A yoke is a wooden crosspiece fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to a plow or cart. A yoke allows two animals to share a load and pull together. Yokes were used in Bible times primarily with bulls or oxen to plow fields and pull wagons. The animals yoked together needed to be close in size and weight for the cart or plow to pull evenly. In the Old Testament, the word "yoke" is often used metaphorically to represent a burden, obligation, or slavery. Jesus has

Then she called the name of Yahweh who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees”; for she said, “Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?” Genesis 16:13 El Roi is the Hebrew word for God of seeing. This is the name that Hagar gave to God when He rescued her. Hagar was the handmaiden of Abram’s wife, Sarai. She had given her to her husband to conceive a child since we thought she was barren. However, as you would expect, everything did not turn out well. After becoming p

Then God said to him in the dream, "Indeed, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also held you back from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. Genesis 20:6 In Genesis 20, Abraham moves his household from the region around Mamre south toward the border of the land of Canaan. Scripture does not tell us the reason for this move. He settles his people in Gerar, between Kadesh and Shur. Gerar was south of Gaza, near the coast of

Enoch walked with God; Genesis 5:21b Three men are recorded to have walked with God: Enoch, Noah, and Moses. What does it mean to have walked with God? When Cathy and I were in our thirties and had all five Children under ten, we didn't have much free time or money. But, we made one thing a priority in our lives. We walked together almost every day. We would walk up and down the road between two cul-de-sacs. The kids would ride their bikes or play in the front yard. When we w

I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins. Isaiah 43:25 If you are like me, you remember things you have done that you are not proud of. You may have lost your temper, stolen something as a teenager, cheated on a test, lied to get out of trouble, or committed countless sins. We might not have forgotten, but if you belong to Christ, God the Father has forgotten them. Paul wrote to the Romans, "Therefore there is

And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, Hebrews 9:27 Is it biblical to pray for the dead? The short answer is no. As the writer of Hebrews points out, when we die, there are no more second chances. If you die in your sins, you don’t get a second chance to become a follower of Christ. There are no do-overs or mulligans. Despite the clear biblical evidence that praying for the dead serves no purpose, some promote this false teaching. A

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 Today, we gather as the Bride of Christ to celebrate His victory over death. This Sunday is glorious, and because of what Christ accomplished on the cross, we can cry out, “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” Jes

So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!" John 12:13 This Sunday is Palm Sunday. On that Sunday of Passion Week, Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey. This event of Jesus entry is recorded in all four Gospels (Matthew 21:1–11, Mark 11:1–11, Luke 19:28–44, and John 12:12–19). His entry was prophesied by the prophet Zechariah 500 years before Christ's birth: Rejoi

For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Matthew 24:38-39 There are those who believe the flood recorded in Genesis 7 was not a worldwide flood, and others who believe the story is just a myth. I have spoken to those who call themselves Christians who do not belie