Why Rome Fell

In The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon
observed that there were five basic reasons why that civilization withered and
died. Here are the flaws that Gibbon listed:
1. An undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home.
2. A mad craze for pleasure, with pastimes becoming every year more
exciting, brutal, and immoral.
3. Decay of religion – faith fading into mere form.
4. Higher and higher taxes with public money being spent for free bread and
circuses for the populace.
5. Building great armaments, although the real enemy was…

The Narrow Way

Near the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus starts to wrap up His message
with a warning: “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the
way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow
is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find
it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

If this warning was not enough to grab your attention, just a few verses later he
adds to it: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall…

A recent review by the University of New South Wales in Australia calls attention to the danger of … taking selfies.

The review, published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, surveyed multiple studies in the U.S. and Australia of incidents in which people were injured or killed while taking pictures of themselves with their smartphones. The two most common causes: falling from heights and drowning. Some scenic locations have even implemented “no selfie zones,” physical barriers, signs, and social media warnings in hopes of preventing such accidents. The review concludes that…

“Let brotherly love continue” (Hebrews 13:1). “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love” (Romans 12:10).

In these verses, “brotherly love” (Gr. philadelphia, from philia, love + adelophos, brother) describes the warm affection and mutual concern that flows from a sense of kinship — in this case, our connection to one another as fellow children of God. As John wrote, “Whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him” (1 John 5:1).

But sometimes brotherly love is hard. Why? Because our brothers and sisters are not always lovable! They…

2 Chronicles 25 records the reign of Judah’s king Amaziah. As with each of Judah’s kings, the text gives an inspired summary of his character. But Amaziah’s is unlike the rest: “He did right in the sight of the Lord, yet not with a whole heart” (verse 2). As some translations word it, his heart was not “true” or “loyal.” Amaziah’s obedience didn’t come from devoted commitment to God.

A few verses later, we see an example. Amaziah led an army against Judah’s enemy, Edom, even heeding the voice of God’s prophet in his…

David pledged, “He who practices deceit shall not dwell within my house; he who speaks falsehood shall not maintain his position before me” (Psalm 101:7).

The Hebrew word translated “deceit” primarily means laxness or slackness, but it often has (as in this verse) the sense of dishonesty or treachery. And “falsehood” here simply means deception, fraud, lying.

David valued honesty and integrity. He did not want to be influenced by anyone given to deceit, whether in his personal life or in his role as Israel’s king. This wasn’t just a matter…

Double Vision

Matthew 6:19-24
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust
destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where
thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your
heart will be also.
“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body
will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of
darkness. If then the light in you…

“Martha, Martha”

Luke 10:38ff records a visit Jesus made to Bethany, the home of three of his most
intimate friends, Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha.
Now as they were traveling along, He entered a certain village; and a
woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. And she had a
sister called Mary, who moreover was listening to the Lord's word,
seated at His feet. But Martha was distracted with all her
preparations; and she came up to Him, and said, "Lord, do You not care
that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then…

Bryan Johnson has one chief purpose in life: not dying.

The 47-year-old tech entrepreneur notes that immortality is “the most fundamental of all human desires” and that most world religions focus on some version of it. But now, he believes, something like immortality is “technically, potentially possible.”

Johnson explains: “What I’ve done as a project is I’ve said: Can I slow down my speed of aging to the greatest extent of any human on the planet? And can I then eliminate all the sources of death? Can I become…

“Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!” we often sing. But what does it mean to be redeemed? Think about two New Testament words that our English versions usually translate “redeem.”

One word means “to buy out” (Gr. exagorazō, from agorazō, to buy). It was used, for instance, when someone purchased a slave in order to set him free. It is this word that Paul uses when he says, “You have been bought with a price” (6:20; 7:23). Having been redeemed from slavery to sin, we must not allow ourselves to become…

A Lonely Ember

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services
regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, one of the elders decided to visit
him. It was a chilly evening. The elder found the man at home alone, sitting
before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for the elder’s visit, the man welcomed
him, led him to a big chair near the fireplace and waited.
The elder made himself comfortable but said nothing. In the grave silence, he
contemplated the play of the flames around the burning logs. After some
minutes, the elder took the fire…

“It’s Just Singing”

Years ago the church we were a part of would occasionally devote a service to
hymn singing. One good, knowledgeable brother who was usually faithful to
attend the assemblies, would choose not to come then, because, as he put it, “It’s
just singing.” I have also heard people say, “Some people like to sing, but that’s
just not my personality.”
How would you answer this question: “Why should we sing in worship to God?”
A quick answer could be, “Because He has commanded it.” However there is
much more involved than that.
God created us with the capacity…

Rehoboam was King Solomon’s son and heir. When Solomon died, the leaders of the people made a request of Rehoboam before they would submit to his rule: they asked him to lighten the burdens (taxation, forced labor on government projects, etc.) that they had endured under Solomon.

Before answering, Rehoboam consulted the older men who had served his father. They told him that if he would be a servant to the people and grant their petition, he would win their loyalty. But Rehoboam rejected their advice and went to his younger peers.…