Reconciliation means “to be returned to favor.” This is necessary only on our side; God does not need to be reconciled. “All things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor 5:18). In the same way, our message to sinners […]
What happens when Paul, the great encourager of the Christian church, needs some encouragement himself? The Titus Effect. […]
“The Lord upholds all who fall, and raises up all who are bowed down” (Ps 145:14). When our little ones fall in learning to walk, what do we do? Just what our Father does to us: lifts us up, wipes away our tears, and encourages us to try again. So don’t lie there—up you get! […]
“What wondrous love is this, that caused the Lord of bliss To bear the dreadful curse for my soul!” King David had commissioned a group of priestly musicians “who should prophesy with harps, stringed instruments, and cymbals” (1 Chron 25:1). Is it any surprise, then, that the poetry of the Psalms is filled with prophecy? Clearly the […]
CHRIST our TREASURE: “To you who believe He is precious” (1 Pet 2:7). The word “precious” is not an adjective but a noun. Hence the RV translates it, “For you therefore who believe He is the preciousness.” He is the essence and sum of all preciousness! Cyrus is reported to have said to Croesus, “The […]
“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17). As Robert Cleaver Chapman explained this: “Turn everything in life into something to talk to God about.” To use the typology of Leviticus 6:13, “A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.” Charles Wesley expressed this well in this hymn: “O Thou, whose […]
“For we have not followed cunningly devised fables…but were eyewitnesses of His majesty” (2 Pet 1:16). Amy Orr-Ewing writes: “Sceptics would be surprised by the number of extra-biblical writings which refer to events and places mentioned by the writers of the Bible. These writings come from a variety of perspectives and backgrounds, demonstrating that at […]
“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Mt 16:25). One of the great secrets in life is that you only get to keep what you give away; love, joy, truth—they act like boomerangs that always return to us whenever we pass […]
“Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?” —Isaac Watts Psalm 22 is Messianic, the fourth in the Psalter. It is the most often quoted psalm in the New Testament. It would seem that crucifixion was invented by the Persians between 300-400 BC, in other words, 600-700 years after David penned […]