“Seven times a day I praise You, because of Your righteous judgments” (Ps 119:164). No petition here: it’s all praise. And yet praise is a kind of petition. Praise seeks access and joy in fellowship with the One we adore. Whenever I read this verse, I think of a visit to Chicago. It was a […]
“Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things” (Isa 40:26). Two renowned physicists acknowledge this. Arno Penzias (1978 Nobel prize in physics), discovered cosmic background radiation, evidence the universe had a beginning: “Astronomy leads us to a unique event, a universe which was created out of nothing, one with the […]
JESUS the I AM: “If you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins” (Jn 8:24). Fifteen hundred years before, Moses inquired as to the name he should use to identify to Pharoah the God he represented. “I AM,” said the Lord. “I AM THAT I AM” (Ex 3:14). Illustrated by […]
“Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand” (Gen 14:19-20). This is the benediction of Melchizedek on Abram. It is a special kind of petition, where we seek the blessing of God on another. Do we realize […]
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world” (1 Jn 2:15). In a quaint illustration, C.H. Spurgeon sheds light on our Lord’s comment in Matthew 6:31, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’” Both string and brown wrapping paper […]
Don’t try staring at the sun. But how will you see the Lord when He appears “as golden splendor”? Once again, after speaking in general terms, Elihu turns directly to his friend (Job 37:14-24). Presenting an exquisite poetic rendition, he eloquently says what I will tell you bluntly: It’s hard to hug a thunderhead! Impossible, actually, […]
CHRIST the SUPREME RULER: “Jesus Christ,…the ruler over the kings of the earth” (Rev 1:5). Buried in Aachen Cathedral in Germany the same day as his death, January 18, 814, Charlemagne, the father of Europe, has not really rested in peace. His tomb was opened by Frederick I in 1165, who re-interred the body in […]
“Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing” (Ps 92:13-14). Our old folks need prayer! Unless one keeps life’s roots deep in the soil of the Lord’s presence, it’s easy for […]
C.E.M. Joad (1891–1953) was an English philosopher and broadcasting personality, as famous as George Bernard Shaw and Bertrand Russell in his day. Joad’s prominence came from popularizing philosophy on the The Brains Trust, a BBC favorite. His more than 75 books advanced his atheistic, socialistic and hedonistic views. But just in time he was given […]