By Dan Jenkins

Many know of that time when the prophet Isaiah came to King Hezekiah who was seriously ill. The message was simple. Isaiah told the king that he was to die. “Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live” (2 Kgs. 20:1). When the prophet departed, Hezekiah prayed so fervently to God that before Isaiah had left the palace God told the prophet to return to the king and deliver the message that his life would be lengthened fifteen years. There are some vital truths we must learn from the details of this wonderful story.

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By Dan Jenkins

When Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy, he knew the end was near. He looked back over his life and used two illustrations from the Grecian games to describe it. He mentioned fighting (wrestling or boxing) and racing. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (4:6). It is at times like this that a man reflects on how his life has been spent. It is a time for self-evaluation.
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By Dan Jenkins

The disdain some have for doctrine in our day stands in marked contrast to the way the Holy Spirit exalts it. Instead of having little regard for doctrine, the early church proclaimed it. Do not lose sight of the charge brought against the apostles, “You have filled Jerusalem with this doctrine” (Acts 5:28).

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By Dan Jenkins

The spirit of compromise which permeates our society may be blessing in some areas, but it has little place in regard to the clear teachings of the Bible. Its presence has led to a watered-down teaching in churches in America. While the Bible doctrine about morality is clear, denominations are struggling to deal with divorce for every cause, living together without marriage and homosexuality. The same is true about how God wants us to worship, the organization of church, the path to salvation and many aspects of Christian living. It is as though there is no doctrinal teaching on these matters. This spirit of compromise has made doctrine a four-letter word.

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By Dan Jenkins

There are many illustrations used in the Bible to describe our lives as Christians. We are warriors in His army (Eph. 6) and harvesters in His vineyard (Matt. 20). We are boxers who do not simply throw blows into the air against an imaginary foe (1 Cor. 9:26). One illustration used repeatedly is that we are competitors in a great race.

This figure is used in the book of Hebrews. After describing those heroes of faith throughout chapter eleven whose lives were all lived by faith, the Lord then turned His attention to the Hebrew Christians. That this chapter is directly tied to the men of faith is evidenced by the first word in chapter twelve. “Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses… Let us run with endurance the race that is set before
us.”

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By Dan Jenkins

For over two hundred years after the death of Solomon, those ten tribes in the northern part of Palestine never worshiped God. If you want to see just how longsuffering God is, consider that during this time they had nineteen kings and not a single one of them was righteous. It was not that they had no way to know God, for He sent prophet after prophet to call them back. They refused to hear.

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By Dan Jenkins

That transformation which occurs when one becomes a Christian is so remarkable. The apostle Paul emphasized this to those new Christians in Corinth. In his second letter to that church he spoke of all he was in Judaism before becoming a follower of Jesus. No one excelled his credentials, yet he gave it all up. He reminded them of this truth and then applied this transformation to all Christians. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17).

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By Dan Jenkins

One of the mistakes we so often make is that we read the Bible too fast. Divine truths are so profound that as we read the Bible, we overlook eternal truths which could change our lives. Consider these words from Solomon. “He has made everything beautiful in its times. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end” (Ecc. 3:11). Every phrase in this verse should be considered, but let’s focus on one of them. “He has put eternity in their hearts.” Read it slowly and think about it.

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By Dan Jenkins

Imagine a situation where you were annually given half a million dollars. You were told to invest it wisely, and the profit from how you invested it each year would all be yours. How much time would you devote, knowing that in the next decade you would be investing over $52,000,000?

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By Dan Jenkins

The sixth chapter of John records that day when the tide of popularity turned against our Lord. That first year of the public preaching of Jesus was characterized by multitudes following Him. John shows just how popular He had become, and early in this chapter we read that they were about to take Him by force and make Him their king.

Think about the motive many of them had for wanting a king like Jesus. He had just fed 5,000 men. This number did not include the women and children, so there likely were more than 10,000 fed that day. Who would not want a king who would feed you so that you would never have to work again? They wanted an earthly king. How did Jesus respond? John described the events of that day so vividly. “When Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone” (v. 15). He had no desire to be a king sitting on an earthly throne in Jerusalem.

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