Peter concludes his second letter with a beautiful and rewarding challenge. He says, “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18). While most Christians realize that growth in the “knowledge of our Lord” results primarily from more committed Bible study, the exhortation to grow in grace may…
The Genesis account of Joseph is a familiar Bible story. Even small children in Sunday school classes hear about the beautiful robe worn by Jacob’s favorite son. Joseph was only 17 when his older brothers stripped from him that symbol of their father’s partiality and sold him as a slave for 20 pieces of silver.…
At the conclusion of his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks of two roads. “Enter by the narrow gate,” he says. “For the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads…
By Brent Smith [Brent is the preaching minister of the Trenton Church of Christ in Trenton, TN.] The dictionary says that culture is “the sum of attitudes, customs, and beliefs that distinguishes one group of people from another. Culture is transmitted, through language, material objects, ritual, institutions, and art, from one generation to the next”…
Boaz is a wealthy and morally upright farmer living in Bethlehem. Ruth, his future wife, is a young girl from the neighboring country of Moab. When they meet, he urges her to glean after the reapers in his barley fields. He promises his protection. “Have I not charged the young men not to molest you?”…
The Syrophoenician’s Sick Child By David Wright Introduction Grace Tillery was born in Montgomery, Alabama, a few months before the great stock market crash of 1929. In the fall of 1952, when she was 23, Grace met her future husband. Doyle knew almost immediately that he wanted to marry her. She was a tall, slim,…
Jesus leads Peter, James, and John up a high mountain (probably Mt. Hermon, elevation 9,232 feet). His face shines like the sun. His clothing becomes a dazzling white. And then Moses and Elijah appear with him in glory, talking with him about his coming ordeal in Jerusalem. Overawed, Peter proposes making three booths (or…
By Brent Smith [Brent is the preaching minister of the Trenton Church of Christ in Trenton, TN.] Ben-Hadad, king of Syria, besieged Samaria, the capital of Israel. The siege cut off the city’s food supplies, and its inhabitants began to starve. One of the women of the city called out to the king for help.…
The Jews plotted the death of Jesus, and the Romans executed him. The temple officers blindfolded him, mocked him, spat on him, and struck his face with their fists. The soldiers whipped him, crowned him with thorns, struck his head with a mock scepter, and crucified him. The suffering of Jesus was severe. No question…
Esther’s Endangered Life By David Wright Introduction Women and small children crowd the waiting room. Most of the patients are pregnant women or new mothers, but some have come to the clinic for a routine checkup. Marlena, who has always dreaded her annual exam, now fervently wishes that she were here waiting for one. Sitting…