In this, you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials. - 1 Peter 1:6 Those two little words, “if necessary,” contain a world of truth. In the prior verses, Peter has just informed us of our glorious salvation in Jesus and the new birth he has … Continue reading If Necessary, You Have Been Grieved
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of … Continue reading The Description of the Godly Man
"Why art thou cast down, O my soul?" -Psalm 43:5 It is one source of the eternal freshness of the Psalms that they tell the story of a struggling soul. They open a window on to that battlefield with which no other battle can be compared, the moral struggle of the individual with himself. And … Continue reading The Poetry of the Disheartened Soul
The Lord is my present help and salvation. Though we are troubled with poverty, shame, or any other affliction, God is our salvation and help. If you are in trouble, God is deliverance; if you are persecuted by malicious enemies, God is your castle. Who is a rock, except our God? I call upon the … Continue reading If You Are in Trouble, God is Deliverance
God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. – 2 Timothy 1:7 It seems many professing Christians live in fear of the world’s disapproval. This fear not only appears to be true of many churchgoers, but it also seems true of many church leaders. This is one reason … Continue reading The More the World Hates the Gospel, the More it Needs Us to Preach it
Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. -Ephesians 3:8 The apostle Paul felt it a great privilege to be allowed to preach the gospel. He did not look upon his calling as a drudgery, but … Continue reading The Idler’s Conceit and the Worker’s Humility
The heavens declare the glory of God. Psalm 19:1 When we look at the universe, we wonder at the magnificence. We stand in awe as the massive spheres move perfectly in their orbits. We stand amazed at the power of our sun and realize it pales in comparison to many other stars, let alone the vastness … Continue reading Recognizing the Glory of God
There is a wide distinction between confessing sin as a culprit, and confessing sin as a child.
Ever to be remembered is that best and brightest of hours, when first we saw the Lord, lost our burden, received the roll of promise, rejoiced in full salvation, and went on our way in peace. It was springtime in the soul; the winter was past; the mutterings of Sinai's thunders were hushed; the flashings of its lightnings were no more perceived; God was
Attentively observe the instructive similitude: our sins are like a cloud. As clouds are of many shapes and shades, so are our transgressions. As clouds obscure the light of the sun, and darken the landscape beneath, so do our sins hide from us the light of Jehovah's face, and cause us to sit in the shadow of death. They are earth-born things, and rise from the miry
