Joshua 8 opens with some of the most reassuring words found in the Bible, do not be afraid nor be dismayed. This is the first of four uses of this phrase in the book of Joshua (cf. 10:8,25; 11:6). Literally, these words are commands issued by the Lord to Joshua, the covenant leader of conquest prior to the defeat of Ai. In a grammatical sense, God is imposing His will upon the will of Joshua as the commander of the Promised Land conquest. This...

Joshua 4 anticipates the need to answer the curiosity of a future generation of children who will ask, “What do these stones mean?” (4:6, 21). Joshua 4 memorializes Israel’s crossing of the Jordan River into the Promised Land with the construction of a 12 stone memorial, one stone for each tribe of the Israelite nation. The stones were taken from the dry riverbed of the Jordan where the priests bearing of the ark of the covenant stood and were...

The Lord allowed me to pastor two different churches for short periods of time in my ministry life. In each church, the Christmas season brought both challenge and opportunity to my preaching schedule. In my last pastoral assignment, I enjoyed preparing the church family to think biblically about how to celebrate Christmas. I am returning to this thought once again, especially because I believe the meaning of Christmas is under aggressive...

“You are the apple of my eye” is an Old English expression attributed to King Aelfred (the Great) of Wessex, an Anglo-Saxon Kingdom in AD 885. This expression is actually much older and is found in the Hebrew Scriptures. The literal translation of what we find in our Hebrew text is the “little man of my eye” and it appears in four Old Testament texts. Deuteronomy 32:10 (the Song of Moses) – He found him in a desert land and in the...

“Therefore comfort one another with these words.” Paul exhorts us in this manner at the end of 1 Thessalonians 4. What are “these words” that Paul wants us to use to encourage one another? The words and the subject of encouragement relate to the return of Christ for you and me and the resurrection of “in Christ” believers who die before His return. In other words, Paul is encouraging the Thessalonians and us with the Bible details related to...

Both testaments of God’s Word emphasize a two-fold focus for the spiritual life that involves loving God and loving one another. This two-fold focus is the emphasis of Paul’s remarks to the Thessalonians in chapter 3 of his first letter to them. So how would you evaluate your love for God and your love for one another? Do you ever wonder if you will be able to continue loving God and continue loving one another up to the end of your earthly...