“Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.” (Proverbs 12:1) This verse purports that those who strive to attain knowledge (whether it be Biblical or general), will delight in the instructions given to them. This person will yearn to bear the fruits of their training or instruction. Those who seek to stomp out these convictions in themself or others are akin to a dumb brute beast, completely devoid of sense. The difference between man a

“…and Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou? Who answered, Give me a blessing; for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper and the nether springs.” (Joshua 15:18-19) To even the most avid student of biblical history a continuous list of geographical boundaries can make for rather tedious and wearisome reading, their importance notwithstanding. Therefore, to come upon something like the account of Caleb’s daughter, and her re

“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?“ (John 11:25-26) Lazarus of Bethany, a devout follower of Christ, had fallen sick and was nearing death. His sisters, Mary and Martha, sent word to Jesus and explained how their brother was ill and would pass quickly if He didn’t hurry. They refer to their brother as “he whom

“In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.” (Isaiah 54:8) Whatever is promised in this chapter belongs to all who are true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet concludes the chapter by saying, “This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.” (Vs. 17) The matchless promises, assurance, and blessings are the property

“Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 21:13) Currently in Acts, Paul is on his way to Jerusalem. Paul had heard warnings for months not to go there; the Christians in Tyre and Caesarea specifically warned him. Once the prophet, Agabus, came down from Judea to meet them at Philip’s house, where he also warned him, even Paul’s own followers began

“And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” (Matthew 14:31) Jesus first rescued Peter from sinking into the water, and then He asked this question: “Wherefore didst thou doubt?” He did not begin His dealings with Peter’s emergency with censure and inquiry. When a brother is in trouble, let us first help him out, then we can reprove him for having gotten himself into it, if it seems ne

“Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” (I Corinthians 11:1) In Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth, he seeks to confront them and address their issues, as any successful head coach would. Scripture was originally written without chapter divisions, and thus, this verse is best understood to conclude Paul's thoughts in chapter ten. So, in 10:33, Paul described his desire to please everyone in everything he does. Paul did not mean that pleasing other peop

“For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou, must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.” (Acts 27:23, 24) Paul was put into a ship, - into a ship among thieves and other criminals, - into a ship among sailors and soldiers, who were not known as the best of men in those days, but he was put there for their good. This we can lay down as a general theory, that there

“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” (Romans 8:16) The Holy Spirit, in His character as a witness, not only bears witness for Christ, but He also witnesses to the children of God. This He has made clear in His Word: “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself...” (I John 5:10) “Hereby know we that dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.” (I John 4:13) “Who hath also sealed us, an

“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” (Daniel 2:44) King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, is having wild dreams that require interpretation. After some initial misguided attempts, Nebuchadnezzar turns to Daniel. In the first chapter, Daniel and his friends, notably wise and

“…after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13, 14) It is a wonderful thing that the eternal God should make promises to His creatures. Yet, not only has He done so, He has made a covenant of grace with His people in which He has confirmed His promises not only by pledge, but also by oath, “That by two immutable t

“And when ye come into an house, salute it. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.” (Matthew 10:12-15) Currently, in the book of Matthew, Jesus i

“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” (Jude 24, 25) It is important that we consider Jude’s burden in writing this very short but full epistle. He is warning believers of the danger of apostasy. He was not alone in his concern. We find an almost exact parallel to Jude’s epistle in

“And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.” (Acts 27:22-25) At this point in chapter 27, Paul and his constitue

“And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house.” (I Kings 5:17) Solomon began the building of the Temple of God at the foundation. With this unseen but vital part of the structure he spared no expense or effort, but laid great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones. This house, when finished, would be one of the great wonders of all time. People of rank would make long and arduous journeys to see t

“There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.” (I Kings 8:9) At this point in the book of I Kings, the dedication of the Temple built by Solomon is detailed. Earlier, Solomon made clear his desire to build the house his father, David, had intended to build for the Lord. David was unable to construct this house because of the wars o

“And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” (I Corinthians 15:8-10) In this chapter, Paul emphasizes to the church that believing the Go

“And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.” (Mark 16:2-4) These devout women were on their way to the tomb to perform that loving service for which they had before made preparation but had to postpone due to the Sabbath. When

“And they called Rebeckah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.” (Genesis 24:58) “This man” in the text is Abraham’s servant, whom he had sent on an extremely important mission. This trusted servant was to go to the country from where Abraham came, and to his kindred, and take a wife unto his son, Isaac. (Vs. 1-4) The errand could not have been more weighty, for in Isaac would the covenant seed be called. (Rom. 9:7) The fulfillment of the

“My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:” (Proverbs 6:20-23) Proverbs is all about passing on wisdom from father to son. Physically, of course, f