A professional calligrapher once told me that his best work was done at night when he was relaxed. That seems to be my best time, too. It may be while working late, when I can’t get to sleep, or when something is on my mind. When it comes to music, this has happened several times. At times, I have written lyrics that seemed to fit a beautiful tune someone else composed. And less often, I have composed my own melody with lyrics. Both have been an enjoyable exercise in creativity. While none have become big hits, I enjoy going back and listening to them occasionally. Tonight was one of those…

Early one morning, I was awakened by a coworker whose vehicle had broken down. As a manager, this required me to get up quite a bit earlier than intended to rescue the other person. As you can imagine, this unplanned event disrupted what I had been planning on doing that day. But it was necessary to help the other person, so I did it. As you go through your day, do you ever consider whether something is actually necessary before you do it? Or are you so bound to your schedule that nothing can pry you away from it? Perhaps our Scripture passage will help us to discover what is…

If you had been to heathen landsWhere weary souls stretch out their handsTo plead, yet no one understands,Would you go back? Would you? If you had seen the women bearTheir heavy loads, with none to shareHad heard them weep, with none to care,Would you go back? Would you? If you had seen them in despairBeat their breasts and pull their hairWhile demon powers filled the air,Would you go back? Would you? If you had seen the glorious sightWhen heathen people seeking rightHad turned from darkness to the light,Would you go back? Would you? If you had walked through Afric’s sandYour hand within the Saviour’s handAnd knew He’d called you to…

Quirinius (51 BC – AD 21) is mentioned in the Bible as someone who governed Syria around the time that Jesus was born (Luke 2:2). Historians state that he governed Syria in 6 AD. However, this date conflicts with what Matthew says about the birth of Jesus. If you recall, Herod was the king who was visited by the magi (Matt. 2:1-12) after Jesus’ birth. He later ordered the murder of all baby boys near Bethlehem (Matt. 2:16-18) to keep the newborn from usurping his throne. Here is the supposed contradiction. Historians say that Herod died in AD 4 … before Quirinius governed Syria. This has led some to say…

“When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord.” —Jonah 2:7 The person who penned those words was none other than the runaway prophet Jonah. God had commissioned him to preach a message of judgment to the wicked people of Nineveh. But Jonah was unwilling to obey. When he took a boat in the opposite direction, God got his attention with a fierce storm. When the sailors found out he was the problem, they cast him into the sea, but his troubles were far from over. A great fish swallowed him whole, and he lay inside it for 3 days. This was the trouble that caused him to faint,…

“When Matthew cites these four women, he is probably reminding his readers that three ancestors of King David and the mother of King Solomon were Gentiles. The Bible that accepted David’s mixed race also implied it for the messianic King; Matthew thus declares that the Gentiles were never an afterthought in God’s plan, but had been part of his work in history from the beginning. One who traces Matthew’s treatment of Gentiles through the Gospel, from the Magi who sought Jesus in chapter 2 through the concluding commission to disciple the nations in 28:19, will understand Matthew’s point in emphasizing this. Matthew exhorts his readers that as much as Jesus…

God – Probably there is no passage in the New Testament which has excited so much discussion among critics as this, and none in reference to which it is so difficult to determine the true reading. It is the only one, it is believed, in which the microscope has been employed to determine the lines of the letters used in a manuscript; and, after all that has been done to ascertain the exact truth in regard to it, still the question remains undecided. It is not the object of these notes to enter into the examination of questions of this nature. A full investigation may be found in Wetstein. The…

Today, there are certain names that are known in every community. It might be a political leader, athlete, or entertainer. But no matter where you go, most people know who that person is because his or her fame has kept them in the news. Their reputation precedes them. In this chapter, we are introduced to a person that everyone at the time would have known. It was King Herod. Who exactly was this man? “Herod Antipas [was] the son of Herod the Great and Malthace, a Samaritan.”4 He “was tetrarch (ruler of a fourth part of his father’s kingdom) of Galilee and Perea under the aegis of Rome from 4…

When Jesus sent the disciples out to preach, He sent them out in pairs (Mark 6:7-12). As someone who enjoys working by himself, I must admit that I feel more comfortable working alone. However, there must have been a good reason for Jesus to send them out in pairs. Consider what J. C. Ryle says about this idea. “There can be no doubt that this fact is meant to teach us the advantages of Christian company to all who work for Christ. The wise man had good reason for saying, ‘Two are better than one.’ (Eccles. iv. 9.) Two men together will do more work than two men singly. They…