Here’s a psalm for those experiencing Jesus’ words, “In the world you will have tribulation” (Jn 16:33). We’ve been regaled with exploits from the good ol’ days, Lord. “We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, the deeds You did…in days of old” (Ps 44:1). They made sure we knew that “You drove out the nations […]
CHRIST the LIFE-GIVING SPIRIT: “The last Adam became a life-giving spirit” (1 Cor 15:45). “It ought not to be passed by,” says Dr Lightfoot, “that Adam, receiving from God the promise of Christ—that the seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent’s head—and believing it, named his wife Chauvah, that is, Life. What! Is she […]
“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet 1:13). In my youth, the Lord’s return was on every believer’s mind. Perhaps today “heaven can wait” because we have it too […]
How do we know that Jesus rose from the dead? The Lord would not leave us in any doubt. “He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days” (Acts 1:3). Writing circa 56 ad, Paul lists some of the witnesses who saw the risen Christ […]
With this psalm, you may feel like you’re reading someone else’s mail. Or others are reading yours! As noted, Psalm 43 follows the same template as Psalm 42. The writer has been far from the sanctuary and thirsts to return home to God. He feels trapped by the wickedness around him and longs for a […]
CHRIST the AUTHOR of ETERNAL SALVATION (Heb 5:9): General William Booth (1829-1912), founder of the Salvation Army, looked into the future and warned what he saw as the dangers ahead: “1. Christianity without Christ; 2. Religion without the Holy Spirit; 3. Forgiveness without Regeneration; 4. Morality without God; and 5. preaching Heaven without Hell.” What […]
“Establish Your word to Your servant, who is devoted to fearing You” (Ps 119:38). Or to put it another way, “Lord, fulfill the promises You have made to me.” The other side of the equation, of course, is that I have devoted myself to taking the Lord seriously. There is no question on His part […]
No one can calculate the suffering and death that swept through Angola during its 27-year civil war, as forces from around the world battled for control of that country’s natural resources. It is estimated that 1.5 million died, many of them believers. Church elders were systematically killed to destabilize the communities. One missionary who returned […]
CHRIST our PLACE PREPARER: “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (Jn 14:2-3). Archie Naismith tells the story of a faithful witness who was on a […]