The Power Of Wondrous Hope

“…the Lord your God: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest Him of the evil. Who knoweth if He will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind Him?”  Joel 2:13,14 When Jacob was returning “home,” after being in Padan-aram, where some of Abraham’s kinfolk had remained…

Essential Elements Of Communion With God

“Rejoice evermore.  Pray without ceasing.  In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 It is an amazing quality of the word of God that not only is there no “age,” or time effacing limit on it, but that it remains constantly living, and powerful,…

No Cross No Crown

“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto this world.” Galatians 6:14 Why a cross?  It is one thing that the Lord Jesus should die for our sins, but why on a cross?  And why is…

The Context Of Holiness

“And the captain of the Lord’s host said unto Joshua, ‘Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy.’” Joshua 5:15 What does the word, “holy,” mean? Literally, it refers to something, or someone, that is set apart. But yet, the matter of being “apart” goes further than we…

The Declaration Of Dependence

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach the good tidings unto the meek: He hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.” Isaiah 61:1  In the latter…

God’s Dealings With Hopelessness

“…behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off on our part.’” Ezekiel 37:11 The Apostle Paul, in writing to the believers in the church of Ephesus, spoke directly to the “Gentiles” of that church, specifically declaring to them that formerly they were, “…strangers from the covenants of…

The Preaching And Teaching Of Christ

“Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, ‘Why have ye not brought Him?’ The officers answered, ‘Never man spoke like this man.’” John 7:45-46 If ever there was a man who was dead to the praise or blame of men, it was Jesus Christ.  But it was…

The Loving Kindness Of God

“‘For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed,’ saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.” (Isaiah 54:10) That which makes true Christianity a most beautiful thing is the beauty of the Lord.  What do we…

The Life Of Rest, Christ’s Peace

“Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1 How is it that the Christian is called to run a…

The Faithfulness Of God

“God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:9 If we were to break down the English word, “faithfulness, we would find in some small measure the meaning of it.  For example, we would begin by isolating the word “faith,” and this would…