Courage

The Drought Ends

When it was obvious that the prophets of Baal had failed, Elijah invited all the people to come near and observe what he would do. Elijah gathered the crowd around him as he repaired the altar that had been torn down (v. 30). He used 12 stones to represent the tribes of Israel …

Saved In a Fiery Trial

Although angry at these three young men for refusing to bow down to the image, the king did not order their immediate destruction, but instead offered them another chance. They steadfastly refused to worship the image and expressed their confidence that God was able to de …

Enemies Conspire Against David

Many Bible scholars think this Psalm was written by David when he was fleeing from Saul and in very serious trouble. The king of Gath had put David under arrest and was considering putting him to death. In the previous Psalm David’s troubles were caused by his family and friends; …

Courageous and Shameless

Not ashamed is the key idea to this chapter. In this time of mounting persecution Timothy could have been afraid to continue preaching the gospel. Paul admonishes Timothy not to be ashamed in (v. 8). Paul gives a brief summary of the gospel by saying, God loves us, called us and …

IllustrationGirl Rescued From Drowning by a Non Swimmer

As Ray Blankenship was preparing his breakfast, he gazed out the window, and saw a small girl being swept along in the rain-flooded drainage ditch beside his Andover, Ohio, home. Blankenship knew that farther downstream, the ditch disappeared underneath a road and then emp …

IllustrationDutches Dies in Paris Fire

On May 4, 1897, duchess Sophie-Charlotte Alencon was presiding over a charity ball in Paris when the hall caught fire. Flames spread to the paper decorations and flimsy walls, and in seconds the place was an inferno. In the hideous panic that followed, many women and children w …

IllustrationNurse Made Sure The Surgeon Removed 12 Sponges

In the operating room of a large hospital, a young nurse was completing her first full day of responsibilities. “You’ve only removed 11 sponges, doctor,” she said to the surgeon. “We used 12.” “I removed them all,” the doctor declared. “We’ll cl …

IllustrationKhrushchev – “Who said that?"

During his years as premier of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev denounced many of the policies and atrocities of Joseph Stalin. Once, as he censured Stalin in a public meeting, Khrushchev was interrupted by a shout from a heckler in the audience. “You were one of Stalin’ …