God gave us emotions. We are not robots or computers. AI may do a lot, but it cannot feel or will. Can you imagine life without feelings? Choices might be easier—maybe too easy. Life would be predictable yet dull. But we have strong feelings that make life what it is. At times they give us the greatest satisfaction; at other times they give us the worst pain. Feelings can be a blessing or a curse depending on your circumstances. There are times when we should follow our feeli

One of the problems in the church today is that Christians have stopped hating. We have preached about love, and that is good. But there is a need for hate. God is a God of compassion, but He is also a God of hate. He hates a proud look, a lying tongue and other sins (Prov. 6:16-19). He hated the hypocritical worship of His people (Amos 5:21). Jesus hated iniquity (Heb.1:9). Are we teaching this part of God’s nature? To be like Christ, we must hate what He hates. “The fear of

“He’s the most powerful man in the world.” Is that true? Consider these words of Paul: “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (I Tim. 2:1-2). This is a special privilege and a sobering responsibility. The word “intercessions” is a key word. It means to intercede to God on behalf of t

The prophets of God who wrote about Jesus did not understand what we know. They foretold the life of Christ, but the Holy Spirit did not reveal the details like we have them in the New Testament. Peter wrote, “Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and

The use of marijuana is on the rise in America. According to a study from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, marijuana topped the list of substances that were used on a daily basis in 2025. Overall, the most popular drug is still alcohol. Almost 130 million people drank alcohol in the last month compared to about 44 million pot smokers. But in terms of daily use, the weed topped the list with over 21 million daily users compared to over 17 million

As adolescents, we are often told not to think too highly of ourselves. Don’t be the type of person who is arrogant, prideful, and has a haughty spirit. This is good advice and is a lesson that should be continually taught. “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud” (Prov. 16:18-19). But what about the ones who struggle with self-worth? There is an overwhelmi

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (II Tim. 3:16). When a person who claims to be a Christian gives up that truth, he is prone to believe just about anything. A pastor in the United Methodist Church who is running for the Kansas Senate said there are hundreds of mistakes in the Bible. He confidently said he only had to show one of these to prove his case. The example he gave was Jesus’ ascension into heaven. He said Matthew says Jesus was in Galilee when He ascend

There are signs that we are in the middle of a moral and spiritual revival: • Covid backlash. The pandemic was a harrowing experience, but in the end it separated the men from the boys, spiritually speaking. Christians were told not to gather for worship. Some left and never returned. Others stood firm and are now stronger than ever. They love fellowship and Bible studies. They enjoy staying after the services to talk about the church. They take their children to area gospel

I sat in a Bible class recently where the teacher went out of his way to prove an old, speculative opinion. He spent the majority of his time quoting ancient “church fathers” who agreed with him. When I asked him why, he said they lived closer to the time of Jesus and the apostles and had a better idea of what the passage in question meant in the first century. Roman Catholics have made this argument for centuries. For example, the Bible does not teach their beliefs about Mar

While contentment is hard to find for most people, many are only content when things are going well in their lives. They look at good health and fortune as a means for being content. These are things that bring us happiness in life, but what about the times when things are not going so well? What do we do about the times when our health fails us, or when we are financially strapped, or we are being mistreated by others? Can we find peace and contentment during these times? T

t works every time. Trace the flow of money to its source and you will see who is responsible. Detectives look for digital footprints to track down cybercriminals. Investigators examine the money trail to stop human trafficking and the sale of illegal drugs. There is always someone behind the trouble. Gossip leaves a similar trail. Whether we post something online or say it in private, our words travel fast and wide. Solomon tells us not to underestimate this. “Do not curse t

As adolescents, we are often told not to think too highly of ourselves. Don’t be the type of person who is arrogant, prideful, and has a haughty spirit. This is good advice and is a lesson that should be continually taught. “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud” (Prov. 16:18,19). But what about the ones who struggle with self-worth? There is an overwhelmi

You don’t hear those words much anymore. You sure don’t hear sermons on this subject like people heard in years gone by. We live in an age of luxury and ease, and the thought of eternal damnation doesn’t mix with that mindset. Hell is not a comfortable subject. It is not designed to give comfort. It is in the Bible as a warning—a severe warning written in the strongest language possible. It is a place of punishment for the wicked after this life where “their worm does not die

The answer is yes and no. We can and should change in some ways, but we must not change in others. The story of one man in the Bible teaches us how to know the difference. Daniel was a young man living in the security of his home when the Babylonians attacked Judah and took him and others captive. His life changed almost overnight. His world turned upside down and suddenly he found himself in an strange land. Everything was different—the buildings, the language, the clothes,

From the Gospel Advocate, April 10, 1924 This simple, splendid, fruitful, energetic, prosperous America of ours is not, perhaps, conscious enough of all its needs. It has many of them, but none is greater or more pressing than its need of God. This is not an arraignment of our morals. For all our outcry against political and financial corruption, we are, as the world goes, a moral people. We are a generous people, kindly people, a sympathetic people, ready to respond abundant

The amount of alcohol consumed in this country is staggering. Americans spend over 200 billion dollars a year on alcoholic drinks. We can hardly go to a grocery store without seeing someone load down a shopping cart with beer. Drinking is a national pastime, and the money is only a small part of the price our country pays for it. Solomon said, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Prov. 20:1). After all the misery alcohol h

When the Gulf War began in 1990, many seemed sure the end of the world was near. Iraq was anti-Israel. It was home to the ruins of ancient Babylon. Just over forty years earlier, Israel had regained its independence as a nation in 1948. The prophetic clock appeared to be winding down. Preachers warned about the rapture and Armageddon. But the war ended six months later and none of what they said happened. Now the war in Iran is bringing would-be prophets out of the woodwork.

The question of “who’s to blame” seems to be one of every generation. After Satan had beguiled Eve in the garden, Adam followed suit and sinned as well. Adam said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate” (Gen. 3:12). Adam seems to tie his actions to what God did in providing him with a wife. The children of Adam and Eve faced a similar situation. Cain and Abel made an offering to God. Cain's offering came from the fruit of the ground, and

A remarkable prophecy about a famous leader is found in Daniel chapter 8. Daniel said, “Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and there, standing beside the river, was a ram which had two horns, and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last” (v. 3). There is no question about what this ram represents. We have the interpretation straight from the angel Gabriel later in this chapter in verse 20: “The ram which you saw, having the two

“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, measured heaven with a span and calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?” (Isa. 40:12). The prophet said God did three things with His hand. First, He “measured the waters in the hollow of His hand.” Which waters? All the waters—the rivers and lakes, the ponds and streams, the seas and oceans. Where did all that water come from? God measured out the right