Christian, do you feel surrounded? You are of course—“the Lord surrounds His people” (Ps 125:2). It wasn’t that Abijah didn’t warn Jeroboam about the secret weapons in his arsenal. Listen! “The priests who minister to the Lord are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites attend to their duties. And they burn to the Lord every morning […]
“And Miriam answered them: ‘Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!’” (Ex 15:21). What a day! After centuries of slavery, at last they were free! Moses’ big sister led the women in this song of praise. They had not merely escaped Egypt, […]
The Jewish daily prayers, called in Hebrew “Sidûr,” include “Thirteen Principles of the Faith,” composed by the famous Moses Maimonides (Rambam). These are to be repeated by faithful Jews with their morning prayers, and include the following: “I believe with perfect faith that all the words of the prophets are true” (clause 6); “I believe […]
“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 […]
It’s good to not keep an inventory of wrongs against us–or of kindnesses done by us either. But God covers the first by Jesus’ blood and the second by His wonderful grace. […]
“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 […]
In battles, nothing helps more than faith and persistence, except seeing the Commander’s face. In spite of his failures, Rehoboam did a wise thing early in his reign. “Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maachah as chief, to be leader among his brothers; for he intended to make him king” (2 Chron 11:22). Recall that Maachah, granddaughter […]
Read More… from November 22, 2024 — The One Who Makes All The Difference