Why Don’t We Observe Lent?

I was asked a great question earlier today that’s relevant each year at this time. Why do Baptists (and many others) traditionally not observe the Lenten season, or Lent? To be clear, Lent is a partial fast held for 40 days prior to Easter Sunday, based on Jesus’ fasting after His baptism. It is ushered…

Habakkuk’s Prayer for Revival & Mercy

“O Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.” (Habakkuk 3:2) This prayer of Habakkuk should set the tone for our prayers every day, but especially during the times we are living…

Jesus Stood Still

“And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he [blind Bartimaeus] cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called…” – Mark 10:48-49 As Jesus passed through Jericho, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus cried after the Lord to…

Praying for our Leaders

Regrettably, I often fail to pray for our leaders as I ought. I do hope that as this year progresses that my devotion to this endeavor will be rekindled for our current President, as well as other various city, county, state, and Federal leaders. Recently we saw our “Inauguration Day” where we observe the peaceful…

Moving Past the Pleasantries of Prayer

“…..yet ye have not, because ye ask not.” -James 4:2b We often use certain expressions that involve prayer to relay our empathy toward others. Expressions as “praying for you” or “you are in our prayers.” Unfortunately, without realizing it we soon turn our empathetic phrases into common pleasantries. The context of the above verse suggests…

A simple principle found in Acts 12:7-8

“And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so…

Solomon’s Prayer and Christ our Temple

Recently, our Wednesday night studies led us to Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication for the Temple. As you recall, from the time of Moses until David, the worship of God was centered around a portable structure called The Tabernacle. Lest you think that inferior, God Himself ordered the production and the layout of the Tabernacle. Within…