God Speaks

image of a young woman praying to God

I Kings 19:11-12 When we pray we should be quiet in order to hear the voice of God speaking to us. But how often is God’s voice drowned out by the chaos of our busy lives? God’s manifestation of himself to Elijah, he saw no manner of similitude, any more than Israel did when God talked to them in Horeb. But, he heard a …

A Leap Of Faith

image of a man jumping high into the air

Luke 1:41, The baby lept in her womb, it is very probable that she had been several weeks quick (for she was six months gone), and that she had often felt the child stir but this was a more than ordinary motion of the child, which alarmed her to expect something very extraordinary, it is the same word that is used in Genesis 25:22 for …

Countermeasures

image of a gate barred with a lock

I John 4:4-6 In these verses the apostle encourages the disciples against the fear and danger of the seducing anti-Christian spirit. Suffering is a universal language. We can’t escape pain. Plans go wrong. Troubles come. Our bodies wear out. We live in a fallen world, and sometimes the pressure paralyzes us. He assures us of a more divine principle You are …

To See Or Not To See

Image of a person standing in the dark next to a staircase

In Matthew 6:23-24, Jesus turns from the comparative durability of the two treasures to the comparative benefit to be derived from two conditions. The contrast now is between a blind person and a sighted person, and so between the light and darkness in which they respectively live. The eye is the lamp of the body. This is not literal, of …

The Rule of Law

An image of rocks piled on top of each other

In 1 Timothy 1:3-11, the fundamental principle that the law is for the lawless applies to every kind of law. For example, the reason we need speed limits is that there are so many reckless drivers on the road. The reason we need boundaries and fences is that it is the only way to prevent unlawful trespass. And the reason …

Cubit To Stature

image of a person standing next to the number 31 painted on the road

Worry is as inconsistent with common sense as it is with Christian faith. In Matthew 6:34 Jesus mentions both today and tomorrow. All worry is about tomorrow, whether about food or clothing or anything else; but all worry is experienced today. Whenever we are anxious, we are upset in the present about some event which may happen in the future. …

As In Old Time

Image of an hour glass

There appears to be an increasingly waning demonstration of the power of God as compared to the early church even up to the church of the early 20th century. If we are sincere enough, most of us will agree that what we see this days is an occasional “drizzling” of the demonstration of the power of God in all the …

In His Name

image of a lady standing in the snow

In Colossians, chapter 3, Paul gives us two general principles governing personal relationships. Here they are: ‘Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.’  The second is: ‘Whatever you do, work at it heartily as to the Lord and not unto men’ (verses 17 and 23).  Now let me tell in my …

The Armor of God

A man dressed in medieval armor

Ephesians 6:13-20. The purpose of investing ourselves in the divine armor is that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil (verse 11), that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore… This fourfold emphasis on the need to ‘stand’ or ‘withstand’ shows that the apostle’s concern …

The Duty of Children

A child reading the bible

If the obedience of children is part of the natural law which God has written on human hearts, it belongs also to the revealed law which God gave on stone tablets to Moses. So Paul goes on: ‘Honor your father and mother (this is the first commandment with a promise), that it may be well with you and that you …