Are you fortified—or mortified—when the hard times hit? This psalm tells us how to prepare. Commentators suggest various subdivisions for Psalm 37, although they all agree that the basic point is the same. The wicked may flourish for a time and the righteous may struggle, but it’s the end that tells the tale. However, there […]
CHRIST the JOYFUL SOUL-RESCUER: “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!” (Lk 15:6). “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, […]
“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Lk 11:13). Is this prayer for today? Certainly every believer has been given the presence of the Spirit: “If anyone does not have the Spirit […]
Andrew Stenhouse writes: “We rented a hall on one of the main arteries of the city. It was busy and noisy, but God gave us the joy of seeing souls saved there. On one occasion a gentleman, Senor Marfan, was walking by when he had a seizure of pain and looked around for somewhere to […]
Like David, we have been anointed (1 Jn 2:20), but we’ll have to wait for the crowning day! We made the first transition from the impending doom of “evildoers” (Ps 37:1-2) to those who are encouraged to “do good” (v 3). We noted David’s string of inspired suggestions: “Trust in the Lord…Delight yourself…in the Lord…Commit your way to the Lord…and…Rest […]
CHRIST the EMPIRE BUILDER: “Indeed a greater than Solomon is here” (Lk 11:31). Harold St. John tells a story from the days of the persecuting emperor Diocletian. A Christian was brought before him, and the Caesar mockingly quipped, “Tell me, what is your carpenter doing now?” The soon-to-be-martyred saint replied, “He is busy making a […]
“According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me” (Ps 51:1-3). For some perverse reason, the fallen human condition makes us much more adept at seeing others’ sins […]
“If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God…” (Jn 7:17). When Pilate asked Jesus the question, “What is truth?” Jesus answered him with a categorical response. In effect, Jesus was asking Pilate if his was a genuine question or purely an academic one. Jesus was […]
This question plagues the human race: Why do bad things happen to good people and vice versa? Psalm 37 is an alphabetic acrostic with 22 mini-poems linked together. Mysteriously the sixteenth letter, ayin, seems to be AWOL. There are many suggestions as to the reason. We know the letter ayin as a word means “eye,” it has the […]