Being in possession of the Scriptures is not the same thing as laying hold of them. Our Redeemer came into the world to “lay hold” of each of us by the power of His love.
Read MoreAnd suddenly there came a quickening that closed the long distance between him and the Lord. The man fell on his knees in the snow and, with a heart full of gratitude, thanked the God of Heaven for sending His Son into this world.
Read MoreWhat good would it do to receive forgiveness only to continue in the very same things that hurt Him? He died to provide forgiveness, and He lives to intercede for us in the heavenly sanctuary.
Read MoreDuring the days before Joseph understood the truth as to Mary’s pregnancy, even though they were betrothed and had not yet come together physically, a divorce was required in order to break the relationship.
Read MoreNow Zacharias knew the Scriptures well. He understood that Abraham had been miraculously blessed with a son in his old age because he (Abraham) believed God to be faithful who had made the promise. But in a brief few moments Zacharias invited doubt to enter, for his focus had shifted over to human weakness.
Read MoreLargely unnoticed by the world, the faith of Zacharias and Elizabeth must have shone brightly to the host of heaven in contrast to the darkness of those evil days. To them the promise of a son came (delivered by Gabriel!) as the aged Zacharias served in priestly duty in the holy place at the altar of incense.
Read MoreJesus came as promised, and right on time, when the fullness of the time had come. God is never early, nor is He ever late.
Read MoreHow precious that these shepherds were chosen to hear the news of the divine birth first! Their job is rich with symbolism of what Jesus does for us. These shepherds, lowly and despised, were simply caring for their sheep when the magnificent heavenly messenger arrived.
Read MoreBETHLEHEM! The place meaning “house of bread” is where God manifested His love toward humanity by sending His Son as a helpless baby! The mental picture of the tiny newborn Jesus in the manger brings a mix of awe, compassion, and tears of joy to our eyes!
Read MoreIt is difficult to fully grasp what life was like for Daniel and his three friends during those early days of Babylonian captivity. Ripped out of their culture, they must have wondered why God had allowed this humiliation.
Read MoreDaniel didn’t know it at the time, but he was to become the prophetic mouthpiece to the entire world, both Jew and Gentile. One stunning piece of evidence of the effectiveness of his influence is that over 600 years later, wise men from the east (Matthew 2:1) came to worship the baby Jesus!
Read MoreIn the New Testament we see no admission whatsoever on the part of Jesus (He is God!) as the cause of the heartbreaking suffering that He encountered. This confirms the Old Testament revelation . . .
Read MoreIn the story of Job, a valuable object lesson is given to show just how ready our adversary is to inflict harm. Too often our underestimation—or obliviousness—of the enemy is exactly what leads us into subjection to him.
Read MoreIn our ‘instant-gratification’ modern world, among things that pertain to life and godliness are the exceedingly great and precious promises of God. These promises are about what He desires to do in us, for us, and through us—but only those who trust Him wholeheartedly will recognize His divine power at work.
Read MoreA panoramic view across the ages shows us that Satan has used any and every strategy that suits him in a given circumstance: persecution, compromise, heresy, and popularity (especially popularity). All of these methods are used to harden hearts against the influences that God has placed in the world for our good.
Read MoreEvery person is caught in the crossfire of the war between good and evil, right and wrong, obedience and rebellion, life and death. Genesis 3:1 tells us that the leader of the rebellion is subtle! That one word gives us a “heads-up” that the enemy is to be carefully guarded against.
Read MoreThose who idolized individual reformers unwittingly replaced one form of idolatry with another—certainly not the intent of the godly men whom they intended to honor.
Read MoreGod has made clear to us the simple and foundational principles by which we are to live. And then, we are faced daily with practical tests. Do not allow the enemy to take back “territory” that you have surrendered to Jesus.
Read MoreAmazingly, this persecution was accompanied by tremendous growth and spread of the original, pure faith. In fact, the very intensity of the persecution of those days is exactly what kept it free from nominal and lukewarm Christians.
Read MoreGod’s watch-care protected Tyndale as he carried out his calling during many tedious years of continued harassment by the papacy. Having the privilege of an excellent education, Tyndale used the Hebrew and Greek texts to craft a stunning masterpiece of the English language in his Bible translation.
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