Up until the twentieth century, farms were familiar to everybody. It was common to see two animals yoked up to pull a coach, a wagon, a sled, a buggy, or a plow. You might see two oxen or two horses yoked up. What was not common was to see a horse and a…
As a youth, did you ever use a magnifying glass to concentrate sunlight on to a blade of grass until it began to smoke? Or on a bright day, have you seen your reflection in a piece of chrome? Driving to work on a recent winter morning, I had a motor accident. The sun was shining so intently into…
We live in a world full of chaos and misery. Disappointments mount. The consequences of living under the curse multiply. But the Christian can know real, deep joy. Paul and Timothy here testify what it was that brought them such joy. It was the testimony of their consciences about…
The church of Corinth was noted for its carnality and confusion. The verse before our text says, ‘God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.’ The chapter ends with a call to ‘Let all things be done decently and in order’ (v. 40). It’s hard to…
Every aircraft has emergency exits, and all buildings are built with more than one door in case of a fire. Similarly, our Lord ensures an escape route comes with every temptation to sin. There are several vital truths in this passage which are well worth pondering…
I was cleaning in a client’s home during yesterday’s Closing Ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Their TV was on and my clients were mesmerised. As Yseult sang Frank Sinatra’s song ‘My Way,’ tears welled up in my eyes. This song exalts…
Do we grasp how much we seek the approval of others? We want to fit in or even be outstanding in the eyes of society. It affects our choice of clothing, accessories, cosmetic surgeries, hair styles, and so forth. Some people spend…
Notice the three categories of people mentioned in this passage. I have underlined them above. Every human being who has ever lived, presently lives, or will someday live, fits into one of these three categories. Some of us have…
In most places if you left your door unlocked, you would expect to be robbed. But if I noticed that you had forgotten to lock up, and neglected to alert you, how would you feel about my negligence? We see our duty to sound the alarm in the physical realm, but do you…
Have you ever overslept your alarm? When I was about 20 years old, I remember receiving a phone call one Lord’s Day morning. I sprang out of bed, glanced at the clock, and was dumbfounded. Sleepily answering the phone, I heard my father-in-law’s concerned…
‘Why do you evangelical Christians love the Jewish people so much?’ I was recently asked. I replied that God has blessed the world (Genesis 12:2-3) by giving us the Bible (Romans 3:2) and the Saviour (Romans 9:5) through them. No finer…
Slaves made up a large portion of the population in Rome, as much as 1 in every 3 people you met on the street. They were considered inferior, mere property, with less rights than some people give their pets today. When a slave was sold, he did not…
