Did you know Solomon had a #1 hit? In 1965, The Byrds, an American rock band, released the song “Turn, Turn, Turn.” The lyrics have been attributed to Peter Seeger, however, all but the title and the first two lines are from Solomon in Ecclesiastes 3. The words were popularized by The Byrds, but it was God’s Spirit that inspired the wise king of Israel to write it. We will focus on this simple yet profound text over the next several weeks.
Since WWI, November 11 has been used to commemorate and remember those who gave their lives in times of war. The day is titled differently, depending upon your country of origin. In the USA, it is called Veteran’s Day. For the Polish, it is Independence Day. Folks in France and New Zealand call it Armistice Day; on Malta and in South Africa, Poppy Day. In the United Kingdom and it’s commonwealth countries (Canada included), it is generally referred to as Remembrance Day.
The Book of Proverbs presents to us a contrast between two women. On one hand is an immoral, seductress type who “flatters with her words; … of a crafty heart, who is loud and rebellious…” (Proverbs 7:5, 10-11). On the other hand is the virtuous type whose worth “is far above rubies” (Proverbs 31:10-29).
Happy Thanksgiving! While looking at the history of Thanksgiving, I was intrigued to find the following:
On Thursday, January 31, 1957, the Parliament ofCanada proclaimed: A Day of General Thanksgivingto Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with whichCanada has been blessed— to be observed on the2nd Monday in October. (wikipedia.org)
Many are more than ready for the family gatherings, the turkey dinners, the football games, the festivals and other such things, but are we focused on giving thanks to Almighty God?
Colossians 4:16 reads, “…when this epistle is read among you, see that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.”
Have you ever wondered about the letter to Laodicea? Where is it, and why is it not in the Bible? Indeed, there is reason to be concerned and to investigate. If it is an inspired epistle that is missing, we have a problem! If it is an uninspired letter, then why would Paul set it on par with the Colossian letter, which is in the canon of Scripture?
Some folks watch the Super Bowl for the game, while others tune in for the commercials. Doritos has a history of clever and entertaining Super Bowl ads, and their spot for Super Bowl 50 did not disappoint (watch it here). That said, not everyone liked it. For instance, the folks at NARAL (National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws) spent their evening commending and condemning Super Bowl ads. Here is a screenshot of their tweet about the Doritos spot:
How sad, indeed, how completely inhuman to be angered by someone “humanizing” unborn babies. What is the fetus if it is not human? Merriam-Webster defines the word “fetus” as:
“You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God … You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you: you were on the holy mountain of God … You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you.” These words appear in Ezekiel 28:12, 14, 15. Many think the “anointed cherub” of Ezekiel 28 is Satan, just as the they assume the “Lucifer” of Isaiah 14 is the devil. Is Satan the “anointed cherub”? Let us consider Ezekiel 28.
“How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you whho weakened the nations!” These words appear in Isaiah 14:12. Many people, for many centuries, have equated this Lucufer with Satan, the devil. The primary definition in Webster’s dictionary for Lucifer is “…a name of the devil.” Is Lucifer in fact the devil? Let us consider Isaiah 14.
For years, I’ve heard concern, even defiance from both non-Christian and Christian women to a particular Bible text. Their ages range from early 20s thru mid-70s. Some were single, some married, some divorced. But one thing they all had in common was a skewed idea about what the Bible says on marriage. Perhaps some heard a pontificating man use the text to affirm male dominance. Some may have read the work of a raging feminist spewing hatred about archaic Bible concepts. Or it may be that some simply read it themselves and failed to see the whole picture. Whatever the case, Ephesians 5:22-24 has been sorely mishandled at times. Notice the text:
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to theLord. For the husband is head of the wife, asalso Christ is head of the church; and He is theSavior of the body. Therefore, just as the churchis subject to Christ, so let the wives be to theirown husbands in everything.
The Bible emphasizes the need for unity and peace among God’s people. We can find texts in both the Old (Psalm 133:1; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; 1 Chronicles 12:17) and New Testament (John 17:21-23; Romans 12:16; 1 Corinthians 1:10; Ephesians 4:1-6) that tell us to pursue unity. Several years ago, I taught an eight lesson series on the topic—there is that much material and more in the Bible about unity.
Occasionally in the discussion of unity among God’s people, you will hear folks reference a short, but powerful verse in Amos. It reads:
Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? (Amos 3:3)
