Upon the completion of building the temple, Solomon prays an extraordinary prayer. Solomon’s prayer extolls Yahweh for keeping his promises to David, expresses his astonishment that Yahweh would condescend to dwell among them, and petitions Yahweh to act on behalf of his people. Let’s see what we can learn from…

After a midnight raid against a force that far outnumbered his own, Abram defeated a handful of kings and rescued his nephew Lot from their possession. Following his triumph, he returned back to the land of Canaan and was met by two unlikely men in the Valley of the Kings.…

When Jesus told his disciples to “pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest,” do you think they saw themselves as the answer to that prayer? That appears to be the point Matthew makes in his Gospel. How so? Because he follows that…

If you’ve ever spent any time in the workforce, then I’m willing to bet that you’re well-acquainted with the idler and the meddler. Some people work harder at avoiding work than they do in actually performing their job. Paul calls them idlers, while we may know them more as slackers.…

Contrary to what our initial reaction may be, not all people-pleasing is wrong. Consider Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 10, “Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage,…

Since there are hundreds of proverbs in the book we know as Proverbs, it can be helpful to condense or distill some of them down into a more manageable list. This can also help because often the proverbs are not arranged by topic. Instead, they are scattered throughout the book.…

At the first sound of it, the practice of church discipline can catch people off guard. Discipline can give off some pretty negative vibes. Plus, when we hear of discipline in the context of the church, it doesn’t fit in with our concept of a loving community. That’s where we…