“Those who regard worthless idols forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:8-9). Here is Jonah’s “Open Sesame,” the key that unlocks another opportunity to obey. When I don’t take God seriously, what option […]
“When the world is tossing me, like a ship upon the sea, Thou who rulest wind and water, stand by me.” — C. Tindley Can you see the contrast between verses 8-11 and 12-15 in Psalm 25? In the first section, the psalmist describes the God who teaches us to reverentially fear Him. “Good and upright is […]
CHRIST the ETERNAL LOVER: “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 Jn 4:10). Sir Robert Anderson, former head of Scotland Yard, in his classic work, The Silence of God, writes: “Men point to the sad incidents […]
“Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Pet 5:7). Writes E.E. Wordsworth, “So far as is known, no bird ever tried to build more nests than its neighbor. No fox ever worried because he had only one hole in which to hide. No squirrel ever died of anxiety lest he […]
Biblical truth is the substance of gospel work, so the early believers “went everywhere preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). Divine love is the motivation of it and joy is the strength of it, and thus we “preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Eph 3:8; see also 2 Cor 5:14). “Justification and sanctification […]
“So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm” (Joel 2:13). Inward honesty is far better than outward display; I must remember that my reputation—what people think of me—is of no […]
In the case of others’ faults, sometimes it’s good to “distinctly remember forgetting,” as Clara Barton said. We have, in the previous three psalms, scanned the history that matters most to the child of God. Psalm 22 took us into the past where we stood agape at God’s Son on the tree. In Psalm 24, we hurtled […]
CHRIST our COMPANION: “He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’” (Heb 13:5). Harner Middleswarth writes: My eight-year-old daughter and I were driving through the unfamiliar streets of the city to which we had recently moved. I was turning here and there without any explanation to my child. Finally, she looked […]
“As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him” (Ps 103:13). In his book At the Sixtieth Milestone, W.Y. Fullerton tells the story of a Christian lady, Mrs. Cobley, who visited Leicester Infirmary with flowers and words of truth and comfort. On one occasion, a young doctor greeted her with […]