The town of Crimond in Scotland is remembered for two things. It was the home of Jessie Seymour Irvine, daughter of a local minister. She composed the haunting melody which has borne the words of Psalm 23 out of the Scottish Psalter all round the world. Many a soul crossing over to The Other Side […]
“Hate” has four letters, but so does “love”; “lying” has five letters, but so does “truth.” Write wisely. Normally it’s impolite to read someone else’s correspondence. But in this case, it’s encouraged. The Spirit included these written communications “for our learning” (Rom 15:4). I wonder if the authors of these letters might have said some things differently […]
CHRIST the OBEDIENT ONE: “By one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous” (Rom 5:19). Oh how vital was the obedience of the Lord Jesus! We read with amazement, “Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered” (Heb 5:8). Not in heroic self-will did He go to Calvary: […]
“My soul melts from heaviness; strengthen me according to Your word” (Ps 119:28). Who hasn’t sagged at times under life’s loads? You’ll notice that David doesn’t ask for relief from the heavy burden, but for greater strength to carry on. But how exactly does God strengthen us through His Word? John Newton explained the situation: […]
“What is that to thee? Follow thou Me” (Jn 21:22). If the Enemy cannot use disinterest or discouragement to stop evangelism, he will tempt us with distractions. In his classic work, Via Sacra, T.H. Darlow writes: Curiosity becomes perilous, not because it is in itself evil or irreverent, but because it is so apt to […]
CHRIST our MODEL of HUMBLE SERVICE: “I am among you as One who serves” (Lk 22:27). In His life on earth, the Lord Jesus raised three memorials to humble and sacrificial service. “Whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to […]
“If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (Jn 14:14). The proviso “in My name” means “according to My character.” “Ask the Father what I would ask,” says the Savior. How can we do this? Read 1 Corinthians 2:9-16 for the answer. God has prepared things for us, but we can’t naturally […]
Thomas Olivers (1725-1799), a Welsh orphan, billed himself as “the worst boy known in Tregynon for thirty years.” Thrown out of town at age 18, he arrived in Bristol, England, where he heard George Whitefield preaching on the words of Zechariah 3:2, “Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” As Olivers recounts, “When […]
CHRIST our DEBT-PAYER: “Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14). C.H. Spurgeon tells the following story: “Thomas Olivers was a loose living man till he was renewed by grace through the preaching […]