Holy Place once for all. Jesus Christ obtained eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12). As Christ, Jesus is the perfect and eternal High Priest.

And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war. And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself. And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Revelation 19:11-16) The message of the New Testament is not “try Jesus.” The message of the New Testament is “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ – this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:36).

“I need Thee, O I need Thee; every hour I need Thee! O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee.” This is the chorus to the 19th century hymn, “I Need Thee Every Hour.” One question I want us to consider is, “Is this true?” In other words, do we really need the Lord every hour? Or, do we just need Him when we are in trouble? Too many of us are like the nation of Israel in the Book of Judges; the only time they needed God was when they were attacked and enslaved by a rival nation. After God delivered the people, however, they went back to their own way, which didn’t include God, until the next time they were in trouble. If we sing with the understanding, then when we sing this song, we understand that God is not a crutch to be used only in times of trouble and trial, but rather in God “we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:28). When we understand this, then can we truly sing, “Come quickly and abide, or life is vain.”

In a world of ever increasing doubt and skepticism, it is only a matter of time before the idea of questioning whether Jesus really lived surfaces again, and this time with more force. With the availability of the Internet, especially social media, it is likely that the issue will surface sooner rather than later. Therefore, we need to be prepared to give an answer. How can we know that Jesus of Nazareth, who is the Christ, really lived? How do we know He is not just a literary character used to teach a moral code? Is there any proof of Him outside of the Scriptures or outside of early Christian literature? The answer is, “Yes.” There is material that refers to Jesus outside of the Bible and early Christian literature, and it comes from the end of the first century. There are a number who could be cited, but the most prominent is Josephus, a Jewish general who fought in the war with Rome. Yet, later he was adopted into the Flavian family when he predicted that Vespasian would become the Emperor. Thus, Josephus is both a Jewish and a Roman witness to Jesus. Neither the Jews nor the Romans, if you remember, were exactly on good terms with Christians. Josephus wrote about the days when Pontius Pilate was Procurator of Judah, “Now, there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works – …

Jonah had one job – go preach to Nineveh. However, Jonah did not want to go. Instead, he decided to board a ship and head to Tarshish, thinking that he could escape the presence of the Lord. While on the sea, God hurled a great wind and brought up a great storm so that all the sailors became afraid. They began tossing the cargo into the sea and praying to their gods, but Jonah was asleep. They cast lots to see whose fault it was that they were in the midst of this great storm, and the lot fell to Jonah, who then instructed them to throw him overboard to stop the storm. The Lord then appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and there he stayed for three days and three nights. Jonah’s trip to the far country (cf. Luke 15:11-32) did not turn out to be as he had hoped, which is typical of sin. Often, we start down the road because we want to see what it’s like; we want to test the waters. However, once we get started on the road of sin, exits and U-turns are hard to find. Soon enough, we find ourselves encompassed and engulfed (Jonah 2:5). [Editor’s Note: The youthful pleasures of sin (Hebrews 11:25; 2 Timothy 2:22), if we are not careful, can last a lifetime. The Bible provides every student of it the opportunity to view the outcome of alternate paths through life that lie ahead. Thereby, one can conscientiously and …

There are some who attempt to argue that it is impossible for a Christian to fall from grace. They will further argue that those who have fallen from grace have not in-fact fallen because they were never saved in the first place. The problems with these lines of thinking are many, but space permits only a short response. Both of these problems can be answered by a single verse – Galatians 5:4. In this letter that Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia (1:2), he stated quite unequivocally that anyone who wants to be justified by the Law of Moses has been severed from Christ and has fallen from grace. First of all, if it is impossible to fall from grace, was Paul wrong (and by extension, was God wrong, 2 Timothy 3:16)? Secondly, for something to be severed it first must have been attached, and to fall from somewhere necessarily implies being there previously. Falling from grace is a very real danger about which the New Testament warns over and over again. This is why it is imperative that we walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh (Galatians 5:16-24).

It is inevitable that in life you will come across people who don’t like you very much, and you won’t like them very much either. These people will be a part of your daily life, but getting along with them is nearly impossible. What are we supposed to do? How are we supposed to handle ourselves in these situations? First of all, we have to remember that we are children of God, and we have been commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves (Luke 10:25-37). This includes not only loving those who love you, but praying for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:43-48). When was the last time you prayed for those you did not count as friends? Secondly, take encouragement from the Master. Think about Jesus on the cross for a moment. Luke 23:34 records Jesus pleading with the Father to “forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” The Master not only taught it, but He lived it. Anytime we feel discouraged, or that we simply cannot do it, remember the One who died for you. Remember also why He died for you (Romans 5:6-8).

Matthew 7:1 is one of the more well-known verses in the Bible. Most people, even if they know next to nothing about the Bible, can usually quote this verse. It’s quite a popular defense for people to use when someone tries to point out a fault. The problem is that most people who use this have no idea what Jesus was actually discussing. Thus, this Scripture has also become one of the more misused verses in the Bible. Satan wants us to think that this verse means that we cannot point out anyone’s wrong, especially since we all have our own skeletons in the closet. All of us have shortcomings, and sometimes even the most righteous people commit sin (Romans 3:10, 23). As a matter of fact, a popular tagalong verse is John 8:7 where Jesus said, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to cast a stone at her.” Satan would love for us to think that we should never point out a wrong since we are not perfect ourselves. He would love for us to idly watch our brethren drift off the straight and narrow to head straight for spiritual death (Romans 6:23). So what does Matthew 7:1 mean if it doesn’t mean that we cannot point out error? Consider the context of the Sermon on the Mount – it’s all about attitude. Verse 2 really is the key. Do we want to be condemned by those who practice their righteousness to be seen of …

The incident reported in the first 11 verses of John are an attempt to trap Jesus into breaking Mosaic Law or Roman law. Mosaic Law stated that those caught in adultery were to be put to death (Leviticus 20:10). However, the Romans stripped the Jews of the right to perform their own executions. If Jesus condemned the woman according to the Mosaic Law, she should be stoned, but if He did then He would be turned over to the Roman authorities as an insurrectionist. On the other hand, if Jesus did not condemn her, than He would have broken the Mosaic Law, and thus He would have been a false teacher. Whichever way Jesus took would be a win for the Pharisees, because He would either be executed by the Romans or He would be discredited. However, Jesus saw through the ploy and knew there was something fishy going on. The Pharisees were right when they spoke of the law commanding her to be stoned, but the law also taught that the man was to be stoned as well. If this woman was really caught in the act as they claimed, there should have been two standing before Jesus, not just one. When Jesus said, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her,” He acknowledged that He was on to their scheme, and that they were just as guilty, if not more so, than the woman. Jesus never condoned her sin, …

 What was Jonah thinking? The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city, and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. (Jonah 1:1-3) What in the world would possess a prophet of God to think that he could hide from Him? What would make Jonah think that he could simply run from God to any place and expect God not to be there or be able to find him? Jonah was contemporary with Amos, but Jonah might not have read what Amos wrote (9:2-4). However, he did have the words of David (Psalm 139:7-12), which is more or less the same message that one cannot hide from God. There is nowhere anyone can go that God is not there or that He cannot see you. None can escape God, and there is no hiding place that will ever fool God – not even in the belly of a ship destined for a foreign land. God is there!

The Internet age has brought with it a lot of wonderful opportunities, and also it brings a lot of terrible ones. There are more and more ways to facilitate sin, as well as to cover it up. Lest we ever think that we can now do as we please with no consequences, remember that God knows and will hold us accountable (Ecclesiastes 12:14).

How many people want things and never get them because they do not ask? How many people need things and never get them because they do not ask? Jesus tells us very plainly in the Sermon on the Mount that as God’s children we do not need to be hesitant to ask God for the things we need. As humans, being the fallen creatures that we are, we know how to give our own children the things that they need. We provide for our families and give them the things that they need, so how much more can God provide for us if we just ask? We need to make sure we understand that Matthew 7:7-11 is not a blanket statement that God will give us everything for which we ask. Many people get so upset because God does not give them everything they request; the reality is that He has never promised to give us all of our wants. We know this is true in this section especially by the example given: bread and fish. When a child asks his father for things that he needs, like food, it will be given to him. When we ask our Father for the things that we need, like food, clothing and shelter (Matthew 6:25-34), He will provide them for us. The Lord will provide (Genesis 22:14). [Editor’s Note: Yes, God provides, but there is some truth to the old adage that “God helps those who help themselves.” Man must do his part. …