“The more I study nature, the more I stand amazed at the work of the Creator.” —Louis Pasteur As with Psalm 103, in Psalm 104 the psalmist bookends his thoughts with the same call to action: “Bless the Lord, O my soul!” (vv 1, 35). This time he adds, “Hallelujah!” Before we see what the psalmist thinks we should […]
CHRIST the FRUIT-BEARER: “He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5). The heart is often parched and dry. But Jesus can sweetly soften. “He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing, like showers that water the earth” (Ps 72:6). […]
“You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures” (Jas 4:2-3). Why pray? Doesn’t God know everything? Doesn’t He do what He wants anyway? R.A. Torrey suggests these reasons: Because there’s a devil, and by prayer we […]
Russian Jew Rabbi Joseph Rabbinowitsch fled from the pogrom there in 1881 to Palestine, intending to found a colony. One of his relatives had given him a New Testament because he recommended it as “one of the best guides to the Holy Land.” One day as he climbed Olivet and looked over the Kidron Valley […]
It’s great when we meet someone eager for the gospel. REALLY great when we discover the Lord is right there with us. […]
“Have a blest day,” says the world glibly. But only the believer knows the secret of having one. As we turn to the well-loved Psalm 103, we first notice that it ends as it begins—with repeated calls to “Bless the Lord” (vv 1-2, 20-22). The name “Lord” (Yahweh), the One we are to bless, occurs 11 times in the […]
CHRIST our PERFUME: “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” (2 Cor 2:14-15). George Henderson tells […]
“And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends” (Job 42:10). “Dear Lord, I…and me…and mine…” Of course it’s wise and needful to pray honestly for ourselves. But may the Lord enlarge our field of vision to include those around us. Many have never heard their names addressed to God in prayer; […]
Billy Sunday (1862-1935) became America’s the most renowned evangelist at the start of the 20th century. One night he preached on Isaiah 9:6, “His name shall be called Wonderful.” “Does the name fit Him?” he asked the crowd. “Jesus declared that He fulfilled the prophecies and the law of Moses, and the only effort He […]