Dear Ones: It was over five hundred years between the coming of Cyrus, the King of Persia, on the historical scene, and the arrival of Timothy, the Apostle Paul’s “son in the faith.” Cyrus was a man who had not only a sense of “destiny,” but the conviction that God had intervened in history in…
Dear Ones: Is it possible to go forth in the full assurance of God’s guidance and provision? The author of the book of Hebrews wrote, with regard to our drawing near to God, that we were to do so with “a true heart, in FULL ASSURANCE OF FAITH.” (10:22) How can this be? How are…
Dear Ones: Is it difficult to surrender one’s life to Christ? No. It is impossible…that is, without the grace and intervention of God. This is why Nicodemus was so astounded at the declaration by Jesus, that a man must be born again, born of the Spirit, to enter the kingdom of God. No amount of…
Dear Ones: Where do we live? I do not refer to a physical address. There is a old hymn, written by A.I. Waring, in which he writes: “In heav’nly love abiding, no change my heart shall fear; And safe is such confiding, for nothing changes here.” The Psalmist wrote: “He that dwelleth in the secret…
Dear Ones: As far as I know, there has been but one Pentecost, when the Spirit came, and the prophecy of Joel was fulfilled. On that day, there was a “sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind.” (Acts 2:2) In John’s gospel, the Lord Jesus speaks of the wind: “The wind bloweth where…
Dear Ones: How little, and clouded, is our vision of the goodness of God. It is very difficult for us who look towards heaven “…through a glass darkly,” to perceive the greatness of the goodness of God. And yet, when the Lord created the world, all that He did was declared to be good…even “very…
Dear Ones: The problem is NOT with the Great Shepherd. It is with the sheep. It has been said that in the 23rd Psalm, the great discovery by David was not that there was a Shepherd, but that he was a sheep. Coming to grips with what this means is essential if the great Shepherd…
Dear Ones: It is a difficult thing for a man made from the dust of the earth, with the influence, even the dominance of sin, to grasp something of his littleness, hopelessness, and helplessness. Much greater is the difficulty in grasping something of the Divine, especially as it pertains to the wisdom and knowledge of…
Dear Ones: Why would the Lord instruct, even command Joshua, who was to lead the people across the Jordan, and into the promised land, to “…meditate (…in the book of the law) day and night?” (Josh. 1:8) Why does God say that the man who is truly blessed is that one who “…meditates in the…
Dear Ones: There were a lot of people who “ran” in the Bible. Of course, the reasons for which they ran were different at times. For example, when Abraham perceived the arrival of three men, two of which were angels, and the third, the Lord, he ran to meet them, and to bow down. When…