Silence is Acceptance (3/7)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Numbers 28-30.

These were some of the instructions given regarding the making of vows to the Lord.

Also if a woman makes a vow to the Lord, and binds herself by an obligation in her father’s house in her youth, and her father hears her vow and her obligation by which she has bound herself, and her father says nothing to her, then all her vows shall stand and every obligation by which she has bound herself shall stand. But if her father should forbid her on the day he hears of it, none of her vows or her obligations by which she has bound herself shall stand; and the Lord will forgive her because her father had forbidden her.

However, if she should marry while under her vows or the rash statement of her lips by which she has bound herself, and her husband hears of it and says nothing to her on the day he hears it, then her vows shall stand and her obligations by which she has bound herself shall stand. But if on the day her husband hears of it, he forbids her, then he shall annul her vow which she is under and the rash statement of her lips by which she has bound herself; and the Lord will forgive her” (Numbers 30:3-8).

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Profitable Bible Studies

Group Bible Study

In our busy society, few people have tolerance for anything they perceive to be a waste of their time. The Scriptures do teach us to make the most of our time (Ephesians 5:16), so we should strive to do this in all things. When it comes to our periods of Bible study, how can we be sure our time is spent profitably? This will depend on actions and attitudes.

Let us notice some factors that will help determine the profitability of our Bible studies.
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How to Grow in Knowledge of God’s Word

2 Peter 3:18

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

All Christians have an obligation to increase in their knowledge and understanding of the Lord. To do this, we must become more acquainted with His word. But how are we to do this? In this article we will notice six things we can do to grow in knowledge of the word of God.
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Tell Your Sons and Your Grandsons (2/2)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Exodus 10-12.

The plagues with which God afflicted Pharaoh and the nation of Egypt were designed to do a couple of things: to cause Pharaoh to let the people go and to prove to all who heard of these events that the Lord was the one true God over all things. But this was not only for the benefit of that generation. It was to help those of future generations to develop their own faith as well.

Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may perform these signs of Mine among them, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son, and of your grandson, how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I performed My signs among them, that you may know that I am the Lord’” (Exodus 10:1-2).

Those who descended from Moses’ generation needed to know about these works of God. They needed to hear of His miracles. They needed to be told of the foolish and futile attempts of the Egyptians to oppose the Lord. If the future generations were not told, they could not know.
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It is Not in Me; God Gives the Answer (1/26)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Genesis 41-42.

When Pharaoh was troubled over two dreams which he had, he was told of a young Hebrew in prison who could interpret dreams. Pharaoh sent for him immediately to teach him the meaning of these dreams.

Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, ‘It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer’” (Genesis 41:16).

Joseph knew that he was not the one who possessed such great insight and wisdom. Independently, he was incapable of interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams. He knew that without God’s revelation to him, he could not accurately explain them. He was also humble enough to admit this. It did not matter to Joseph that Pharaoh gave him credit. Joseph wanted it to be clearly understood that he merely explaining the interpretation which God was revealing to him. He wanted God to receive the glory, not himself.
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Preaching and Writing

Bible and Notebook

While I was in high school, I made the decision that when I grew up I wanted to be a gospel preacher. So at that point, I began writing religious articles. I did not care for writing in school and was never a gifted writer, so I needed to start practicing and improving my skills. I saw writing as an inherent part of the work of a preacher, as this would provide another avenue through which to spread the gospel message. So since I decided I was going to preach, I decided I also needed to write.

Nearly fifteen years later, it appears to me that preachers in general do not do as much writing as I thought they would. Dedicating time regularly to writing seems to be the exception rather than the rule. Maybe this has always been the case and my youthful naiveté led me to wrongly assume that writing was common for preachers. Perhaps more preachers are writing than the relative few of which I am aware. Or it could be that writing by gospel preachers has decreased in the last decade or so. Regardless of which one is closest to reality, I want to deal with some reasons why writing is a valuable endeavor for preachers and should not be quickly dismissed.
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Why the Interest in Judgment Day Predictions?

According to Harold Camping, May 21, 2011 was supposed to be the Judgment day. Here we are, a couple days later, and we are still waiting for the Judgment. This was not the first time for Camping to make such a prediction. He is also not the only one who has presumed to announce the date of this event. Despite all of the failed prophecies, there are still many people willing to believe that someone like Camping has figured out the date of the final Judgment. They ignore the Scriptures that say, “of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone” (Matthew 24:36), and “the day of the Lord will come like a thief” (2 Peter 3:10). But why?
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