Ravi Zacharias writes: “In the 1950s, Encyclopedia Britannica published its fifty-five-volume set, The Great Books of the Western World. One of the gifted minds behind the series was Mortimer Adler. The opening volume is a compilation of the great themes addressed by seminal thinkers during the last two millennia. Fascinatingly, the longest essay is on […]
“But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good…” (Gen 50:20). Instead of asking, “Who is to blame for this?” Joseph saw God’s overruling plan and asked, “What good can the Lord bring out of this?” That’s your winning game plan today. […]
You cannot betray a friend without, in the end, finding that you have stabbed your own heart. As with the last psalm, so with Psalm 55—David finds it soothing to have his thoughts accompanied by the strings section of the orchestra, especially when his nerves could be jangling because of those who “bring down trouble” on him […]
CHRIST the MESSIANIC HOPE: “We have found the Messiah” (Jn 1:41). How did Andrew know? The portrait of the Christ was so detailed and the Lord Jesus would match it at every point. He was the “seed” of the woman (Gen 3:15; Isa 7:14), born of the virgin Mary; from the tribe of Judah and […]
“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (Jas 5:16). It is not admired prayers we need, but availing ones; not expansive, but effective. We can do without the fancy kind, but not without the fervent kind. William Law writes: “It is not the arithmetic of our prayers, how many they are; nor […]
John Berridge, a contemporary of Whitfield and the Wesleys, was ordained in 1745 but was unfit for the Lord’s service until in late 1756, as he was having a time of Bible study, the command, “Cease from thine own works, only believe,” was laid on his heart. At last he saw that striving to earn […]
We ordinary folk sometimes assume that the rich and famous are mostly missed when it comes to the gospel. But take a closer look at the New Testament and what do we see? The Number 1 persecutor of the church, Herod’s half-brother, several from the Sanhedrin, the treasurer of the city of Corinth, one of […]
“In all labor there is profit, but idle chatter leads only to poverty” (Prov 14:23). When all is said and done, more is said than done. Florence Nightingale wrote: “I think one’s feelings waste themselves in words; they ought to be distilled into actions which bring results.” […]
The believer has instant access to Information Control—the One who sees all, knows all, and can do all. Psalm 54 is another Biographical Psalm. “To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Contemplation of David when the Ziphites went and said to Saul, ‘Is David not hiding with us?’” Ziph has been identified as a tell just […]