In this election year of 2024, I thought it might be helpful and encouraging to reflect on the top ten list of our nation’s best presidents. This is a time for reflection and encouragement, and it is a time to “raise the bar.” A time to consider leaders who have led in a positive moral direction. A time when elections were based on integrity, both that of the candidates and the election process itself. Though not necessarily perfect, there was a standard, and it was a high standard. U.S. Presidents were to model righteousness. They were not all believers in Christ, yet they were intentional about setting a righteous example for their constituents. It was more about doing the right thing and less about how to get away with ...

In his classic work from 1852, The Typology of Scripture, Patrick Fairbairn masterfully compares the Old Testament types (prophetic symbols) with their New Testament anti-types (fulfillments).  One of the most prominent types in the Old Testament is the fleeing from Egypt by the Israelites under the leadership of Moses.

Let me begin by laying the foundation for this type. Moses, the leader, is a type of Jesus Christ, who led His people out of bondage to sin through the shedding of His blood on the cross. Moses did not shed his blood but rather had the Hebrews shed the blood of a lamb and paint its blood on the doorposts and lintel beam (Exodus 12:7). The blood was their protection from the angel of death even as the Lamb of God, Jesus...

In his insightful book, The Three Chairs, Dr. Bruce Wilkinson shares truths about generational faith. There is a marked difference between those who are the first in their family to be born again and those who grow up in a Christian home where Christ is exalted. Wilkinson masterfully shows us from the Bible how this truth played out in the lives of Abraham (first chair), Isaac (second chair), and Jacob (third chair); David (first chair), Solomon (second chair), and Rehoboam (third chair); and Joshua (first chair), the elders of Israel (second chair), and the children of the elders (third chair). In each case there is a downward spiral from vital, vibrant faith in the Lord God to nominal faith in God to no faith in God. Each state is ...

Christians disagree. Well, that should come as no surprise to any of you. We are not clones nor do we all think alike on most subjects. Disagreements are inevitable and are a part of life. The trick is to discover how to “disagree without being disagreeable.” Disagreements need not turn into “cut offs” where we cease all contact with someone. Disagreements can be productive causing us to see things from a different perspective. They may cause us to change our minds or at least rethink our position on a matter.

Would it surprise you to learn that the apostles disagreed? Yep. They did. The prime example of this is recorded in Acts 15:36-40. The disagreement features two pillars of the faith, Paul and Barnabas. Realize...