Tag Archives: Decisions

Life In Focus 3/18/2023

Giving Birth to Trouble DAVID is an illustration of the fact that success in a career does not necessarily translate into success in personal and family life. While the “house of David {his position and stature as king-designate} grew stronger … Continue reading

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Life In Focus 3/11/2023

Pledging Allegiance DAVID spared Saul’s life twice—once in the cave at En Gedi (1 Samuel 24:1–7) and again in the Wilderness of Ziph (1 Samuel 26:2, 7–12). Even though Saul was demented, unfit for office, and bent on destroying David, … Continue reading

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Life In Focus 3/04/2023

A Craving For Results SAUL lost his kingdom because of his craving for results. He wanted to defeat the Philistines so much that he offered a burnt offering, which it was not his place to do (1 Samuel 13:8–14). He … Continue reading

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Life In Focus 2/25/2023

Who Is “Called”? ARE only certain people “called” by God (1 Samuel 3:20)? The issue of “calling” tends to be confusing today. Sometimes people talk about their day-to-day work as if that alone were their callings. “I’m John. I’m a … Continue reading

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Life In Focus 2/18/2023

Hannah’s Song: Praising the King MANY people today debate the potential as well as the limits of big government. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel make interesting reading in light of that discussion, for they offer an account of … Continue reading

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Life In Focus 2/11/2023

Overcoming a Tough Start SOCIETIES tend to have low expectations, sometimes downright hostility, for children born out of wedlock. Such was the case for Jephthah. The product of his father’s dalliance with a prostitute, Jephthah was not only excluded but … Continue reading

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Life In Focus 2/04/2023

Determining God’s Will THE example of Gideon is frequently cited as a model for godly decision-making. Before acting, Gideon carefully considered whether the Lord wanted him to rally an army and attack the Midianites. Twice he set out a fleece … Continue reading

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Thorns and Tears at Bochim

GOD commanded the Israelites to dispossess the Canaanites by taking over their cities, destroying their idols and altars, and refusing to enter into agreements with them. Apparently the citizens of Bochim failed to carry out those instructions. No one knows … Continue reading

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Do-It-Yourself Religion

IN a world in which the motto often is “do your own thing,” people frequently develop self-styled religious beliefs and practices. For some this means a pick-and-choose, take-it-or-leave-it approach to established Christianity. For others it means coming up with outlandish … Continue reading

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The God Who Gives Wealth

THERE are two extremes today about the connection between God and wealth. One is that wealth and money are inherently evil and therefore God is opposed to them. The other is that God is just waiting to shower wealth on … Continue reading

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The Blessing of The Sabbath

THE commandment to keep the Sabbath holy (Deuteronomy 5:12) did not mean that the other days of the week and their activities were unholy. The Sabbath was to remind Israel that human beings were dependent on God, and that they … Continue reading

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God Has Spoken – To You!

IMAGINE hearing God’s voice! Moses did (Numbers 1:1). Scripture gives little indication of what that experience was like, but it does say that the Lord spoke to Moses “face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” – Exodus … Continue reading

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A Definitive Standard

BELIEVE anything you want. “You’ve got your truth, I’ve got mine.” The frightening thing about such modern viewpoints is that those who believe them become the definers of truth and reality. They leave no room for objective truth or absolutes. … Continue reading

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A Place To Be Forgiven

FOR the Hebrews, there was only one place to worship God by offering sacrifices—at the tabernacle (Leviticus 17:8-9). This is not to say that one could not worship God elsewhere. But to make atonement for sin, one had to come … Continue reading

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Making Restitution

SOME modern law-makers, educators, and others concerned with human behavior often make proposals based on the idea that people are basically good. In Leviticus, God held a more realistic view. For example, He knew that there would be cases of … Continue reading

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Taking Sin Seriously

THE ancient Israelites took sin far more seriously that many people today do. Consider the impact of carrying out the instructions given for burnt-offering sacrifices (Leviticus 1:3–5): The psychological impact. If you were a Hebrew at the time of Moses, … Continue reading

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The Glory of The Lord

GOD allowed Moses to experience something of His glory (Exodus 33:12–23). The Hebrew term most often translated “glory” (kabod) means “weight, importance, or significance” and does not connote something light and ephemeral as does the English word “glory.” The word … Continue reading

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Beauty In Worship

ALL of the design elements for the sanctuary and its contents (Exodus 25) suggest God’s great love of beauty, of design, of loveliness. We have sometimes imagined that God enjoys plainness. This is hardly the case. God’s love for beautiful … Continue reading

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Keep It Holy

WHAT was God’s will for the Sabbath (or “day of cessation,” as the term literally means)? The fourth commandment is straightforward: “keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). But what does it mean to keep the Sabbath “holy”? The prologue to the … Continue reading

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Practical Principles of Leadership

LEADERSHIP has become a popular topic today, and for good reason. Effectiveness in any endeavor is largely a function of good leadership. The Bible offers many principles and models to help leaders serve their people more effectively. Of course, Scripture … Continue reading

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