October 2024
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Once in a college Bible class, I remember observing some ancient broken pottery discovered in an archaeological dig. These pieces used to be whole useful pots and vessels, but now they were in shambles. However, the professor had one whole pot that was reassembled from several shards of pottery. While it was old and fragile,
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Look at this Scripture with me: “And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging
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I was reading Matthew 27 this morning and saw what several people did with Jesus. He was: betrayed (Judas), rejected (Pharisees), avoided (Pilate’s wife), set up (chief priests and elders), abandoned (Pilate), mocked (crowd), beaten (soldiers), crucified (everyone), honored (centurion), received (one of thieves on cross), shown compassion (someone in crowd with something to drink),
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A few years ago, I went deep-sea diving with my father-in-law. We geared up, dove in, and prepared to explore. Every diver has a tank of breathable air that will last approximately one hour (depending on how deep you dive, how you regulate your breathing, etc.). As an inexperienced diver, I used my air pretty
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Psalm 118 ends the Egyptian hallel (Psalm 113-118) with thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is more than a holiday, it’s a lifestyle. The psalmist began and ended the psalm with, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever” (Psalm 118:1, 29). This is a psalm of thanksgiving and also a psalm of praise.
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Thinking about this Scripture just now. “If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success” (Ecclesiastes 10:10). Sometimes spiritual growth is stagnant because we try to make something happen in our own power, knowledge, and experience. Sometimes we are lazy, stubborn, hesitant, and even ignorant. Sometimes
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The shortest Psalm and shortest chapter in the whole Bible packs a mega punch. You don’t have to always be long-winded to praise the Lord. The psalmist of Psalm 117 did it in three short sentences. These verses simply remind everyone everywhere to praise the Lord for His great love and faithfulness! The psalmist began
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There’s always a gospel opportunity around every corner! This morning as I was walking, a guy appeared and started walking about 100 yards in front of me. Immediately the Holy Spirit said pray for him. I did. I started walking faster in hopes I would catch up to him. Eventually I did and said, “This
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One of the reasons I love the Lord is that He always hears our prayers. Think about it: He’s always listening! He’s never distracted, distant, or disinterested. He loves to hear from His children! Once, I went to a trusted advisor for some counseling on a tough issue and he fell asleep when I was
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Everybody worships something. It’s just how we are wired. God created us to worship Him, but because of sin, man worships other false gods, idols, and even themselves. In Psalm 115, the psalmist makes it clear that God is the One they worship. The psalmist does not want to worship himself, stating, “Not to us,
stephen R Harrison 