JOSHUA Slave, Spy, Soldier, Servant, Statesman, Saint Seldom do we find someone in history with as many characteristics of a true believer, leader, and family man as we do in the one man Joshua (“God saves”). Here was a man for all seasons, a man we would do well to […]

JOSHEB-BASSHEBETH, ELEAZAR, SHAMMAH The Three “All for one, and one for all.” Perhaps some of the most famous words ever written, that battle cry was heard again and again in Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers. Better known as Athos, Porthos, and Aramis (D’Artagnan was not one of the three—just a […]

JOSEPH The Man Who Knew How to Forgive Johnny’s mother raced into the bedroom when she heard him scream and found his toddler sister yanking hard on his hair. She carefully unraveled the little girl’s grasp and said to Johnny, “It’s okay, sweetheart. She didn’t really mean it. She doesn’t […]

JONAH The Man Who Didn’t Practice What He Preached It’s wonderful that the Lord provides so many Bible stories that fascinate our children. There are certain accounts they love to hear again and again. Stories like Noah and the flood, David and Goliath, Daniel in the den of lions, and […]

JOHN The Disciple of Love Herbert Lockyer, author of All the Apostles of the Bible, writes, “If Peter and James were the first among the twelve, John (“Jehovah has been gracious”) was the first in the affections of his Lord. . . . John knew something of Jesus’ heartbeat.” When […]

JOCHEBED A Mother Who Loved Her Children Male bonding! That=s when a group of guys gets together to act silly. Maybe the bonding comes with a card game, deer hunting, or a father and his sons watching pro football on TV. Whatever the excuse, guys enjoy getting together to belch […]

JOB Mr. Patience A man was walking through a supermarket with a screaming baby in a shopping cart. A woman nearby noticed that time and again the man would say, “Keep calm, Albert. Keep calm, Albert.” Finally, in admiration for the man’s patience as the child continued to wail, the […]

JOANNA The Follower It’s interesting to follow Jesus’ three-year ministry. We notice that as his ministry grew, so did his band of followers–from the early calling of James, John, Peter, and Andrew to the naming of the 12 apostles, and to the sending of over 70 out into the mission […]

JETHRO The First ‘Time Management’ Counselor How organized are you? Can you find a receipt for a purchase you made last Christmas in five minutes, or is that impossible? It’s interesting how some people seem to be born with a skill to manage their lives neatly and orderly, while others […]

JESSE A Father in Need Paul’s second book to Timothy presents some thoughtful insights on conditions in the last days. He predicts that people will be “lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers […]