Raising Our Ebenezers
One of the most famously obscure lines in any of our hymns appears in “O Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” It reads, “Here I raise my Ebenezer; hither by Thy help I’ve come.” Most of us, when we hear “Ebenezer,” tend to think “Scrooge,” so the line is confusing. It comes, though, from 1 Samuel […]
Outbursts of Wrath
“Wrath” is defined as “passion (as if breathing hard).” Thayer adds that it means “the rage with which the man pants and swells.” Vine offers that it is a more agitated condition of the feelings, an outburst of wrath from inward indignation — it quickly blazes up and quickly subsides, though that is not necessarily […]
Personal Responsibility
Christians have a serious responsibility to ensure that we only do what God wants. Knowing that we will be judged, we had better make sure that we are doing all of the Lord’s will (Romans 14:12). We would do well if all children of God had the same kind of attitude that Joshua had when […]
Heaven in the Home
God’s first institution was marriage. Genesis 2:24 says, “For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” God has always intended that the marriage bond would produce love and companionship between a man and his wife. The couple that solemnly […]
In All Its Forms
I’ve noticed on Facebook that several Christians have mentioned their participation in raffles, tournaments, etc. Gambling takes many forms: card games, dice, betting or pools, sweepstakes, and lottery tickets, slot machines, bingo (for money or prizes), and raffle tickets. Also, tournaments, where participants put money into a “pool,” then play to try to win money […]
Bear the Yoke in Youth
As the young ox has to be brought under the yoke, and as the young horse has to be accustomed to the bridle and bit, so the young person must learn the practical and valuable lessons of submission and endurance. Lamentations 3:27 says, “It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his […]
It’s Going to Be Prom Time Soon
Every Spring, teenagers all over the country will be thinking about prom. It used to be that prom was only for 18-year-old Seniors in high school, but for several years, proms have made their way into the middle grades. When one becomes a Christian, everything takes on a new perspective: “Therefore if any man is […]
Avoiding Immorality
In 1 Corinthians 10:8, Paul said, “Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day” (NASB). The KJV and ASV say, “Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.” The ESV says, “We must not indulge […]
You Wanna Bet?
The Institute of Social Research at the University of Michigan made an extensive survey that revealed that in 1974 two out of three Americans made a bet and that more than 30 billion dollars were being gambled away every year in the United States. A 1982 Gallop Poll revealed that 60% of all adults gamble […]
A Disgusting Hypocrisy
On May 13-15, 1998, in Jakarta, Indonesia, an “ethnic cleansing” occurred which resulted in many Chinese Indonesians being abused, tortured and killed. Hundreds of girls/women (aged 10-55) were sexually harassed and gang-raped. Some victims were raped in front of their family members or in front of a cheering crowd. of them were even thrown into […]