On June 30, 1973, I married my high-school sweetheart. We were privileged to spend our honeymoon in Britain. The ancient city of York was on our itinerary, founded by the Romans in 71 AD. We were there to meet a retired missionary from China, Mrs Elsie Clark. She had a Bible bookstore, and for many […]
“In weakness to my God I cling, Though foes be strong I calmly sing, Kept, safely kept.” —Wm. Blane The pilgrims are making some progress towards the sanctuary. Now in the distance, as they lift up their eyes, they can see the holy hills that surround Jerusalem—Zion, Moriah, Olivet, and other lesser hills. Thus the […]
JESUS, who HEARS HIS PEOPLE’S PRAYERS: “…in the days of His flesh…was heard…” (Heb 5:7). We thought of the Lord Jesus, whose Gethsemane prayers seemingly were not heard. But by understanding that His prayer was to be saved out of death, we see it was answered after all. But what of Elijah who prayed that […]
“Make Your face shine upon Your servant, and teach me Your statutes” (Ps 119:135). The shiny-faced God! There’s something unique about a glowing countenance. No cosmetic can accomplish this. Concerning Stephen we read, “And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15). […]
At meetings being held in the north of England, Lionel Fletcher noticed a rough-looking man showing the ravages of sin on his face. He was the first to rise at the end and rush to the preacher. The story poured out in sobs. His son had trusted Christ shortly before. His father was the worse […]
The enemy wants to keep me from drawing near the Master. Thankfully he’s powerless to stop me. Have I misled you? I just spoke of these Songs of Degrees as being about going up to the house of the Lord to worship. And what does the first one say? “In my distress I cried to the […]
JESUS, whose PRAYER was HEARD: “who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear” (Heb 5:7). But was He saved from death? Here we are helped […]
“And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them…” (Jer 45:5). These are the Lord’s own words through Jeremiah to Baruch. It was a bad time to seek anything of permanent value in a land soon to be ravaged by the Babylonians. The same of our doomed world: everything around us is […]
“What do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Cor 4:7). C.S. Lewis writes in Mere Christianity: “Every faculty you have, your power of thinking or your moving your limbs from moment to moment, is given […]