Besides that, they learn to be idlers, (more…)
Widows in ancient Israel faced lives of hardship and dependence. Without husbands, they became vulnerable to poverty, isolation and oppression. Their options were slim: Remarry or depend upon other family members and gifts from temple tithes.
Their precarious situation made them morally vulnerable as well, prone to yielding to passions that would lead them astray spiritually.
Besides that, they learn to be idlers, (more…)
In the eyes of the world, Mary was a nobody living in a nowhere town. She expected her life to take the traditional trajectory. She would marry young, have children, and live a quiet life of servitude, eventually fading into obscurity.
But the Lord foresaw a different trajectory for her life. He would grant her the highest honor among women. She, a (more…)
I often think of the Lord as the ultimate recycler. He wastes nothing—not our heartache, our choices or our years of wandering. He transforms broken people, relationships and situations into something new. And He takes what was meant for evil and uses it for good.
Joanna’s story is proof.
It begins with her being under enemy influence while living large on enemy support. (more…)
And the people of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hand of (more…)
Many of us remember the story of Gideon, the unlikely biblical hero whom God used to defeat the menacing Midianites. Gideon went on to judge the Israelites for 40 years.
But Gideon’s death ushered in an ugly chapter for the people of Israel.
And the people of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hand of (more…)
Some people shy away from speaking about Jesus or doing anything in His name because they’re convinced God can’t use them. In their minds, they have nothing special to offer, or they feel discredited by their pasts.
But Rahab, a prostitute living in the ancient city of Jericho, didn’t allow even her present sins to prevent her from doing what God had (more…)