"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" (II Timothy 3:16).While visiting in the hospital recently, a dear lady remarked to me, "I've been reading my Bible, and it's amazing to me how it answers the questions of life." Most people who get around to reading the Bible for themselves are amazed to discover how many questions it answers. Someone has said, "The B-I-B-L-E stands for Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth." Beyond … Continue Reading ››
What Do You Think about God?
"The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts" (Psalm 10:4).This verse reflects the state of the natural man, or the man apart from Jesus Christ. He will not seek after God. He will not call upon God nor inquire of Him as to what is right or what is wrong, but will do what seems right in his own eyes. The root cause of this attitude of neglecting the Person and the will … Continue Reading ››
How Can We Pray for Missionaries?
Strategic prayer for missionaries involves an understanding of their life and work. The Scriptures draw our attention to numerous aspects of the needs and struggles missionaries consistently face. The apostle Paul himself made reference on multiple occasions to his overwhelming need for the prayers of others. Consider Paul' s A to F prayer requests:
- ACCEPTANCE by co-workers (other believers) - "[T]hat my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints" (Romans 15:31b).
- BOLDNESS in witnessing - "And for me, that utterance … Continue Reading ››
What Are You Waiting For?
"If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there shall it be. He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap" (Ecclesiastes 11:3-4).Farming has never been easy work, and this was especially true in ancient Israel. The Jews were faced with tilling a very hard, rocky soil. In addition, no one can predict … Continue Reading ››
Extravagant Love for Jesus
"And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? She hath wrought a good work on me" (Mark 14:6).In Mark 14, Jesus is on His way to Calvary. As He is in Bethany, in the home of Simon the leper, a woman expresses the depths of her love for our Lord by a costly sacrifice. We know from John 12 that the woman's name is Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. She broke an alabaster box of costly ointment and anointed the head … Continue Reading ››
First Things First
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness: and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33).In his 1967 book, The Tyranny of the Urgent, author Charles Hummel taught his Christian readers to navigate the constant tension between the urgent and the important. He stressed the fact that the urgent things in daily life tend to crowd out the important things and that, while everything may be "urgent," not everything is "important." Would you agree with that? Quite often we find … Continue Reading ››
What Is Your Heart’s Desire?
"I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will" (Acts 13:22b).David was certainly not perfect. He committed sins that most of us could not imagine, much less commit. Yet, in spite of his imperfections and sin, David sought to be righteous and his heart's desire was to do the will of God. In fact, in Paul's sermon recorded in Acts 13, he said concerning David, "For David, after he had served his own generation … Continue Reading ››
The Cost of Discipleship
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20)."I am crucified with Christ..." - that's the EXECUTED life! As Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in his excellent book, The Cost of Discipleship, "When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die." We are to die to self, that … Continue Reading ››
Doing Great Things for God
[B]ut the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits (Daniel 11:32b).Three ideas are contained in this passage. There is the thought of knowing God, being strong, and doing exploits. God's people are characterized by what they know, what they are, and what they do. Christians are to be set apart from the rest of the world in these three respects -- in the matter of knowing, being, and doing. Notice that these three characteristics of the believer are related, for only … Continue Reading ››
The Peace of Christ
"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27).
Have you ever been out at sea during a storm? Those who have say it's a very frightening experience! The waves churn, the thunder rolls, the lightning flashes; yet a hundred feet beneath the surface of the water all is calm and serene.
The peace of Christ is like that. It's not the absence … Continue Reading ››