“Unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others,” Christ spoke the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector.
The Worship of the Pharisee
The Pharisee goes up to the temple to worship, not because he feels that he is a sinner in need of pardon, but because he thinks […]
No one that I’ve talked to who’s “in the know” wants the mark of the beast, even if they hold differing opinions on what it is. They don’t want it because the Bible is plain that those who receive it experience the undiluted wrath of God against sin and will be destroyed along with it. But according […]
Years ago, I was confronted with a near-impossible task: my elderly aunt wanted me to explain to her what my husband’s profession was. Daniel’s occupation is graphic design (not exactly rocket science), but this was not going to be a walk in the park. My dear aunt had rarely encountered computers, let alone used one. […]
As Sadiq, an Iraqi Muslim, approached a bound prisoner in a detainment camp for ISIS militants, he instantly recognized him from an online ISIS propaganda video. It was the same man who had watched the brutal execution of Sadiq’s friend by ISIS. The man was an Iraqi sheik and an ISIS sympathizer. Sadiq was working […]
In 1978, a civil-engineering student at Princeton University discovered a shocking design flaw while studying the Manhattan Citicorp Tower for her senior thesis. The flaw made the 59-story skyscraper particularly vulnerable to being toppled by strong winds.1 Thinking that her calculations were wrong, Diane Hartley contacted the office of the building’s engineer, William LeMessurier, for […]
A number of years ago, Liz joined a Bible study group that claimed to have received new light that Christ would return within three years. Members of the group also claimed to have received signs and messages from God validating their experience. At the time, she fervently wished that God would speak directly to her, too—but […]
War slays millions, leaving weeping widows and orphans. Crime costs billions of dollars and fills the hearts of multitudes with fear. The wreckage of broken homes piles up on the rocks of human selfishness. What is the root cause of all these problems? Sin! “Sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4. And […]
Have you ever been in a storm so bad that your “boat” was sinking? Maybe a storm of debt, or a bad relationship, or even severe discouragement? Jesus' disciples once found themselves in a storm so bad that their boat began to sink. The Gospel of Mark records that while trying to save themselves, they find […]
In his classic book Fullness of Joy, Eric B. Hare, a missionary to Burma, describes how he and hundreds of others were evacuated to India by the British government just hours before the Japanese occupation. Rich and poor, literate and illiterate, coolies, missionaries, aristocrats, and government officials alike—each was allowed only 60 pounds of luggage. Eventually […]
I sit at my desk and watch the trees outside my window shake off their winter stupor. As leaves unfurl their golden greens, the dull, bare browns give way to the delicate hues of spring. My favorite season is here! But this spring has been different. Nature’s best efforts to inspire a spirit of youth […]