All Articles For Slopsema, James D

The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just. Proverbs 3:33 The family unit in our society is disintegrating. Marriage, which is the backbone of the family, is in deep trouble. Mothers, who are all important to the welfare of the family, are abandoning their God-given role in the family as keepers of the home to take up work outside the home. Children and young people no longer respect authority but live as rebels in their homes. The lifestyle our society has adopted makes family life very difficult. These...

After that, he was seen of James. I Corinthians 15:8 In the first part of this chapter Paul reminds the Corinthian saints of the gospel that he had proclaimed to them. He had proclaimed not only the death of Jesus Christ but also His resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus had been verified by many witnesses: “He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: after that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all...

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Psalm 90:12 Are you numbering your days? We must number the days of our lives already lived. How old are you? How many days has that been? And what has filled those day? We must also number the days that we can reasonably expect to live yet on the earth. It is good to do this that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. What it means to number or count our days will become clear only in light of what has already been said...

In the house of the righteous is much treasure: but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble. Proverbs 15:6 Is there treasure in your house? What kind of treasure is it? Not all treasure is good! Notice the contrast between the righteous and the wicked. There is much treasure in the house of the righteous. There is treasure also in the house of the wicked. That is because he generates revenue or income. The righteous also generates revenue. However, that earthly revenue is not his great treasure. His treasure is heavenly and spiritual in nature. That explains why the...

And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who are those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant. —Genesis 33:5 Jacob was returning to Canaan after twenty years with his uncle Laban. He had fled Canaan because of the wrath and threats of his brother Esau. Having learned that Jacob had stolen the birthright blessing by deceiving his father, Esau vowed to kill Jacob. Jacob had fled to his uncle Laban alone and empty. He returned twenty year later full. He had large herds of sheep,...

Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. Luke 24:5–7 Early Sunday morning a small group of women left the city of Jerusalem. This group included Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Solome, Joanna, and others—all followers of Jesus. On Friday, they had witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion and burial. Now, on the third day, they set out at...

Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways. For the froward is abomination to the Lord: but his secret is with the righteous. Proverbs 3:31–32 Have you ever envied the ungodly? They have little concern to keep the Sabbath day, to be honest in business, to keep their word, or to care for the needy. This opens the door for riches and a lifestyle that many of us would like to have but are denied as we strive faithfully to serve the Lord. This envy is addressed in the proverb before us. There are several elements found...

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Luke 2:13–14 First there was but one angel who appeared to the shepherds in the fields outside of Bethlehem as they kept watch over their flocks by night. Seeing the glory of the Lord shining round about them, the shepherds shrank back in fear. “Fear not,” said the angel, “for I bring you glad tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” Then the angel proceeded to...

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1 Psalm 27 was written by David. From the psalm itself it is evident that David was facing great danger from his enemies. Some see a connection between this psalm and Psalm 3, which was written in connection with David’s flight from Absalom. In verse 5 of that psalm David wrote, “I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.” Others suggest that verse 10 of Psalm 27 links...

“Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” Isaiah 55:1 It was common in the Bible lands to come across vendors selling water. Water was often scarce in the Bible lands. And so venders would sell water, calling out to those who were thirsty to come and buy their water. The word of God before us compares the Lord to such a vendor selling water. “Ho, every one that thirsteth.” This is what the ven­dors would...