WordTalks

This Christmas story is about the amazing encounter of an elderly gentleman, a young married couple, and their first baby boy. It is full of mystery and wisdom, faith and hope, patience and happiness!

Doctrine! Some people think of Bible doctrine as a collection of unnecessary, impractical, and boring information that comes along with being saved. How sad, and how wrong!
Part of the blame could at times fall on the shoulders of teachers, who unfortunately may not transmit the energy, mystery, excitement, and essential contribution good doctrine has in giving the believer joy and spiritual direction. It is necessary for true happiness!In this lesson from the life of Jacob, we see how vital the truth of God’s omnipotence is, and its power to change the outlook and attitude of one who after a century of horrible choices, was the very definition of misery. It is a message of hope and encouragement for all of us, who to one degree or another, have failed to live up to the high calling we have in Christ.I hope you enjoy the 10min devotional and that it will stir up praise to our God for His character. AB

When we think of shields we often think of ancient weaponry, for protection, and in the Bible that is the context. But the concept itself is timeless and very relevant, quite often a serious source of anxiety or peace, depending on your worldview.

Have you ever been offered a fortune that for ethical reasons you could not accept? Not me. What an interesting predicament. But this is exactly what happened to Abram. TTTS#26

Millions are voting and the world is watching. Even here in Spain, the headlines are all about the elections in the USA. So many projects, so many plans, and so many dreams are on the table. This week’s devotional is about the decision of multitudes at Babel and that of one man in Ur of the Chaldees. There are important and relevant lessons we can learn, even from these events that took place thousands of years ago. (TTTS#25)

Everyone enjoys seeing a rainbow. There’s just something about it that grabs and keeps our attention. And the believer is Christ should delight in an extraordinary way because we understand its origen as well as its eternal significance.

Opening comments/intro: Child training can be a touchy subject. It’s pretty easy to offend parents if you start giving advice in that area, unless of course, they’ve asked you for it. But interestingly, God jumps right into the matter with the very first family in the world. That in itself would seem to make it an issue of top priority. Let’s look at a trio of very clear and nasty enemies of family peace.

Have you known a godly Christian who was suddenly taken home to glory, with no opportunity for earthly goodbyes? Walking with God is the greatest experience available to man, but even in it, sometimes the Lord’s way are mysterious and impossible to entirely understand.

How should you find a wife or husband? There are many books, theories, and opinions on the subject. I would like to highlight a Biblical model, the very first one.

Is it good to be ignorant? That’s a loaded question! The answer is, “At times, yes!”

* Who or what was the first to obey in the Bible? Was it the light? Was it nothing? Haha! The question may not seem to make much sense, but it does serve to think about an important aspect of the creating and commanding voice of God and our obedience.

Have you been praying for someone for a long time, asking God to bring them to repentance, and the cross, and eternal life? Maybe this thought will encourage you to never, ever give up!

Almost all of us love and eat bread. It has been part of man’s diet for thousands of years. In fact, it was mentioned as far back as the Garden of Eden. But there was one very special kind of bread that showed up only for a small window of time and was made in heaven. It was manna, the bread with a message behind it.

It has to be a scary thing to lose your memory. Pretty much everything we are today is built on the memories of the past. If those go, we can no longer function. Fortunately, God’s memory is perfect. Everything we have been, are, or will be, depends more on His memory than our own. For the believer, this truth is a powerful source of comfort and peace.

An excellent way to arouse God's jealousy is to have a lousy memory. But what exactly is this jealousy and what does my memory have to do with it? Since the Bible reveals this part of God’s character, it is important to understand it and then know how to respond properly.

If you have ever tangled with a thick patch of briars, you probably came away with a few temporary scars. That’s what usually happens when we mess with these living, barbed wire plants. The emotional charge of the moment usually makes the memory a lasting one, which is probably why God chose briars and thorns as a part of an illustration of a spiritual danger we all will face at one time or another.

Have you ever thought of yourself as a garden plot? Probably not! But God once made that comparison with His children so it is profitable to give it some thought. And the illustration is richer than you might think at first! (TTTS#13)

Do you like being the one who is different? The oddball who doesn’t connect with the majority? It’s often an uncomfortable position, a lonely one, and just plain isn’t fun. But sometimes it’s exactly who we need to be. And in the Bible we find that the call to be different goes all the way back to the beginning. (TTTS#12)

¿Do you consider yourself strong in faith?That’s a complicated kind of question, isn’t it? At the same time, it’s pretty important, because much of our life’s course and destiny hinge on exactly this, our faith. In this devotional we will think through a classic example of faith and unbelief.

Do I have to read Leviticus?Many times you have thought like this, right? It is so crammed with sacrifice details, law, rules, purification procedures, numbers, dietary regulations, and feast descriptions! Sometimes we look up and say, “Lord, really? Why?”But there is a tiny little verse in the next to last chapter that opens a huge window to the heart of this collection of seemingly unnecessary details. I hope this devotional will encourage you and help you value the book a bit more next time you read it!

Am I wise? Maybe so, maybe not. Or maybe I’m not as much as I think I am. At any rate, in this devotional we’ll explore the theme some, since it is extremely important. The difference between being wise or not is life or death, even for believers. (TTTS#9)

Waiting on God is so important that examples and teaching on it are all through the Bible, and we as Christians face continual episodes of it our entire lives. Why? Because it is one of the Lord’s choice instruments in growing our faith and character. (WT61)

Don’t you just love to wait?! Especially when there seems to be no good reason for it. If there is one experience common to Christians, it is sometimes being forced to watch the days go by without any apparent progress. It happens to everyone! (WT60)

Where would we be without friends? Not where we are, for sure. I cannot imagine how spiritually poor and fragile I would be if it weren’t for a myriad of friends God has brought to my life. My immediate family members have, of course, had the greatest impact on me. But the exact number of godly people who have invested in me, or in the ministry with me, is impossible to calculate. And I have the idea that you would say the same thing. In this area alone, most of us can consider ourselves extremely rich.This passage in Exodus provides a beautiful example of this principle and shows how the helping hands of friends is something God has orchestrated for His children since the beginning. We are all greatly blessed! (TTTS #6)

Sometimes we can say a lot with just a very few words. “I love you”, “Be careful”, or “I’ll be back”, can be said lightly or loaded with meaning, depending on the context. But with God, since He never wastes words nor uses them flippantly, we should always be paying attention. And yet, there are times when what He says is so rich and powerful, that it merits a really close look. One such phrase is the one He spoke to Jacob many years ago: I AM GOD.It is a fantastic statement, and for the believer, it is full of comfort and hope. (WT58)

Masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, and social distancing! All of these are very real terms today, way more so than just a few months ago. And they all have to do with protection, with guarding ourselves from something evil and painful. But really, protecting our lives and things is nothing new. For many years, we have done so with alarms, locks, contracts, and insurance policies. And God has much to say about the subject. (WR57)

“If mom isn’t happy, nobody is happy” is a humorous statement we hear, and it’s probably quite true! But a happy dad is also a remarkably healthy thought, and God gives us a very good example of one in Joseph. We should not, however, be content just to enjoy his story and praise the Lord for him, but rather, to learn about the key ingredients to real, lasting, happiness. (Wt57)

Have you ever started out on what you were sure was God’s will, only to have someone else push back on it and try their best to stop your progress? It happens, pretty much in every Christian’s life, at one time or another. Dream killers are an ancient tribe and very good at setting up stumbling blocks in front of those who want to please God. Joseph met them face to face and had a long and difficult struggle before finally seeing the the Lord’s glorious plan come to be. We can learn a lot from his example.(WT56)

Subtle evidence can be just as powerful of an argument for authenticity as overt and clearly expressed propositions, especially when there are many biased opinions in play. In this devotional I’d like to share a subtle but beautiful bit of evidence for the deity of Jesus. (WT55)

There are so many angles and levels from which to study the triple temptations of our Lord by Satan, that it is a chore to know where to start. This study is hopefully simple and practical enough to be helpful in understanding some of the dynamics that go into being tempted and being ready to withstand the temptations. (WT55)

In some ways the Roman imprisonments of Paul are quite the puzzle. The Holy Spirit does not give us all the pieces either, but enough to have some idea of his philosophy and attitude towards being confined in the most powerful city in the world. His focus was unwaveringly on Christ and His work, and we can safely say that no matter how slight the opportunity he had, Paul gave it his best, by faith. At the end he was both tired and satisfied, ready for the ultimate rest and reward he knew was waiting for Him from the Lord he had faithfully served. What an example! (WT54)

The focus of this devotional is actually more on Jeremiah’s “Good Samaritan”, than himself. Ebed-melech had had his share of trials and humiliation in his lifetime, but he heard Jeremiah’s prophecies, believed them, ended up respecting and loving him, and was ready to come to his aid when the need arose. What an excellent example we get from who is sort of the secondary figure in this story. (WT53)

The story of Manasseh sort of catches us all by surprise. He comes from a relatively good home, rejects his father’s faith, and goes on to become one of the most wicked and cruelest kings of Israel’s history. He is then humiliated by enemy kings and taken captive. Finally, and against all logic, he repents and dies in peace. Now this is definitely an abridged version of the story, but it is still true, and quite the amazing example of divine grace. (WT52)

I see Jochebed as an almost anonymous heroine of the Bible, mentioned only in an accidental kind of way, in two priestly genealogies. But God makes a point of honoring her, both in mentioning her faith and in blessing her three children, Miriam, Aaron, and Moses, in a remarkable way. Even in our modern setting, there is much we can learn from her, though we know relatively little about her. (WT51)

Who can make sense of what has happened when one who is faithful and true to God is taken in early death while another one lives on to old age? This is a tough question, but there are answers in the Scriptures. God is both transparent and honest about the matter, and gives examples and explanations that by His grace can help soothe the hurting heart. (WT50)

If the miracles of Jesus could be classified by degrees of difficulty, this one would have to be somewhere near the top! A human corpse, heavily into decomposition after four days, is brought back to life. Lazarus is back among the living, fully himself and full of life. What a powerful conclusion to the series of seven miracles John gives us in his gospel. (WT49)

Samuel’s growing up at the tabernacle has to be one of the most unusual childhood stories in the Bible! It is imposible to consider the facts without realizing the intense emotion that had to fill the hearts of both mother and son, as they looked forward each year to the one time they could be together. And yet, as high as the probabilities of failure might have been, with a young boy living amongst corrupt religious leaders, God’s grace turned him into a spiritual giant. (WT48)

The meal in confinement, just before the Exodus, was undoubtedly one of the most important ones in all of Israel’s history, and has been commemorated for millennia by millions of Jews since that time. As another beautiful example of the mysterious and amazing nature of Biblical prophecy, it is loaded with significance concerning events that would not take place for another 1,400 years. (WT47)

This book generated a certain amount of controversy in the early stages of when the Old Testament canon was being recognized, but God has made sure that its story settled solidly into the hearts of His people as a great source of spiritual teaching and example. It is, in fact, an excellent fountain of inspiration for those who live in times when the Lord’s mighty hand and will are less openly visible. (WT46)

Few in history have personally seen the powerful work of God like Elijah. And yet, one day he was disappointed, discouraged, and depressed. His story is a classic one, given to us by the Holy Spirit because it is so relevant, so needy for believers of every age. (WT45)

My, how God loves to surprise us in His Word! Who would have thought that He would pay attention to a young Jewish girl who was kidnapped and made a slave of a powerful foreign military man? Surely it was specifically because many of us are very tiny participants in the great work of God, but He wants to encourage us to be faithful, no matter what little corner we are in. This girl is an anonymous heroine of the faith, and has been an inspiration for millions who have served the Lord faithfully and happily in whatever place He put them. (WT44)

The desert wanderings of Israel make up one of the most peculiar trips in the Bible, because of how long it took, why it was extended by so many years, and who started and finished it. And though it is crammed with sad stories of rebellion and unbelief, it is also full of wonderful works of God and beautiful spiritual instruction and imagery. In fact, many New Testament lessons would be very difficult to understand if we didn’t know about these dramatic events recorded primarily in Exodus and Numbers. (WT43)

It is quite impossible to give more importance to some parts of the Lord’s earthly experience over others, but this three day/three night tomb event is definitely close to the top of any list! In this devotional I trace the different tomb details though the four Gospels, in the order in which they appear in our Bibles. There are always inspirational observations and conclusions to be drawn from this chapter of the Lord’s life! (WT42)

Sometimes God takes dramatic steps to get our attention, and that is what He did in Jacob’s life. After almost a century of cheating his way through life, God interrupts his conniving plans and brings him face to face with the only solution that can ultimately break him of his bad habits. It all happen one night by a river named Jabbok. (WT41)

We have so few events from the life of Daniel — I’m sure a full biography would be fascinating. But we’ll have to wait until heaven for that. Meanwhile, our responsibility is to learn, to learn from a man who could not have been perfect, but was nonetheless a giant of the faith. So let’s do it! (WT40)

The Book of Ruth, with its story of Naomi, may be small, but it contains a huge and multifaceted package of truth. The doctrines of redemption, repentance, and the sovereignty of God, mix with examples of fulfilled prophecy and pure mercy, in such a marvelous way, they can only be attributed to the divine and eternal mind of its Author: The Holy Spirit. (WT39)

Neither Job nor any of his friends had the slightest idea about the conversation that had taken place between God and Satan. I think they would have spoken very differently if they had. So, considering Job did not have that privileged information, his reactions and attitudes were still quite remarkable. We, as readers who do know what was going on, can learn much from it and are more responsible to respond correctly when suffering comes our way or to those we love. (WT38)

Normally, when your city is about to be conquered by a foreign army you don’t buy real estate in it. But that’s exactly what God told Jeremiah to do, as He set the stage for more prophecy, including one of the most famous and beloved Bible promises. (WT37)

On the wall of a pagan city destined for destruction lived a prostitute. Rahab would have remained anonymous in history had it not been that Jehovah knew her heart and saw they she had faith and a desire to leave her sinful life and love the true God. The chances of that happening would seem to have been as remote a her visiting the moon, but for God. He had Joshua send the two spies to Jericho to gather intel and made sure they ended up checking in at her hostal for the night. What follows is one of the most beautiful stories of grace in all of the Old Testament. (WT36)

Few people would appear less likely to believe in Christ than this man who was confined to a life among the tombs and caves of Gadara. His looks, his lifestyle, and his attitudes all would seem to indicate a person completely antagonistic to the truth. However, when from a distance he saw the Lord, he ran to worship Him. His testimony is spectacular and it is powerful proof that even though a human heart is enslaved to evil, it can still desire to be free and clean. (WT35)

With the possible exception of Daniel, it is hard to find in all of the Old Testament, a better example of Christian faith than Joseph. His discipline, his priorities, his purity, and his faithfulness, made a powerful impression everywhere he went. Through his life, the Lord shows us that we can not only survive the strongest of trials, but also overcome them in such a way that we can come out like gold. This devotional highlights a few of his virtues and analyzes some of God’s methodology in testing His children. (WT34)