Hebrews 12 develops the theme of endurance. The first three verses teach us that the key to persistence is passion. You can read them below, along with commentary on Hebrews 12 from John Maxwell’s study Bible. “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every…

Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary is a great resource for those who want to do word studies. Especially if you don’t have any background with Greek or Hebrew! Here’s how I used it in a recent sermon. PICKING A WORD FROM A PASSAGE I read this verse in Genesis 39:2: “And…

When it comes to commentaries, figuring out which one is right for you can be a difficult task. Commentaries like Anchor Yale and Hermeneia are clearly aimed at an academic crowd; whereas, commentaries like the Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible and NIV Application Commentary are a great aid to pastors…

Sometimes, life seems meaningless. And sometimes, God seems distant. If you’re feeling this way, you aren’t alone! The author of Ecclesiastes struggled with the same issue, but he continued to call God good and just all the same. This blog post is adapted from First-Century Study Bible Notes. A Short…

The difficulties of maintaining a daily Bible study routine are many. Where do you start? How do you make adequate time for more than a cursory reading of the Text? How do you find the right balance of study and devotion? And the list goes on. The truth is there…

Have you ever nodded along to someone talking, even though you had no idea what they were saying? I often feel like I’m doing a mental head-nod when I’m scrolling through all the products Olive Tree offers. As an employee, you’d think I would understand all the different Bible study…