“Christian giving is to be marked by self-sacrifice and self-forgetfulness, not by self-congratulation.” —J. Stott King Hezekiah had given generously from his own substance for the burnt offerings to be sacrificed at the temple in Jerusalem (2 Chron 31:3). But he wanted the people also to have the joy of selfless giving. When he called […]
In the beginning God made man in His own image, so close is grandeur to our dust. Before the beginning of the Christian era, minds like Plato’s felt that man was made to be intimate with God. But Jesus revealed a move from the other side. He expressed God’s great desire to be intimate with […]
“The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the beggar from the ash heap, to set them among princes and make them inherit the throne of glory” (1 Sam 2:7-8). Britain’s Queen Mary was known for her touch of humanity. On […]
Spiritual progress involves growth and learning, but mostly it is fostered by happy obedience. The Passover, in spite of the obstacles, had been a glorious success. In fact, we’re told that “since the time of Solomon…there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem” (2 Chron 30:26), a period of almost 250 years! That would be like us […]
Read More… from January 27, 2025 — Moving Forward, Looking Upward
Shortly after my salvation, I witnessed to my mother. Not so politely, she asked me never to speak to her again about the Lord. Then ten years later, she was told she had only three months to live. Here was a millionaire who had everything in the world’s eyes, but deep inside she was empty. […]
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.…praying always with all […]
Arthur Gook, missionary to Iceland, tells this story in Can a Young Man Trust His God? “A man attending gospel meetings at Akureyri became anxious about his spiritual state and felt the need of help, but couldn’t pluck up the courage to ask. He was leaving for a prolonged stint some distance away and the […]
“My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually say to me, ‘Where is your God?’…Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance” (Ps 42:3, 5). Mother was sitting by […]
We have come far short of the example of the apostles, much more of Christ; we are far behind the servants, much farther behind the Master. We have had little of the grace, the compassion, the meekness, the lowliness, the love of God’s eternal Son. His weeping over Jerusalem is a feeling in which we […]