It was when a dark cloud of doubt and despondence had descended on the people of Judah that Haggai appeared on the scene. In a short, trenchant message, he convicted the Jews of their sloth and neglect, and again aroused their enthusiasm and zeal. Explaining their calamities as the effects of God’s chastening hand, he […]
It’s 50 years since that night in March of 1945 when I was born of God. In time or eternity I shall never forget that night. I had struggled to “believe,” strained to “trust,” agonized over how to “accept.” But all was darkness. At last, all hope was gone. I concluded I could never be […]
Having built a “house of cedars” for himself, David realized that the Ark of the Covenant was “under curtains,” meaning it was housed not in the tabernacle but merely “a tent” which he had pitched for it (2 Chron. 1:4). Seeing the need, he was prompted to take action. Do our things have priority over […]
There were many features about the temple that caused men to marvel. The imposing beauty of its symmetrical design, the grandeur of its interior loveliness, the entire walls covered with carved cedar and overlaid with pure gold, studded with all kinds of precious stones, was dazzling to the eyes. The significant furnishings, the exquisite veil, […]
Twenty years ago, I was having some meetings in a town on the Canadian prairies. After each session, as I greeted the Christians, I was disturbed to see a man, probably in his early seventies, guffawing and back-slapping his way through the crowd. The topic for the week was a solemn one, and his behavior, […]
No, its not an exotic flower, although it is not common and its beauty and fragrance are a delight to those who find it. It is also one of the things in which God takes a great delight. Philoxenia means “love to strangers” and is translated as “hospitality” in the New Testament. The word is […]
A few years ago, the US government authorized the expenditure of billions of dollars in public funds to build and put in space the most spectacular telescope ever devised. But, alas, it didn’t work. The first trouble with Hubble was that it was out of focus. What Hubble’s builders did not realize was that the […]
An overseer “must be…given to hospitality” (1 Tim. 3:2). “Use hospitality one to another without grudging” (1 Pet. 4:9). “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers” (Heb. 13:2). After reading such verses, have you ever moaned and muttered, “Why don’t we do more to serve one another?” Perhaps the way I have worded that question too […]
The word “paroxysm” is the term used in Hebrews 10:24 (paroxusmos) to speak of the “stimulating alongside” that should be practiced by Christians to motivate others to love and good works. The word is utilized only one other time in the New Testament, and that in a negative sense, in Acts 15:39. There Paul and […]