Jesus. The Way, the Truth, and the Life.
If Jesus died on Friday and arose the next Sunday, what did He mean when He said He would be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights?
Jesus said, in Matthew 12:40, that as Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of a whale, so He would spend three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. If He was crucified on a Friday and raised the following Sunday, how do you explain the this statement?
A short overview and outline of Jonah, an Old Testament prophet.
The book of Jonah is the best account in the Old Testament, perhaps in Scripture, about how the will of God and the will of man interact.
Jonah (a prophet of God) whined a lot. He ran from God. He came up with excuses. Yet God used him powerfully. Wow. I guess He might be able to use me too.
An overview and outline of Obadiah.
We know almost nothing about the man Obadiah. But he made a significant prophecy of destruction against the Edomites, the descendants of Esau, which came to pass around 500 B.C.
Amos, a sheepherder from the small town of Tekoa, prophesied the destruction of the mighty Israel. Read this short outline of Amos.
Amos was a seemingly insignificant sheepherder from a small town called Tekoa. After reading Amos, however, I think you’ll agree with me that nobody is insignificant! God uses the weak things of the world to bring down the powerful.
He prophesied to the mightiest nation in the Mediterranean, a nation at the peak of its power – Israel. People mocked him. Yet history proves his prophecies true, as Israel fell to the Assyrians less than 40 years later, in 722 B.C.
An overview and outline of Joel, one of the 12 minor prophets in the Old Testament.
An overview and outline of Joel. As Hosea develops the relationship of a husband and wife to portray the LORD’s interaction with Israel, thus Joel develops an invasion of locusts into a view of God’s impending destruction. Joel develops an invasion of locusts into a view of God’s impending destruction.
e-sword is the best free program of all time. It is completely free Bible study software rivaling commercial offerings.
I looked back over my posts on free software, and I realized I hadn’t given e-sword its own post. I’ve mentioned it in my top five free software picks of all time, but really, e-sword should have its own entry.
This program deserves my award for the best free program of all time. Sure, many other programs are useful (Firefox, for instance), and many other programs do more (Open Office, for example), but none (except e-sword) provide life-giving truth.
E-sword easily compares to commercial offerings. No, you can’t get all the “premium” modules for free (like the NKJV) but who needs ’em? The ESV (English Standard Version) is a very literal translation that I find very similar to the NASB. Download multiple versions, bucketloads of commentaries and dictionaries, devotions, maps . . . get going!
Some people say the interface appears antiquated, but I disagree. To me, it looks snazzy and modern (O.K., well, it’s free) and it even provides useful tips on opening (if you want them).
Some cool things that I like are:
Visit the site to check out the many features of e-sword. Check out the many downloads available. If you want access to the best free program of all time, then quit just checking out all the benefits e-sword has to offer – get the program!
An outline of the Old Testament book of Hosea. Hosea demonstrates the grief of God and His continuing love for a rebellious people. The book begins with grief and ends with hope.
I just posted an outline of Hosea on truthsaves. Hosea demonstrates the grief of God and His continuing love for a rebellious people. The book begins with grief and ends with hope.
For me, Hosea is a “must-read.” So often I wonder how God could accept someone like me. But He does. He desires a relationship with us, no matter how rancid we appear to Him. He loves us and continually calls us to return to Him.
David purposed in his heart to avoid sin. We can do the same.
I love this Psalm for multiple reasons.
David prayed earnestly, out of a sincere heart. Do we?
David purposed that his mouth would not transgress.
I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
Psalm 17:3 (portion)
Some say avoiding sin is not simply a matter of making a decision. Being a former addict, I understand the thought process. Yet such thoughts are deceptions, some truth mixed with lies.
Life consists of a series of decisions. Will I swear? I choose. Will I pick up that joint? Will I light it? It’s up to me. Do I have the ability to stop my hand from reaching over to the bottle, unscrewing the cap and drinking? Did I look at the porn out of necessity? Every waking moment we make choices. We can purpose, like David, to not sin. We choose. So often we blame addiction, our partners, unforeseen circumstances, depression . . . we need to be like David and stop blaming everything around us. Our choices are our decisions. Plain and simple.
So often we think the concept of eternal life is only a New Testament concept. I’ve talked about it before, and I’ll say it again – it’s all over the Old Testament, especially in the Psalms. David talked about men whose satisfaction and treasure was here – in this life. He contrasted that with his vision of contentment . . .
13 Arise, O LORD! Confront him, subdue him! Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
14 from men by your hand, O LORD, from men of the world whose portion is in this life. You fill their womb with treasure; they are satisfied with children, and they leave their abundance to their infants.
15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.
David’s portion was with God. He understood that this life offers nothing. He had an eternal perspective. Do you?
Read this Christian testimony of being arrested for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.
This testimony tells the story of an arrest . . . typically the testimonies posted on this site tell of a conversion experience. Webster defines the word “testimony” as:
1. an open acknowledgment or
2. a public profession of religious experience.
I think that leaves it pretty wide open.
So, take some time to read Henry’s story of being arrested for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s a good reminder that no matter what the cost, we need to be confidently and openly sharing our faith.
It comes somewhat as a shock to me that anyone would think that children can thrive without love being expressed to them.
Interestingly enough, a reader wrote us and asked us if children should be loved, and if so, how they should be loved. Well, none of us here at truthsaves.org has children (not quite), but we think Scripture gives clear direction on loving them.