Egypt is a mess. Speaking through his servant Moses, the Lord has commanded Pharaoh to release his enslaved people. The king of Egypt has stubbornly resisted. Who is this God of yours? I don’t know him. Severe plagues have hammered the land—blood in the Nile, swarms of frogs, gnats, flies, dead cattle, boils, hail. Before…
Gossip is a serious offense. Paul lists it with sins such as murder and hating God (Rom. 1:29-30). But is it accurate to define gossip as “saying bad things about other people”? No. Sometimes, saying bad things about others is necessary. Consider a few examples. Revealing bad things about others is necessary if silence would…
Moses has been tending sheep in the desert for 40 years. He isn’t really interested in God’s plan to send him back to Egypt to lead the Hebrews out of bondage. So he argues with God, posing one objection after another. I’m not eloquent, Moses says. Biblical evidence argues otherwise. So why does he say…
It sometimes seems that God’s word is failing to prove true. If the Lord has threatened to bring calamity on the wicked and promised to stand by his people in adversity, why do the evil prosper while the righteous suffer? Although such questions are troubling, the reality is that in his own time God always…
Young Moses understood that God had called him to lead the Hebrews out of Egyptian slavery. He was the perfect choice for the task, after all. Pharaoh’s own daughter had adopted him as her son. So Moses had connections in the highest places. He had power and property. He had the finest education. The people…
Some years ago I heard an amusing news story about the escape of 31 Ugandan prisoners charged with illegal gun possession. Five guards were watching the men as they worked in the prison garden. When a bunny suddenly bounded out of nearby bushes, all five guards raced away in hot pursuit. All 31 inmates raced…
By Brent Smith [Brent is the preaching minister of the Trenton Church of Christ in Trenton, Tennessee.] Aside from the obvious political connotations, what am I really praying for when I ask God to make America great again? Studies show that abortions in the U.S. have decreased by more than 10% since 2010. In that…
If my neighbors next door are struggling financially, is it biblically acceptable for me to give my contribution money to them instead of the church? Excluding family responsibilities, financial giving includes two important obligations. First, I must offer a regular donation to the work of the local church. “On the first day of every week,”…
Have you ever noticed how annoying it is when a cell phone rings in a public place? Perhaps you’re in a restaurant, chatting quietly with your family. Or you’re waiting in the doctor’s office, absorbed in an interesting magazine article. And then the phone in someone’s purse or pocket blares unexpectedly. The one-sided conversation that…
The name Jacob comes from the Hebrew word for “heel.” When big brother Esau is born, Jacob is right behind him—clinging firmly to his foot. Jacob is a heel-holder, a wrestler always manipulating, outmaneuvering, and outwitting others. But tonight he is out of aces. Tonight his pride finally meets its master. Jacob is returning home…
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