Living in a way that pleases God is how Christians desire to be. We dedicate our lives to God, to learn and follow His ways over our own. There are understandably then, many difficulties to be faced in the Christian life, including from our own countries. Many of the nations that we live in now d...

In Hebrew, Joel’s name means “Yahweh is God”. What a great name! Within the book, there is no reference to the time that Joel is ministering in, but there are several hints that we may be able to draw some conclusions from. My thinking is that Joel was ministering to a post-exilic Judah, but rega...

"With one read of the book of Amos, it is easy to see why Amos is referred to as God’s angry man. The Bible tells us that he was a sheepherder and farmer by trade. He appears on the scene during the time of King Uzziah of Judah, and King Jeroboam of Israel. This was a prosperous and successful pe...

In the book of Proverbs, the Bible tells us that “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (PROVERBS 16:18). God’s Word also speaks about trust: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall ...

Obadiah’s Hebrew name means “worshipper of God.” This minor prophet is not minor because of what he says, but because of the volume of his writing. The book of Obadiah consists of twenty-one verses, focusing exclusively on the nation of Edom. Remember that the Edomites were the descendants of Esa...

When we find ourselves in a tough spot, it is tempting to try to make deals with God. We need to be very careful though, because there is a very real spiritual world that is all around us. There is God’s Kingdom and satan’s kingdom. God’s Kingdom is one of truth, while satan’s masks itself as a k...

When we find ourselves in a tough spot, it is tempting to try to make deals with God. We need to be very careful though, because there is a very real spiritual world that is all around us. There is God’s Kingdom and satan’s kingdom. God’s Kingdom is one of truth, while satan’s masks itself as a k...

Habakkuk’s name is thought to derive from a Hebrew word that means “embracer” or “one who embraces”. Like Jeremiah, Habakkuk lived during the time when Judah would fall to the advancing kingdom of Babylon. The Babylonians were ruthless in their warfare. We know, however, that their
treatment of J...

The Hebrew name Zephaniah means, “Yahweh has hidden” or “Yahweh hides”. He was born and ministered during the time of King Josiah. Josiah became king at a young age, and he grew into a man who loved God in a powerful way. As the king of Judah, Josiah tried to do everything according to the Word ...

Haggai is the name of a sixth century prophet meaning “festive”, indicating that he may have been born on a holy day. Compared to most of the writing prophets, there is very little information on the personal life of Haggai. However, what we do know is that Haggai’s short and strong message came ...

Without leadership in the communities, the Israelites were listening to the lies of false prophets and asking for blessings of rain from their idols. Zechariah told them to stop and ask the LORD for rain—all blessing and restoration would ultimately come from Him. As we all have, the people in Is...

According to Mark 2:14 and Luke 5:27, Matthew the tax collector was also known as Levi. Most of us know him as Matthew though, which means “Gift of God.” Scholars have long believed that Matthew’s gospel was written with a Jewish audience in mind, due to the themes and sayings that are evident wi...

Malachi is a personal name or a common noun meaning, “my messenger”. The word messenger is used three times in Malachi 2:7 and 3:1. Malachi was the last prophet to speak in Israel before the coming of John the Baptist, and Malachi’s words close out the Old Testament. Malachi’s day and age was evi...

Zechariah prophesies the coming day of the LORD, laying out what will happen. The LORD reveals that a cleansing fountain for the house of David will be opened. This seems to me to be speaking of the 1000-year reign of Jesus Christ. Zechariah is seeing the future. From his perspective it would hav...

In the same way that the Ten Commandments were a center of God’s law of righteousness and justice, Matthew chapter five tells us about the further advancement of God’s law written into our hearts. The association with Moses is clear. Just as Moses ascended Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandme...

As we continue reading in Matthew, we can see just how much impact Jesus was making. His ministry had taken off because He was doing things that only the Messiah could possibly do, and with every step of His life Jesus was fulfilling prophecy. Even the ministry of John the Baptist would have been...

Sometimes Jesus taught His disciples about the Kingdom of Heaven in unusual ways. When the disciples asked Jesus who the greatest was in the Kingdom of Heaven, for example, Jesus had a child come and stand in the middle of them all. Jesus knew where the question was coming from. The disciples see...

Matthew 21 records Jesus’ fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Preparing for this specia...

In Matthew 23, Jesus uses the word hypocrite to describe the scribes and Pharisees. This was not a compliment, by any means! The word hypocrite is derived from a Greek phrase meaning to interpret or to play the part. It was often used to describe what an actor would do on stage to perform. In Jew...

One of the most important messages for us is that the LORD is coming back soon. We should make ourselves ready for the return of the LORD, living each day as if it is the day of His return. I do not believe that the Biblical end times is a set of allegories, nor do I believe that we have any just...

The truth emerges about a man who was paralyzed and let down through the roof by his friends, right in front of Jesus. This touching story is found in the book of Mark, the first gospel that was written and published. Mark’s Gospel was written to the Romans who were steeped in their Roman culture...