“The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul” (1 Samuel 18:1) With poetic words, the story describes how Jonathan and David became friends. Their souls were “knit together”. That this description is no exaggeration is shown in the following verses. Jonathan gave David his […]
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34) An old poem, probably written by Thomas Chatterton in the 18th century, goes as follows: Too often we suffer most sorely and thereby feel most poorly from dreaded aches and pains. This poem […]
“Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” (2 Corinthians 13:11-12) If we could only say one thing about God – it would probably be “God is love”. I John 4:8 says, “Whoever does not love […]
“Then Jonathan said to David, ‘Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’’ And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.” (1 Samuel 20:42-43) King Saul was […]
“And Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, ‘May the Lord take vengeance on David’s enemies.’ And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.” (1 Samuel 20:16-17) Jonathan and David both knew the future was uncertain. David was in […]
“…whom He [= God the Father] appointed the heir of all things” (Hebrews 1:2) Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Just as people often leave their possessions to their children, God the Father made His Son heir of all things. After Jesus had completed His mission on earth, God “crowned Him with glory and […]
“They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness…” (Romans 1:29) The above Bible verse makes no bones about it. Humanity that does not acknowledge God as Creator is evil through and through. Paul doesn’t say that to sneer at others. In another letter […]
“Do you suppose, O man … that you will escape the judgment of God?” (Romans 2:3) Life is not always good and by no means always fair. That raises the question of whether there will be some kind of payback at some point. Will bad people eventually have to pay for their actions and good […]
“And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Like Jesus, Paul was not afraid to receive. He thanks at length the brothers and sisters who support him. The congregation in Philippi is poor, but that does not stop them from providing Paul with what he […]
“I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind.” (Ecclesiastes 1:17) For a book by a wise man, all about wisdom, it’s surprising to read that wisdom is meaningless, but that’s Solomon’s conclusion in today’s verse. He’s not saying there’s […]
“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.” (Matthew 6:31-32) In the abovementioned verses, Jesus gives us another reason not to be anxious. His words focus on […]
Welcome to 'The Life of Jesus' course! Watch the life of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke, in the film with the most viewers in world history. There are 15 lessons, each with a brief clip of the film, fo…
If we read Genesis 3, it is normal and right for men and women to wear clothes. However, what clothes should they wear? Read it on our blog.
“Having been set free from sin, [you] have become slaves of righteousness.” (Romans 6:18) A final question that many people consider is: What makes us free? Does freedom mean that we get to decide for ourselves what to think and do? Does absolute autonomy lead to complete freedom and happiness? No, says Paul. Then you […]
“I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces…” (Ecclesiastes 2:7-8) Many of us assume that if only we had enough wealth to not have to work, we would be […]
Jesus is the central person in the Bible. However, some people claim His name was not actually ‘Jesus’. Let’s see what this is all about.
“He upholds the universe by the word of His power.” (Hebrews 1:3) Observing the world around me, it seems completely logical to me that it must have come into existence by some creative power. The Bible tells me it was created by the Lord God. The Bible also tells me that ever since creation, the […]
“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature” (Hebrews 1:3) Jesus revealed a lot about God during His earthly life. For about three years, He traveled throughout Israel preaching. But even when He was not speaking, Jesus showed what God is like. He was full of grace […]
“May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you.” (1 Samuel 24:12) Saul was chasing David and his men. David had to hide in the desert, in caves, in foreign territory… nowhere was he safe. He felt like a hunted bird. […]
“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:26) Besides logical thinking about life being more important than food and the body being more important than clothing (as we read yesterday), […]
“… Having become as much superior to angels as the name He has inherited is more excellent than theirs.” (Hebrews 1:4) In Hebrews 2:9, we read that Jesus “for a little while was made lower than the angels”. This refers to the time when He lived on earth. During this period, Jesus’ glory was not […]
“Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand.’” […]
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life” (Matthew 6:25) Many people try not to worry, but ‘just be happy’ and ‘enjoy life’. The assumption behind this advice is that anxiety makes you unhappy and therefore is to be avoided. Although this makes sense in most cases, it’s a rather superficial point […]
“And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul… Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it.” (1 Samuel 31:2-4) The last chapter about Jonathan is incredibly sad. His life came to a tragic end in a battle against the […]
“I am the door of the sheep.” (John 10:7) Jesus compares people with sheep – as we read often in the Bible. Sheep are pretty helpless animals. They need protection from “thieves and robbers” (verse 8) and form wild animals, especially at night. The best place to spend the night is therefore the safe sheepfold. […]
“The Lord said to Samuel, ‘How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.’” (1 Samuel 16:1) King Saul had been […]
“Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25) Jesus addresses our anxiety about food and clothing. Evidently, these were things that people in Jesus’ […]
“… through whom also He created the world.” (Hebrews 1:2) In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, we are told in the first chapter of the Bible. Later in the New Testament, we learn more about Jesus’ role in creation: “by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible […]
“Unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24) We have read a lot of “I am…”-statements of Jesus. With vivid imagery, he has explained to his hearers who He is and what his work is. The Jewish religious leaders do not at all like Jesus’ claims. They angrily […]
“He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then He sat down and taught the people from the boat.” (Luke 5:3). During His ministry years on earth, Jesus often borrowed stuff from those around Him. He borrowed Simon’s (Peter’s) boat to […]
“I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man….” (Ecclesiastes 2:8) I need to be careful with this one. I’m not saying that women or men are without meaning or purpose at all. I’m just saying that if we seek for ultimate meaning and purpose in human […]
“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 5:10-11) Grace is another excellent quality of our fabulous God. It has been […]
Only when you love God, you will personally experience God’s love for you. He makes us ready to receive it. Do you love Him?
Does God permit a divorced person to remarry while their former spouse is still alive? These and other questions are answered in this blog!
“And Samuel said to him, ‘The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.’” (1 Samuel 15:28) By command of the Lord God, Saul waged war against the Amalekites, a people who had cowardly attacked the people of […]
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.“ (Luke 12:20-21, New Living Translation). A request comes from the crowd standing around Jesus: “Master, […]
“And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Matthew 6:27) Many people want to live a long life. Some go to great lengths to adopt a healthy lifestyle and scientists search for ways to increase people’s lifespan and prevent aging. But being anxious about your life […]
“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2, NIV) I’m sure most people would agree that the Bible is a book that claims to tell us the meaning of life. Many people would be surprised however that in the middle of the Bible, this library of books about the meaning of […]
The Gospels and Epistles can really come to life for you! Even if you’ve read them all before: read them again, with ‘fresh eyes’!
The books of 1 and 2 Chronicles are history books, summarizing Israel’s history from the first humans till +/- 500 BC.
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2) Ever since God created the first humans, He has spoken to them. He had conversations with Adam and Eve in the Garden of […]
“One of the young men answered, ‘Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the Lord is with him.’ … And David came to Saul and entered his service.” (1 […]
It is natural for us to start longing for heaven. But while we live on this earth, it is God’s plan to help us grow spiritually, to bless other people, and to worship Him.
“I am the bread of life” (John 6:35) During their journey from Egypt to Canaan, the Israelites were living in the desert for years. There God gave them bread from heaven (see Exodus 16). The Israelites have never forgotten about this work of God. Now they ask Jesus to do something similar, to prove that […]
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Romans 15:13) In the Bible hope is not a wish, as we often use the word. We hope for many things, but often don’t really expect to […]
“So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.” (Romans 6:11-12) We have already discussed many important elements of the Gospel. But there are a few more things to mention. We have already […]
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16, ESV) The letter to the Romans begins with a greeting from its author. He introduces himself as “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the […]
In this article the two main views on the age of the earth are presented and discussed. What does the Bible say about this topic?
