God Keeps His Promises and So Should We   Comedians do not have a monopoly on one-liners. Our prayers are one-liners when danger leaps in front of us out of nowhere. We cry, “Help!” Usually, we put all of ourselves into it. There is nothing half-hearted about them. During a crisis, King David cried, “Help, Lord” (Psalm 12:1).   David could not depend on others to keep their word. Time has not changed much. Ungodly people still use words to manipulate rather than communicate.

Mother asked, “What did your father say when he fell off the ladder?”   Billy asked, “Should I leave out the naughty words?”   Mother said, “Of course.”   Billy replied, “Nothing.”   Such language is profanity, not swearing. What is the difference? Profanity degrades God and men created in His image. Such "swearing" doesn't make you cool. Swearing in the Bible solemnly appeals to God to guarantee one’s truthfulness or good intentions. James 5:12 deals with swearing, not profa

Picture yourself at the bottom of the deepest ocean trench under 36,000 feet of lies. That is reality. “ Friend deceives friend, and no one speaks the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they weary themselves with sinning” (Jeremiah 9:5 NIV).   People pattern themselves unconsciously after the father of lies (John 8:44). Their words are weapons to get what they want. Politicians state the “truth” in ways that support their grip on or pursuit of power. With a few exc

Almost two thousand years ago, Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” (John 18:38). For some, it is the ever-changing fuzziness of whatever they want it to be. The Bible says Jesus is the essence of truth (John 14:6, Ephesians 4:21). He alone is the way to the Father and abundant life.   Those who live with another focus are not people of the truth, no matter how honest and moral they seem. People of the truth seek God’s glory.   All others seek their own (John 7:18). By defau

While Jesus and His disciples were in Jerusalem, one of His followers admired the Temple’s dazzling beauty. Jesus said it would be destroyed. Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked when this would happen. What signs will precede it?   Some see in Jesus’ response a timetable to predict the return of Christ. That misses His point entirely. He challenges you to watch. That includes living like a Christian during times of distress and upheaval.   Watch out because you can be dece

Are you a Christian who is like a cold glass of water on a hot day? Do your words, attitudes, and actions refresh others? Do you bring...

Without light, you would not be reading these words. I could not write them. Even if I could, you could not read them. Your eyes are useless without light. Furthermore, a dark world would have no food or water to sustain you.   A dark Earth would be unimaginably different. You would not be here. Neither would all living things--from the magnificent blue whale to the microscopic amoeba. Light spawns life.   The earth was once formless and empty. Darkness blanketed the oceans (

My first job was working on my uncle’s celery farm. I spent many hours weeding his celery plants, which grew in rows thirty inches apart,...

Andrew Cuomo resigned as Governor of New York State in 2021 after he was charged with sexually harassing women. In his resignation...

The LORD inspires and empowers my writing ministry of expressing Christian truths simply. My primary spiritual gift is teaching through...

Being brought up in the church, I had certain advantages. Church attendance was a habit (my father enforced it!). I regularly heard God’s...

Buying lottery tickets is not a wise investment. Buyers are more likely to be struck by lightning during their lifetime or die in an...

Do you ever go to a room and forget why? Far more seriously, do you frequently forget your spiritual responsibilities?   Nehemiah was the...

Prosperity is a tougher test than adversity. Wading through adversity is no picnic. When a loved one is dying of cancer, it’s hard....

I admit I drive faster than the posted speed limits. A friend says one can get away with traveling at the posted speed limit plus nine...

About 30 years ago, a woman in my congregation commented on my gray hair. I said, “I did not have that before I came to this church!”   I...

John, the son of Zebedee, had a grand vision of Jesus Christ one Sunday while working at a prison camp on the Isle of Patmos. As a...

The Stable Path   If we heed evil advice, we will eventually live as evil people do. They will tempt us to adopt the most fatal of evil...

As believers, we are on earth to live for Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:15). It is the right and best thing to do. But too often, lesser...

The laborers and their wives in Jerusalem were upset and on strike. They had their reasons. Some could not feed their families (Nehemiah...