In our day-to-day activities with our local church, do we compete with someone? Without understanding their commitment and relationship with God, do we ever force ourselves and our family members to imitate their attitudes? If we continue to do such things, we may face dire consequences like Ananias and Sapphira.
Category: Character Study
An in-depth study of the various characters in the Bible and how their lives impacted us.
Ruth – The Virtuous Woman
Some might question the purpose of the story of Ruth in the Bible, but her response to tragedy in her life is something we can learn a lot from. There were two women who were dealt the same hand in Naomi and Ruth. Both responded to it in different ways and Ruth left her comfort zone and moved to Bethlehem to be a comfort for her mother-in-law.
Peter – The Fisher of Men
The Bible portrays Peter, James, and John as the close associates of Jesus. Out of these three disciples, Peter’s inconsistent spiritual growth is a source of encouragement for all of us, as we are also inconsistent in our spiritual walks but the spiritual journey of Peter started when he was only an illiterate fisherman.
Nehemiah – The Impulsive Man
Nehemiah led with his heart rather than listening to the voice of God and always expected God to reward him for the sacrifice he was making in trying to rebuild Jerusalem, both physically and spiritually.
Solomon – The Dum-Best King
Even the wisest man in the world was fooled by satan and lured away from God. Is there any hope for us?
Stephen – The Martyr
The first recorded Martyr to die for the Jesus movement.
Jacob – The Deceiving One
The life of Jacob takes the twists and turns of a modern potboiler.
The cast changes over time but there is sibling rivalry between two brothers, two sisters and among a dozen brothers; parental favouritisms; deceit and betrayals; thirsts for revenge; love and romance; heartbreaks; deaths and family reunions.
The cheater becomes the cheated.
A Lot of Problems
Life lessons from Lot and pondering what could have been.
A Tale of Two Sisters
In this modern age, many gadgets exist that shorten the time phase in every sphere of our work life. Every day new innovations are coming up to make the older ones obsolete. This has changed our work culture tremendously. In spite of these boons, we are more busier than ever and are not able to find time to look after our own family matters.
Nicodemus – The Secret Follower
Mentioned only in the Gospel according to John, Jesus’ late night meeting with Nicodemus gave us the most influential verse and the summary of the entire Gospel in John 3:16.
Tabitha – The Risen Saint
In the coastal city of Joppa which was about eleven miles northwest from Lydda , resided Tabitha (Dorcas in Greek) who was on her death bed. Tabitha Dorcas was a tailor and a follower of the ‘Way’. The origins of her faith are not mentioned in the Bible…
The Syrophoenician Woman – The Epitome of Faith
Jesus left Galilee and headed north some 35 miles to the gentile occupied port cities of Tyre and Sidon. The purpose of Jesus’ short visit to these cities is not clear. He was not preaching in this region nor was he performing any miracles. Then why did Jesus take his disciples and travel such a long distance to Tyre and Sidon?
John the Baptist – The Voice in the Desert
Though his name says Baptist and he even baptized with water but John The Baptist was definitely more than a baptizer. Born in a priestly family and chosen even before birth for the role he had to play as a witness to the Light, though short lived, lived to its full as a lamp that burned and gave light. Jesus himself certified about him that he is more than a prophet (Matthew 11:8-10). Named even before his birth as John (Meaning Yahweh is gracious), his ministry was to testify about the one who is full of grace and truth.
Deborah – The Female Judge
Deborah is the only female judge of Israel mentioned in the Bible (Judges 4:5). She was a prophetess and the wife of Lapidoth who judged Israel when the they were being oppressed by Jabin, king of Canaan (Judges 4:4).
Gideon – The Mighty Warrior
Ophrah was a small town in Manasseh and was the native place of Joash the Abiezrite. His sons had been put to death on Mount Tabor by the Midianites. His only remaining son, Gideon, was threshing wheat in the winepress for he feared the Midianites. Hardly the great warrior that the Israelites needed to redeem themselves of their oppressors. Gideon found it hard to believe when the Angel of the Lord told him of what God was going to do through him. Little did he know that he would be the greatest Judge that led Israel.
Cornelius and the Gentile Pentecost
The baptism of Cornelius is an important event in the history of the Early Church. The gates of the Church, within which thus far only those who were circumcised and observed the Law of Moses had been admitted, were now thrown open to the uncircumcised Gentiles without the obligation of submitting to the Jewish ceremonial laws.- Florentine Bechtel
Abigail – A Discerning Woman
Abigail was a woman, beautiful and with understanding (1 Samuel 25: 3), She was the wife of Nabal who was a rich man and who sheared his sheep at Carmel (1 Samuel 25: 3). Knowing that Nabal was shearing his sheep, David sent some young men to talk to Nabal and tell him how well his shepherds were treated when they were with him and that now when they have come on a feast day and be given ..
The Prodigal Sons
Rivalry among brothers is quite common even in the Bible. Brotherly rivalries such as Joseph and his brothers, Jacob and Esau, Solomon and Adonijah and so on, all in some way related to their inheritance share. In the parable of the Prodigal son Jesus illustrates a similar rivalry so that…
Elijah – Man of God
Elijah lived in difficult times when Israel was in spiritual deterioration.The secret of his success was prayer. Elijah was used to turning the hearts of the people back to the Lord (I Kings 18:37). But what was so special about him?
Eli – The Penultimate Judge of Israel
Eli was a priest, chosen from the priestly clan, who judged Israel for forty years (1 Samuel 1:9; 1 Samuel 2:28; 1 Samuel 4:18). He had two sons named Hophni and Phinehas who did not know God and sinned against Him, they treated Lord’s offering with contempt (1 Samuel 1: 4; 1 Samuel 2: 12,…
Adam – The Genesis of Sin
According to the book of Genesis Adam was created by God out of the soil of the earth and He breathed into his nostrils. Adam became a living person. God created the world and all that is in it by His word and when He found everything was good He created man giving him all…
Jonah – The Reluctant Prophet
Nineveh is a mere 500 miles from Jonah’s hometown of Gath-hepher but he choose the journey to Tarshish which was about 2500 miles from Joppa. This showed how reluctant he was to go to Nineveh. Nineveh drew comparisons from Sodom and Gomorrah….
The Jordan Valley 