Trials

Comfort In Times of Trial

Paul had been assaulted by the mob, threatened with scourging by the Romans, and bullied by the high priest. It was evident to him there was no chance that he would receive a fair trial in a court headed by such a man as Ananias. If he said, “I am a Christian,” and ma …

Comfort in Times of Trial

Chapter 23 opens with Paul standing before the Sanhedrin presenting his case. Gazing earnestly at the council, he told them he had lived before God, doing his duty with a perfectly good conscience (v. 1). Ananias, a corrupt high priest, order that Paul should be slapped across the mouth to forcibly …

Obtaining a Good Testimony Through Faith

The author of Hebrews wants to talk about many others who were great men and women of faith, but time will not permit it. He lists several people in Biblical history who did mighty deeds of faith. From this variety of personalities, we can see how faith can operate in the life of any person who …

The Lord’s Challenge to His People

In this chapter Micah pictures a courtroom. God has a controversy against His people, and He calls the mountains and the hills together to form a jury as He sets forth His case. The people have replaced heartfelt worship with empty ritual, thinking that this is all that God dem …

How to Profit from Trials

James, the half-brother of Jesus Christ and a key leader in the Jerusalem church wrote to scattered Jewish believers (v. 1). These were thriving Jewish-Christian communities in Rome, Alexandria, Cyprus, and cities in Greece and Asia Minor. Many were severely persecuted and even died …

Every Christian can Expect Persecution

Peter says we should not be surprised by trials that come our way (v. 12). Every Christian who lives a godly life will experience a certain amount of persecution. The world does not persecute “religious people” but it does persecute “righteous people.” The trial of a believer is like the …

IllustrationSome Trials Can Be Avoided

While assembling their new water bed, my sister Betty and her husband, Everett, realized they would need a hose. Everett dashed to the hardware store and bought one. They attached it to the bed, ran it through the apartment to the kitchen tap and left to wait for the bed to fill. …

IllustrationHow Much a Bar of Steel is Worth

A bar of steel worth $5.00, when made into ordinary horseshoes is then worth $10.00. If this same $5.00 bar of steel is manufactured into needles, the value rises to $350.00. And yet if it is made into delicate springs for expensive watches, it is worth more than $250,000.00. The …

IllustrationVance Havner – “Shake Well Before Using"

Sometimes your medicine bottle has on it, “Shake well before using.” That is what God has to do with some of us sometimes. He has to shake us well before we are usable. (Vance Havner) …

IllustrationMan Rescued From Shipwreck When His Hut Burned

The only survivor of a shipwreck washed up on a small uninhabited island. He cried out to God to save him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a rough hut and put his few possessions in it. But then …