Life is filled with warnings, isn’t it? Car owners see a myriad of coloured symbols on their dashboards and dig out the owner’s manual to learn more. Our technological gadgets give us warnings about viruses, software updates and drive us to the “help” menu many times.

“God opposes everyone who is proud, but he is kind to everyone who is humble” (James 4:6). This truth is reflected in God’s dealings with individuals, families, communities, entire nations (vv 33-64).

Case in point – Babylon! Where is Babylon today?

“God loves people who love to give.” In our culture people often try to motivate us by pointing out the tax benefits of giving. The New Testament perspective is quite different.

In this passage Paul finds it necessary to explain his behaviour to the Corinthians, and because they seem to have certain expectations of him he is explaining his “bragging rights.” He is determined to act in the way Jesus would have done.

Meekness is not weakness. Far from it. It is a deliberate determination not to act in an aggressive or sinful way.

In the movie The Passion of Christ, Pontius Pilate asks his wife: “What is truth, Claudia? Do you hear it, recognize it when it is spoken?” We live in a day and age where there is a whole range of differing beliefs about God, scripture, and other spiritual matters. Things really don’t change that much, do they? In this chapter, Paul is confronted with a church that has been led astray by false teachings.

Psalm 78 rehearses sad events from Israel’s past and does so for a purpose. The psalmist “give[s] instruction and explain[s] the mystery of what happened long ago” (v 2). God gave his people his law so they would know how to obey him in a way that would please him and allow their lives to flourish (vv 5-8).

Wisdom, or using knowledge to make good decisions, is a highly desirable trait. When God asked King Solomon what he wanted, Solomon chose wisdom. The book of Proverbs is linked to Solomon, and helps the reader to gain wisdom.

There are four animals within God’s creation that, though they seem small and insignificant, are full of wisdom.