Handley Moule (1841-1920) gives this insight into the words, “Of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace” (Jn 1:16). “Quite literally, the words run: ‘Grace instead of grace.’ The image is one of perpetual supply; a displacement and replacement ever going on; ceaseless arrivals of all that is needed for the ceaseless […]
“Who can say, ‘I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin’?” (Prov 20:9). No one, of course. But millions can give testimony that the blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed them from all unrighteousness! Merely feeling sorry will not do. There is a great difference between remorse and repentance. One regrets […]
Who has heard of “engineer missionary” to Uganda Alexander Mackay? Against tremendous obstacles, he built 230 miles of road to Uganda from the coast, built several boats to traverse Lake Victoria, and translated Matthew’s Gospel into Luganda. He lived constantly under the threat of violence from Arab slave traders whom he resisted at every turn. […]
Jesus was an outcast, first rejected by His townsfolk and eventually by His nation. Maybe that’s why He had a special place in His heart for the folks at the tax office. […]
“Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession” (Ps 2:8). What a petition is this! Here Jehovah is suggesting to His Son, the King, an appropriate request to make of Him. Yes, He, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, is […]
Remember God’s light in dark days, His warmth in life’s chills, His smile when the world frowns. “So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God” (1 Chron 16:1). At long last! God’s […]
Can the remarkable fine tuning of the universe be scientifically explained by the concept of a “multiverse,” worlds upon unperceived worlds with an endless variety of conditions that leaves our world as simply “the right one” for life to exist? Not according to Cambridge physicist John Polkinghorne. In one lecture, he wryly quipped about the […]
“The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isa 53:6). Alexander Maclaren writes: “In the compass of three verses of this chapter, there are seven distinct, emphatic, and harmonious utterances, all bearing on one thought: the vicarious suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ. 1. ‘He has borne our griefs.’ 2. ‘And carried […]
“Christ possessed by faith here is young heaven and glory in the bud” (Samuel Rutherford). We need to linger longer to watch the mighty procession flowing like a human river up to Jerusalem. This delightful section (1 Chron 15:16-25) is bracketed first and last with joy (vv 16, 25). There were “the singers accompanied by instruments […]