“We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:14). The word forgiveness in its primary sense means to send away or to abandon. Forgiveness is agreeing to pay the damages done by another, and then never bringing up the account again—sending them away, much like the scapegoat, the azazel. As far as […]
CHRIST the BEGINNING and the END: “I am…the Beginning and the End” (Rev 1:8; 21:6; 22:13). In Gen 1:1, the heavens and the earth were created; in Rev 21:1, they pass away, to be replaced. In Gen 1:5, the bounds of night are established; in Rev 22:5, we see there will be no night there. […]
“The children of Israel cried out to the Lord” (Ex 14:10). There may have been close to 2,500,000 Israelites. This describes their spontaneous prayer meeting as the Egyptian army approached! I don’t imagine it sounded to God the way I hear it when my little grandchildren all clamor for my attention at once, but this […]
“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Mt 6:6). It’s getting harder all the time to find a quiet place and time to pray. Part […]
CHRIST OUR POSSESSION: “Be content with such things as you have” (Heb 13:5). What does this mean? To be content with a dilapidated house or an old car, slowly corroding with rust? Although being thankful for everything is an evidence of our belief that the Lord looks after His people, I don’t think that was […]
“…the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins…” (Acts 26:17-18). Thus reads the commission to Saul of Tarsus. John Birch (unfortunately linked in most minds with a […]
“All power is given to Me in heaven and earth” (Mt 28:18). The word power (exousia) is also translated authority, right, liberty, jurisdiction, and strength. It includes the ideas of the liberty of doing as one pleases; physical and mental power; influence and privilege; the power of government, of judicial decisions and the authority to […]
Our tears, sweetened by heaven’s raindrops, cover the desert landscape with pools of comfort. We’ve been thinking our way through Psalm 84. There’s a great deal here about feeling at home in the Lord’s presence. The psalmist says, “My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord,” but it isn’t the place, it’s the […]
CHRIST the STABILIZER: “Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved” (Php 4:1). It’s a wobbly world out there and the foundations of society are being purposefully undermined by those who have set themselves against the Lord. The storm warnings are out and the last great […]