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"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing." (1Co 13:1-3)

"But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away." (1Co 7:29-31)

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? - that is the age-old question. For Bible believers the answer to this philosophical perplexity is simple: the chicken came first, because God created the birds (Gen 1:20) before He told them to multiply in the earth (Gen 1:22), which requires laying eggs. Let's see if there can be a spiritual parallel drawn from this chicken and egg illustration?

After Gideon and his little army of 300 men had watched the LORD deliver the army of the Midianites into their hands by causing them to turn on themselves and kill each other (Jdg 7:22), Gideon and his men went after Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, faint, yet pursuing them (Jdg 8:4).

"Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;" - Heb 1:3

Have you ever wondered why our society has become such a debauched and depraved cesspool? If you haven't, it's probably time for some introspection and an appointment with the optometrist. The answer was written for us by the apostle Paul in the book of Romans nearly 2000 years ago. This is a case of history repeating itself and as George Santayana famously wrote: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it".

When Israel came out of Egypt and journeyed through the wilderness and came to the border of the land of Canaan, Moses sent in twelve men from the tribes of Israel to spy out the land and bring back a report. Of those twelve spies, only two (Caleb and Joshua) brought back a good report and encouraged the people to do as God had said and to take the land (Num 14:6-9); and because of that only the two of them out of their whole generation would come into the promised land (Num 14:30).

During Israel's conquest into the land of Canaan under the leadership of Joshua, after having seen Israel destroy the cities of Jericho and Ai (Joshua 6 & 8), the kings of the surrounding lands of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and the Jebusites "gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord" (Jos 9:1-2). Can you imagine that?...united nations against the church of God! If you think for a minute that the purpose of nations uniting is for world peace, think again.

During one his evangelistic trips to Asia, the apostle Paul spent two years in Ephesus preaching the word of God which had become so popular that "all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks" (Act 19:10). In accord with His promise to confirm the word of God spoken by the apostles with signs (Mar 16:15-20; Heb 2:3-4), "God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul" (Act 19:11) and enabled him to cast out evil spirits (Act 19:12).

Do you ever wonder if God is trying to tell you something by situations or circumstances that happen in your life? Is there some lesson that He is trying to teach you when things don't go as planned? If you have wondered about these things, rest assured, you are not alone.

It is true that "the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding." (Pro 2:6). It is true that God's commandments, testimonies, and precepts (in other words, His word) give wisdom and understanding (Psa 119:98-100). It is true that God commands His people to "get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth....wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding." (Pro 4:5,7).

Now that I have your attention..... Oftentimes when explaining the doctrine of election to someone, Romans 9:11-13 will be used as a proof text to show that God chooses some people as the objects of His love and mercy ("Jacob have I loved" - Rom 9:13), but leaves others in their sins which they inherited from Adam (Rom 5:12), and they therefore remain the objects of God's judgment and hatred ("Esau have I hated" - Rom 9:13).

Living in a fast paced world and one which is characterized by uncertainty, we all too often wonder and worry about what the next decade, year, month, or even week will bring, which is the source of much tension, stress, and anxiety. In this state of madness, how often do we take a minute and "Be still, and know that I am God..." (Psa 46:10)?

"But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24) God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." - Joh 4:23-24

Gen 11:4- And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

Have you ever wondered why you can spend eight hours a day with coworkers with whom you share common career interests, and possibly even personal interests, and yet only ever connect on a superficial level with them, and if you were to never see them again you wouldn't even care? But at the same time, have you ever wondered why you can meet a person that has been newly baptized into your church, or a member of another church of like-faith, and you can carry on a conversation with them for an hour and walk away feeling like you have known them your whole life?

In an age of bigness -- Big houses, Big SUVs, Big screen TVs, Big Government, Big banks too Big to fail, Big Labor, Big Pharma, Big Agriculture, and yes, even Big Religion -- the small, but important, things in life are often marginalized or even held in contempt. We live in a time and culture where the prevalent philosophy is "If it's bigger, it's got to be better". If the question penned by the prophet Zechariah, "For who hath despised the day of small things?" (Zec 4:10) were asked to the average person on the street today, the answer would likely be, "I do."

Ephesians 2:8-9: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9) Not of works, lest any man should boast. Acts 18:27: And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:

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We are told in the Bible that there are “gods many, and lords many” (1Co 8:5) and today is no exception. There is a god that is being promoted in the world today and she goes by the name of Shirley. Without realizing it, quite often many people profess to believe in and talk about this god named Shirley. Many of you have probably come across this god when you are witnessing to others of the many aspects of the truth of God’s word.

Our God is the God of heaven and earth. He has revealed Himself to us in His holy word as the triune God, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” (1Jo 5:7). “God was manifest in the flesh” (1Ti 3:16) as the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the eternal creator God; for we are told that God created all things “by Jesus Christ” (Eph 3:9).