“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (II Timothy 4:6-7, NKJV) How do we determine the success of our life? Is it by the material things we own? Does it come from our net worth? Or do we judge our success by the number of promotions and accolades we have achieved at work? Do we measure it by the square footage of our home, the car we drive, or the exotic vacations we take? A SUCCESS OR A FAILURE? The apostle Paul now sits in a prison cell, alone and lonely. This is not his first time to be imprisoned, but it may be his last. By the world’s standards, Paul is a failure. At one point, he described himself as hungry and thirsty, poorly clothed, beaten, and homeless (II Corinthians 4:11).  His few material possessions, which a friend is keeping for him, consist of a cloak, a few books, and some parchments (II Timothy 4:13). Some might question how a man who started so well could end up like this.…

All Scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise noted. Many of you can probably recite Psalm 23 by heart. It’s often one of the first passages we learn in Sunday School—and that’s a good thing. It’s always wise to hide God’s Word in our hearts. As David wrote in Psalm 119:11, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” While this psalm may be familiar to many of us, familiarity can sometimes be a problem. We may know the words so well that we stop thinking about what they really mean. So, in this Bible study we’re going to examine Psalm 23 verse by verse. Verse 1: LORD is my shepherd” — This denotes relationship. There is a relationship between the shepherd and the sheep. The dictionary defines “shepherd” as: A person who herds, tends, and guards sheep A person who protects, guides, or watches over a person or group That second definition is what we’ll focus on. The word shepherd is used about 40 times throughout the Bible, and rarely does it refer only to literal sheep. Most often, it’s God referring to Himself as a shepherd to His…

“Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.” (Romans 15:2, ESV) When Jesus walked here on earth, He often sent His disciples out two by two to minister in surrounding towns. Have you ever wondered why He never sent them alone? Could they not reach more towns and more people much more quickly if they traveled solo? Or did they need the strength and encouragement of each other’s presence? As one minister explained, “God doesn’t usually use us solo because alone we become a coward.” All of us need an encourager in our life, even those confident people who seem to have it all together. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 tells us: “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” (ESV) BARNABAS, THE ENCOURAGER For Paul, Barnabas was his encourager. We first encounter him in Acts chapter 4. He was one of the first to sell a piece of property and bring the proceeds to help believers who were in need. In fact,…

“But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.” (Galatians 1:15-17, ESV)  For the past few days, we have studied events in the life of Paul, especially his conversion experience. When Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, he may not have immediately realized the significant changes that would come into his life. His associations would change. No longer would his Pharisee friends and the religious leaders accept him. On the other hand, the disciples of Jesus would be suspicious of him until he could gain their trust, and that would take time. His world was upside down. What should he do next? Where should he go? He had many things to figure out. THE DESERT YEARS The Bible gives us few details about the next three years of Paul’s life. Luke’s account in Acts 9 does not mention the three…