Tommy Mann

 In Luke 7 Jesus performed a miracle that led to an amazing declaration. After interrupting a funeral in the town of Nain and raising someone back to life, we read these words in verse 16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” I believe that miracle was intended to call to mind a much earlier miracle performed by the Old Testament hero Elijah. In 1 Kings 17 the prophet raised the dead son of the widow of Zarephath. Elijah took the boy in his arms and presented him to his mother. Notice what happens next:  "And the woman said to Elijah, 'Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth (v.24).'” The accounts in 1 Kings and Luke are similar. Both Jesus and Elijah raised the dead son of a widow; both gave the boy to his mother; both made contact with the deceased, and thus ceremonially defiled themselves.  The comparison becomes even more apparent...

Last week I wrote about eagles’ wings and how we need to wait upon the Lord in order to renew our strength. So can we think about a different bird this week? The raven is not a majestic bird that soars in grace like the eagle. It is actually a scavenger bird, eating the carcasses left behind by nature. Thanks to Poe, the raven has taken on an association with the darker side of literature.  But God has worked through the raven. The fowl served a purpose after the flood, as Noah sent one out that did not return, letting him know it was not yet safe to disembark. But more importantly, God used ravens to help Elijah and to teach him to trust in the Lord. In I Kings 17 the prophet came suddenly onto the scene and told King Ahab that there would be nether rain nor dew for three years.  This was punishment for the idolatry that had become commonplace in Israel’s northern kingdom, but it was also God’s evidence that He was superior to Baal. Ahab’s wife Jezebel had once served her fat...

One of my favorite passages in Scripture is the doxology of praise Paul wrote at the end of Ephesians 3. Verses 20-21 say, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”   Warren Wiersbe wrote that Paul seemed to be trying to use every word at his disposal to describe God’s ability to grant all that we ask or think—He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all. He is truly the God who is able to do all these things. But I think it is interesting if we shorten that last sentence. God is able to do. We serve a living God, one who is able to do. This is in sharp contrast to the dumb idols and statues made by human hands that the Jews of old would frequently serve.    In the same city of Ephesus where Paul sent this letter, the silversmiths who made statues of the goddess Diana became furious that people...

When writing about Elijah appointing Elisha to be his successor in 1 Kings 19, Warren Wiersbe made the following statement: “No one generation can do everything, but each generation must see to it that people in the next generation are called and trained and that the tools are made available for them to continue the work of the Lord [1] .”   No one generation can do everything. Wiersbe is exactly right in that regard, and this applies to many different battles that we might find ourselves in. One battle that I have stayed committed to is over the lives of the unborn. Some have thrown in the towel. Some have thrown their hands in the air in desperation. “What’s the use? We will never overturn Roe.” I know that this has been a long, frustrating battle, but we can’t lose heart. I realize that the Supreme Court is not going to rule on this matter again any time soon, but there is more to it than that. Instead of viewing this as an insurmountab...

God created us to need rest. Our bodies are not designed to always be on the go, but our fast-paced society never seems to slow down. More and more people are becoming overworked, stressed out, and eventually burned out. The standard that God Himself modeled in the Garden of Eden is that we should get all of our work done in six days, and make sure that we have at least one day in seven for rest. This allows our bodies and minds to recuperate, and it helps us stay sharp, thus enabling us to focus on Christ. Sometimes we need to put everything on hold and just rest. There are at least two instances in the Bible where a good nap made a big difference in someone’s life. The first instance was with Elijah in 1 Kings 19. After an exhausting day on Mount Carmel defeating the prophets of Baal, Elijah got a death threat from Jezebel. Elijah became so depressed over this threat that he began to wish for his own death. But after he lay down under a tree and took a g...