Radio shows

In our last visit we saw the tragic moment when Saul crossed the line of no return.  Even though he confessed his sin, the clock could not be turned back.  God saw something in Saul’s heart that caused Him to have Samuel declare in 1 Samuel 15:28-29, “The ...

Saul was a king who drifted further and further away from God.  Samuel was God’s servant who had anointed Saul and now tried helping him stay on the straight and narrow path.  Saul became callused to the point where he determined what he would do for God, ...

Did you know that “One plus God is a majority?”  You might call that an impact thought.  In our last study we looked at an impact statement – that is, a statement that grabs your attention and drives home a point so poignantly that you remember it an...

Samuel had reason to get discouraged from time to time.  In 1 Samuel 8:3 it says, “His sons did not walk in his ways.  They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.” This was the catalyst which caused leaders in Israel t...

Often the meaning of a verse or portion of the Bible revolves around the meaning of one key word.  I call that an “Insight word.” Take the word “Ichabod” in 1 Samuel 4:21, the name given to the boy born to Eli’s daughter-in-law.  When she heard about the d...

Samuel was born as a direct result of desperate prayers by his mother, Hannah.  Once weaned from his mother, she took him to Jerusalem and gave him to the service of the temple as she had promised in her prayer.  He worked in the temple under Eli the pries...

Andrew Murray wrote, “Just as water ever seeks and fills the lowest place, so the moment God finds you abased and empty, His glory and Power flow in”   Jesus said, “He that shall humble himself shall be exalted,” in Matthew 23:12.  This principle has alway...

In our last study we surveyed what the book of Ruth was about.  One designation – Kinsman-Redeemer – is mentioned a number of times.  Understanding what a Kinsman-Redeemer is will help you understand better the story of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz.  ...

Continuing to read about the times when Judges ruled in Israel we come to the book of Ruth.  If you’ve been reading a couple of chapters each day this year this is about where you should be.  I am encouraging listeners to this program to read through the B...

In our last visit we started an inductive study of chapters 17-21 of the book of Judges.  It’s a convoluted and sordid account of the destructive power of sin.  Now let’s try to understand what this story means. The first issue dealt with is worship, and i...

In the final chapters of Judges you find a convoluted story, as sordid as any you’ll find.  Let’s do an inductive study of these chapters.  Start by identifying what is said.  Then try determining what it means.  Finally, answer the question, what differen...

In the cases we’ve studied in the book of Judges it’s apparent: parents had a lot to do with how their children turned out.  It’s obvious that a significant life of service doesn’t necessarily cause the next generation to have similar convictions and lifes...

The story of Samson is well known.  But did you know how it started?  Judges 13 says an angel appeared to his mother and told her she would have a special son.  When she told her husband he prayed, “O Lord, I beg you, let the man of God you sent to us come...

No matter how bad things get in society God always finds a man or woman who’s ready to stand in the gap.  The book of Judges illustrates this.  When Israel’s situation got bad because of their sins God raised up a judge to turn things around and deliver th...

The book of Joshua closes with Joshua declaring, “Me and my household will serve the Lord.”  Judges 2:10 reads, “After (Joshua’s) generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for ...

In our last visit I introduced some thoughts on the Book of Judges.  This is a book that emphasizes that if we are not careful, we will pollute our possessions or lose them.  This is captured in Judges 1:28, “And it came about when Israel became strong tha...

Are you a listener, participating in reading through the Bible in two years?  If you are, we’re now ready to start the Book of Judges.  To “read it through in two” it will take reading about 2 chapters a day.  If you haven’t been reading along with us so f...

As I was reading Joshua chapter 24, I came across an impact statement.  Joshua challenges the children of Israel to choose for themselves whom they were going to serve.  Then he made this statement in verse 15, “But as for me and my household we will serve...

Two times in the closing chapters of Joshua he declares, “Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled” (21:45). And in 23:14, “You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises th...

If you’re in leadership as a Christian, you are called upon to be a servant leader.  What does that mean?  Well, look at Joshua 19:49-51. Prior to this you read in Joshua about the various territories allotted to each of the tribes.  Here you read about th...

In our last visit we looked at the book of Joshua, chapter 14, and began a biographical study of the life of Caleb, using the material found in this chapter.   We collected information about Caleb and correlated it into an outline:  Title: Caleb, A Man of ...

Caleb.  What a man!  What an example of what God wants each of us to be.  To do a study of his life, first, collect information about him, correlate it into an outline and then crystallize what you learn into some applications. Consider these facts about C...

There are important lessons to learn from Joshua, chapters 7-10: Israel’s battles with the people of Ai, the peace treaty they signed with the Gibeonites and the battle they fought to defend them. There was no prayer before their first attack of Ai, and th...

Former president of America, Richard Nixon, wrote in his book, Six Crises: “The most difficult time of a crisis is preparing for it.  The easiest time is during the crisis.  The most dangerous time is after the crisis.” Conquering Jericho was a crisis for ...

Joshua 1:8 captures what the book of Joshua is all about.  Let me encourage you to memorize it:  “Do not let this book of the law depart from your mouth.  Meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.  Then you wil...