The Open Scroll

Imagine a village with a beautiful river running through it. It is breathtaking. Its waters are clear. Its banks are inviting. It is beautiful, desirable, alluring. From a distance, it appears to offer everything a person could possibly want. Every man can look at it and imagine some version of his own fantasy waiting in its waters. But the river has a dark secret. Those who enter it do not simply swim and return. They begin to lose themselves. A person steps into the water, then goes a little deeper. Then a little deeper still. Before long, he is wading farther than he intended. Eventually, he disappears beneath the surface, and the village never sees him again. Over time, the people discovered the truth about the river. They learned about those it had swallowed. They heard the stories of families destroyed, lives ruined, and futures lost. They began to understand that beneath the beauty of the river was something deadly. Yet knowing this did not stop everyone. Why? Because the river ...

There is a river in the village. It is beautiful. That is the problem. If it were ugly, filthy, and obviously poisonous, nobody would go near it. If its waters smelled of death and its banks were covered with warnings, people would have little difficulty staying away. But this river is different. Its waters sparkle in the sunlight. Its banks are inviting. Its current is gentle. From a distance, it looks almost perfect. It promises enjoyment. It promises freedom. It promises satisfaction. It seems to whisper to every person who approaches: "Come a little closer." And people do. At first, they only stand at the edge. Then they put their feet in. Then their ankles. Then their knees. And before they realise what is happening, they are in too deep. The river has a secret. It does not merely drown people. It changes them before it drowns them. Those who enter begin to lose their judgement. They begin to believe they are in control. They convince themselves that they can go further ...

The Man as a Leader A leader is guided by principles, not by feelings or passing whims. The moment a man leads solely according to his emotions or personal desires, he ceases to be a true leader and becomes a despot—a dictator who does not lead but merely imposes his will on others. If a man is to lead faithfully, then by what law should he lead? Should it be the law of his country, his tribe, or his clan? Certainly, many customs and cultural principles have value. They often contain wisdom that has been passed down through generations. Yet they are ultimately products of imperfect people. As such, they are often marked by loopholes, prejudice, bias, and inconsistencies. In some cases, these traditions can even be weaponized by either husband or wife to justify harmful behaviour or to oppress the other. They cannot, therefore, serve as the ultimate rulebook for a faithful man. We must look higher. Should we instead follow what is commonly called "natural law"? That phrase its...

 There is something remarkable about the story of David and Bathsheba. We know the crime. But the interesting part is not the sin — it is what follows it. David wept when the child born of that union fell sick. He fasted and prayed with his face to the ground, pleading with God, until the day the child died. (2 Samuel 12:16-18) Now, from a religious standpoint, if we were writing the next chapter, we know exactly what it would look like. Cast away the woman of adultery. Separate yourself from the source of the sin. Pursue ritual purification, make the offerings, demonstrate repentance through distance. But He is not like us. God did not merely permit the marriage to continue — He blessed it. And from that union came Solomon. (2 Samuel 12:24-25) Of all David's children, it was the son of Bathsheba that God chose. The one whose very existence traced back to adultery and murder. And when you follow that lineage all the way forward, Solomon sits in the direct ancestral line of Jes...

 One of the greatest tensions in the Christian world is trying to reconcile two seemingly different pictures of God. On one hand, we see a God who fiercely punishes wrongdoing—even when done in ignorance: Moses nearly struck down over circumcision (Exodus 4:24–26) Uzzah struck for touching the ark (2 Samuel 6:6–7) Judgment following David’s census (2 Samuel 24:15) Achan’s sin affecting a whole nation (Joshua 7:24–25) Generations suffering consequences of their fathers’ sins (Exodus 20:5) On the other hand, we see a God who appears to overlook even grave sins: David, yet called a man after God’s heart (Acts 13:22) Samson, counted among the faithful (Hebrews 11:32) Manasseh, restored after deep wickedness (2 Chronicles 33:12–13) Ahab, who humbled himself and received mercy (1 Kings 21:27–29) The Ninevites spared at Jonah’s preaching (Jonah 3:10) Even Lot and Abraham, with their flaws We are left asking: Who is this God? And so, two extremes emerge: Some...

“I prefer your presence over all these things.” “I still choose being with you over everything else.” How wonderful it is to hear words like these. Anyone would want to hear them. But consider this: If I have barely spent time with you, yet I say these words—would you believe me? Emotionally, you might. We, as humans, are deeply influenced by what we see and hear. Words can pull us in, especially in the right atmosphere. But if you pause… reflect… and allow reason to stand beside emotion—would you still believe me? Perhaps not. Not because the words were intentionally deceptive, but because they may have been spoken hastily—born out of emotion rather than conviction. What Does “Preference” Really Mean? At its core, preference implies experience. To say “I prefer your presence over all these things” suggests that I have encountered both—your presence and “all these things”—and have made a conscious choice. Preference is not imagined. It is experienced. “Taste and see that the Lord is g...

 I was inspired by one to write this. Now I share it with others, because it does not describe one woman, but all. To the woman… Not an afterthought of creation, not a final piece carelessly placed— but the last piece brought forth to complete a perfect picture. For without her, the image remains unfinished. She is not weak. She carries within her the power to birth and nurture a nation. From the depths of her pain can rise the heights of great joy. Yet do not mistake gentleness for frailty. Though her strength may take another form, she is capable of causing deep wounds when wronged. She should never be underestimated. She is not less wise. Though her heart may be moved by emotion, wisdom still finds its voice through her lips. She has stood beside kings and rulers, a quiet counselor in the halls of power— the small rudder that steers the great ship, the unseen hand guiding its course. Ignore her words, and you may yet be shipwrecked. When she chooses n...

  “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” (Amos 3:3) This question can be applied to many kinds of relationships: between God and man, between husband and wife, between friends, and between teacher and student. Agreement is the foundation of any sustained walk. Agreement in Human Relationships In the past, I promoted the idea that a man must go out of his way to convince a lady to “take the walk” with him. While there may be some truth in that, a walk cannot be sustained if one party agrees while the other must be persuaded at every step. Persuasion may begin a journey. Agreement sustains it. If one person is convinced and the other is merely being convinced repeatedly, the walk will eventually collapse under the weight of imbalance. Our Walk with God Let us consider our walk with God. Before the walk begins, there may be doubts, questions, and hesitations. That is understandable. But once the walk has commenced, expecting God to prove Himself at ever...

God first gave the instruction not to eat from the forbidden tree to the man in Genesis 2, even before the woman was formed: “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” (Genesis 2:16–17) Yet we know how the story unfolds. The woman ate, and she also gave some to the man, and he ate as well (Genesis 3:6). Let us x-ray what happened after they ate the forbidden fruit, and compare their reactions with what we often observe in our own lives. Immediate Reactions to Sin After they ate the fruit, Scripture tells us that: They became ashamed and covered themselves “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” (Genesis 3:7) They hid from God “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden… and they hid fro...

Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 often appear to present two different timelines for the creation of plants and humans. At first glance, it can look like a contradiction. But is it? Or is something else going on in the text? Let’s walk through it carefully. The Apparent Problem Genesis 1 (Day 3, Day 6) Plants are created on Day 3. Animals on Day 6. Humans —male and female—also on Day 6. Genesis 2:5 Then we read: “No shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground.” This sounds like plants did not yet exist , and humans did not yet exist , because: There was no rain for plants to grow. There was no man to work the ground. So what gives? Did Genesis 2 forget what Genesis 1 already said? A Possible Explanation: “Created” vs. “Brought Forth” One reasonable way to understand this is to consider that “created” in Genesis 1 may refer to establishing the potential , not necessarily the immed...

One of the most frequently discussed passages in the creation narrative appears right at the beginning of the Bible. It raises a question that has puzzled readers for centuries and makes for a perfect entry in this series: Did God create light twice? Let’s take a closer look. The Two Passages in Question Genesis 1:3–5 The text states: “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light… He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light ‘day,’ and the darkness He called ‘night.’” Here, light is created on the first day , and the concepts of “day” and “night” are established. Genesis 1:14–18 A few verses later, we read: “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate day from night… God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night.” This happens on the fourth day , when the sun and moon are created. So the natural question arises: If day and night already existed on Day 1, why are the sun and moon introduced on ...

  The Danger of Human Exaltation One of the worst things that can happen to a person is to be exalted to a god-like status by men. For the same people who lift you up today may, in another season, shout at the top of their voices: “Crucify him!” (John 19:6) The Dual Capacity of Man The truth is this: You have the capacity for great good — “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (Ephesians 2:10). You also have the capacity for great evil — “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). The environment, your state of mind, and the company you keep can either strengthen good or amplify evil — “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm” (Proverbs 13:20). Even things capable of good can become instruments of destruction if misused — “If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away” (Matthew 5:30). Sometimes, evil manifest...

 God revealed to us how He would face temptation through Jesus Christ. Scripture records that Jesus was “led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4:1). This was not by accident but by design—so that we might learn how to respond when temptation comes. 1. Hunger and the Primal Urge The first test Jesus faced was hunger. Hunger drives us to do desperate things, stirring our primal nature. Self-preservation often pushes us to abandon ethics and morality just to satisfy the body. And once the appetite is gratified, morality usually resurfaces, but often too late, after damage has already been done. In that moment of weakness, Jesus addressed the primal nature within every man by declaring: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4, Deuteronomy 8:3). True survival is not found in abandoning God for the sake of bread; rather, it is found in sticking to His instructions and receiving comforts...

I typed “no turning back” into the YouTube search bar, expecting… well, I didn’t even know what I expected. But what I found was interesting: the first ten videos were all dance challenges, full of rhythm and energy. Scroll a little further down and suddenly the tone shifts — sermons, debates, and critiques asking whether all this dancing and excitement is "right" or "wrong." Let me make this clear: I’m not here to take sides, I’m not claiming insight, “deeper revelation,” or a prophetic voice. What I do know is this — in the middle of the beats and all, the lyrics keep echoing: “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back.” And that line demands reflection. Jesus once said to His disciples: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their...