William Booth (1829–1912), founder of The Salvation Army, labored for the Lord among the poor and destitute in London’s East End. He would “stumble home night after night haggard with fatigue; often his clothes were torn and bloody bandages swathed his head where a stone had struck,” wrote his wife Catherine. “‘Not called!’ did you […]
CHRIST the LORD of GLORY (1 Cor 2:8). Andrew Welwood, a young Scot, fled persecution to London, but there succumbed to tuberculosis. Before he headed Home, he left a book of personal letters titled A Glimpse of Glory. Here are some samples: “Death has a terrible face to those who place all their happiness in […]
“In the Lord I put my trust; how can you say to my soul, ‘Flee as a bird to your mountain’?” (Ps 11:1). The psalmist had clearly learned that, if there is a place to flee in times of distress, it is to the Lord. This verse reminds me of a story about George Fisk, […]
Peace has been defined as the “tranquil state of the soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fears nothing from God and is content with its lot.” It is a sense of well-being, enjoyed by resting in Christ who “is our peace” (Eph 2:14). It is both through justification (Rom 5:1), and reconciliation […]
“O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God…” (Dan 9:19). One reason we should forgive—and sincerely pray for (see Mt 5:44)—those who do us wrong is the consistently forgiving heart of God. Why does He forgive me? Because I deserve it? No, it […]
CHRIST the STRENGTH-SHARER (2 Cor 12:9). There are no less than six Greek synonyms for “power” or “strength” in the New Testament. The concordance gives the definition for dunamis, the word here, as: “inherent power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature.” See the piling on of power in Colossians 1:11, “Strengthened with […]
George David writes: “In order to make disciples of others we need to be practicing disciples ourselves…This is what is implied by the words of our Lord Jesus in Matthew 5:13-14 when He says, “You are the salt of the earth…you are the light of the world.” The “you” in these verses is not a […]
“Assailed by scandal and the tongue of strife, Our only answer is the blameless life.” —Wm. Cowper You can’t read many psalms without realizing we’re in a battle and our souls are the prize for which the enemy combatants fight. Psalm 64 is no different. There are two distinct approaches of the enemy. In one […]
CHRIST, REVEALER of the FATHER: “I have glorified You on the earth” (Jn 17:4). How the Lord Jesus wanted His followers to know and love His Father! He explained that believers’ prayers are not—as many pagan religions teach—an attempt to bend natural law by influencing the Creator. “When you pray,” instructed the Lord Jesus, “say, […]