In his powerful little book Mission in the Old Testament, renowned Old Testament scholar Walter C. Kaiser Jr. begins his chapter on Psalms with this quote from George Peters: “The Psalter is one of the greatest missionary books in the world.” You may not have considered that before. After all, the Great Commission comes to […]

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Have you ever pondered Job’s wife, or even been annoyed at her mocking him when he was at his lowest? Here’s what Mrs. Job said: “Are you still trying to be godly when God has done all this to you? Curse him and die” (Job 2:9). Job had just lost all his earthly possessions, including […]

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The Beloved (the Groom): Like a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. The Shulamite (the Bride): Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down in his shade with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste (Song […]

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Modern readers face some challenges interpreting the Psalms, especially those living in Western countries. This is due to differences in cultures and time. The differences between ancient Israelite and modern Western cultures are greater than one might expect. What readers may not know at first observation is that the Psalms were not originally written in […]

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by Caitlin (Stacy) Meadows My earliest memories of my dad set the tone for my entire life.  As a small child, probably three or four years old, I loved to wake up early to pray with him. Before coffee and Bible time with Mom, every morning Dad started his day kneeling at his chair in […]

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Little boys, according to the nursery rhyme, are made of snips and snails and puppy dog tails. Compared to little girls, who are made of sugar and spice and everything nice, boys are infinitely inferior. They are just, well . . . boys. Public opinion treats males no better in adulthood. Popular entertainment portrays men as incompetent, […]

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Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever (Psalm 136:1). In the iconic Verizon cellular phone commercial that aired in the US a number of years ago, the actor playing the Verizon service technician repeatedly asks, “Can you hear me now?” It was an effective message that made its point […]

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The nineteenth psalm, written by King David, starts with such statements as “The heavens are telling,” “their expanse is declaring,” and “Day to day pours forth speech.” It closes with an appeal for the acceptability of “the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart.” We could write the Word over this entire […]

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by Bob Hostetler Matthew Emmons aimed his rifle at the target one last time. He was one shot away from his second Olympic gold medal in Athens. He squeezed the trigger. It was a perfect shot. Unfortunately, he had aimed at the wrong target, an embarrassing and disqualifying mistake that dropped him from first to […]

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by Tahny Lou Vonan I shall weave this tale as if it unfolded yesterday, for the memories of that moment are etched into the very fabric of my being, akin to verses from the sacred Scriptures. The twilight sun bestowed upon our humble chamber a tender, golden embrace, and the fragrance of my mother’s delicate […]

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by Nakia Keim Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies (Proverbs 31:10, NLT). Proverbs 31 has been on my mind for several months now. My biggest desire is to be a wife and mother, but that has yet to happen. Still, I am grateful for the opportunity I […]

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by Cindy Arora Charm can be misleading, and beauty is vain and so quickly fades, but this virtuous woman lives in the wonder, awe, and fear of the Lord.  She will be praised throughout eternity (Proverbs 31:30, TPT). I inwardly groaned every time someone wanted to study the poem of the Proverbs 31 woman. I […]

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