“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers” (3 Jn 1:2). This lovely—and convicting—request by John for Gaius has not lost any luster over two thousand years. Lovely, because it shows the high value one Christian places on another. Convicting, because we all wonder […]
W.T.P. Wolston was born at Brixham, England, on September 6, 1840, and was converted at the age of 20 while listening to Charles Stanley, a commercial hardware salesman from Sheffield who led thousands to Christ. Wolston eventually became a loved and respected physician in Edinburgh, Scotland where he took every opportunity to speak to people […]
A week before commemorating Christ’s death, many Christians observe Palm Sunday. Palm fronds are handed out to remind people of Jesus’ triumphal entry. If you care to check, you’ll see how His arrival exactly fulfilled Zechariah’s prophecy (Zechariah 9:9), made five centuries before. Every other time the Lord came to Jerusalem He was hardly noticed. […]
Prayer lifts us up to God. But it does more than that. It brings God into our circumstances, too. It’s essential to learn to “weep with those who weep” (Rom 12:15). But it’s not enough to only weep. Rivers of tears have flowed from human eyes out into the desert of lethargic inaction. But before Nehemiah lifts […]
CHRIST the SUPREME BLOOD DONOR: “…the precious blood of Christ” (1 Pet 1:19). Walter S. Patrick links the following verses for us. 1. We are saved through faith in His blood (Rom 3:25). 2. We are justified by His blood (Rom 5:9). 3. We were purchased by His own blood (Acts 20:28). 4. And we […]
“Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm” (Mk 4:39). “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10). It’s hard to be still in a world like this. The wicked, we are told, “are like the […]
Anyone witnessing will be challenged on homosexuality. Some will say it’s wrong to condemn, since people are born that way. Others will say grace prohibits judging. What is our response? First, we are all born sinners (Ps 51:5) with proclivities in different directions, but cannot excuse our sins by claiming “that’s the way I am.” […]
“To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, loving, compassionate, and humble” (1 Pet 3:8, NASB). “The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah” (Neh 1:1) are the introduction to the book of Nehemiah. It’s a rare thing to find a first-person autobiography in the Bible, but this is one. We’re informed that he was busy “in […]
CHRIST the JOYFUL SOUL-RESCUER: “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!” (Lk 15:6). “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, […]