One time I received an interesting email forwarded by my good friend Dwight. It suggested that without God the days of our week would be Sinday, Mournday, Tearsday, Wasteday, Thirstday, Fightday, and Shatterday. Good point. I’ve often wondered why anyone would want to live even one day without God! In his letter to the Ephesians,…
When the Jerusalem council on circumcision ended, Paul and Barnabas returned to Syrian Antioch. After a time Paul proposed that they make a second missionary trip together: “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are” (Acts 15:36). Barnabas agreed to…
The individual follower of Jesus is biblically known as a disciple, believer, saint, or Christian. Collectively, believers are called the church, the body, the bride, and so on. Each of these descriptions emphasizes a different aspect of our relationship with Jesus. Church of Christ. The Greek word translated “church” means “assembly.” While someone may say…
Elisha’s young servant was in a panic. His mouth was dry, his hands were sweaty, and his heart was threatening to pound out of his chest. The prophet Elisha had repeatedly interfered with the Arameans’ military plans against Israel, and now a great army sent by the king of Aram was at Dothan to seize…
Christians tend to separate sins into two categories: “big sins” and “little sins.” It’s sometimes said that little wrongs are mine and big transgressions are yours. Perhaps it’s just as common for the church to think that big sins are only the transgressions associated with social disgrace. For example, a man sins big if he…
Politicians say that building a wall to secure the southern border of the U.S. would be “immoral.” So it’s a sin? God is against it? He wouldn’t have anything to do with a nation’s protecting its citizens with a physical barrier? Well, what about the Old Testament story of Nehemiah? This Jewish man was the…
Rachel’s Empty Arms By David Wright Introduction: 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…
Mrs. Lot’s Worldly Home By David Wright On the afternoon of February 26, 2004, I was sitting in a medical clinic waiting room. A television tuned to CNN’s “Headline News” was announcing the day’s top stories. In the preceding two weeks, the mayor of San Francisco had been issuing illegal marriage licenses to same-gender couples.…
Mary’s Embarrassing Pregnancy By David Wright Introduction Whitney was an outstanding student in high school. Her GPA was a perfect 4.0. The most difficult courses—chemistry, physics, calculus, trigonometry—were her favorites. Her impressive ACT and SAT scores earned her a full scholarship at the state university 15 miles from home. Whitney is now 19, a second-semester…
The Samaritan Woman’s Immoral Lifestyle By David Wright Introduction One afternoon when I was preaching in Mississippi, my home phone rang. When I answered, a stranger introduced herself and then went straight to the point of her call. She wanted me to perform her wedding ceremony. Since her voice had the husky sound of a…