Contemplations
Do You Possess Unwavering Faith?
“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world;but that the world through him might be saved.”(John 3:17) John 3:17 shows us that God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world as there was no need for that; the world was already...
A Guide to True Christian Affection
“Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 19:18) The heart of Christianity is love, and not just for God but also for our fellowman. Countless biblical...
Is the Aim of Your Christian Walk in Line with God’s Grand Design?
“Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preserve man and beast.” (Psalm 36:6) Every action in God’s grand design has a purpose. Even every particle, every occurrence, every gust of wind in our vast universe all...
The Wonders of God’s Promises
“The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD...
How Well Do I Know God?
“For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” (Malachi 3:6) It might surprise you to think in these terms, but the ultimate goal for every Christian should be to become a theologian, simply because the word theology literally means...
Is Christ Lord of All to Me?
“And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” (Luke 1:33) Christ is recognized in Scripture as a Prophet, a Priest, and a King. As Prophet, He is the very Word of God (John 6:68) and the ultimate revelation of...
Have I had a Life-Altering Vision of God’s Holiness?
"And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.” (Isaiah 6:3) Isaiah recounts a vision of God Almighty in chapter 6 of his book that shook him to the core: “In the year that king Uzziah died I...
Transforming Treasures Reserved for God’s Elect
“I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.” (1 Timothy 5:21) In a world where many spend their life pursuing material wealth,...
The Lord’s Eternal Name: Remembering Jehovah in the New Year
“Even the LORD God of hosts; the LORD is his memorial.” (Hosea 12:5) The prophet Hosea calls our hearts to reflect on the majesty and faithfulness of our God by referencing His eternal nature and identity as the Lord of Hosts and Jehovah. These names speak to God’s...
A Year in Perspective
“Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.” (Psa. 26:2) Our God is omniscient, which means he holds an infinitely perfect, divine, all-seeing understanding of himself and all things. 1 Samuel 2:3 says, “For the Lord is a God of knowledge.” His...
Is Christ My Lord?
“Which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords.” (1 Timothy 6:15) The recognition of Jesus as “My Lord” is far more than a mere label. It is a profession of faith that defines my life and informs my...
The Sacred Kiss of Christ’s Word
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) When Christ our Good Shepherd says, “I lay down my life for my sheep,” (John 10:15), He is promising to love us with the most exceptional love imaginable. For there is no...
Fleeing Our Spiritual Egypt
“When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.” [1](Hosea 11:1) The theme of bondage and deliverance runs deep throughout the course of Scripture. As early as the first chapter of Exodus we begin reading of the physical oppression of God’s...
Jesus is the Bridge over the Chasm of Division
“And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.” (Colossians 3:14) Both in the context of society at large, as well as in the local congregation, divisions and schisms between friends and families occur all too often. And so it has been...
Is God the Source of My Grace?
“And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.” (Psalm 143:2) Life presents us with a myriad of experiences, some positive and comforting and others difficult and challenging. Yet in the ebb and flow of...
Do I Experience the Infinite Grace of Christ?
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.”(2 Corinthians 13:14) Paul concludes his second epistle to the Corinthian believers with a benediction that is infinitely rich and full. His closing...
Does the Seed of God Dwell in Me?
“Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin; for his seed remains in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”(1 John 3:9) Many grapple with the notion of what it means to be “born again,” a biblical truth that is both rich in spiritual significance and a...
Am I Reborn?
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) Over 2000 years ago in Jerusalem a highly respected Pharisee by the name of Nicodemus met with Jesus secretly under the...
Can I Earn Grace?
“Ho, every one that thirsts, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” (Isaiah 55:1) If we are honest with ourselves, even though we know what Scripture says on the...
The Intertwined Mystery of Divine Grace and Our Will
“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13) In his letter to the Philippian believers Paul shares a high biblical truth, i.e., that Almighty God whose Spirit takes up residence inside each individual believer at...
No Surer Foundation
“And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.” (Acts 13:48) This simple declaration in Acts 13 echoes the central theme of the Gospel, that God’s unmerited and...
The Only Grace That Ignites True Faith
“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.”...
The Magnitude of God’s Grace
“The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, the LORD brought you...
Grace: The Gift Beyond Measure
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."(Ephesians 2:8-9) In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul unwraps the wonderful truth that salvation cannot be generated from...
No Pleasure in Sin
“For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.” (Psalm 5:4) Sin brings pleasure “for a season” to those who practice it (Heb. 11:25), thus the draw to it. But sin in every form and degree is the ultimate affront to a holy...
From Wrath to Redemption
“Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” (Ephesians 2:3) In its most elemental form, sin is the transgression...
Suffering God’s Eternal Vengeance
“Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” (Jude 1:7) In Scripture, the torments of the damned are...
Only Through Christ
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) Natural man, as the progeny of Adam, is carnal and corrupt from conception. David explains, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity;...
The Drama of the Covenant and Fall
“So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” (Genesis 3:24) The historical narrative presented in the first few chapters of Genesis is a...
Roasted in the Fire
“And I will make thee to pass with thine enemies into a land which thou knowest not: for a fire is kindled in mine anger, which shall burn upon you.” (Jeremiah 15:14) Fire is often used in Scripture to represent the wrathful judgment of God. One such example is our...
No Beginning, No End
“But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (2 Peter 3:8) In the prophet Isaiah’s inspired words, God is “the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity,” (57:15). And this...
The Power to Effect Resurrection
But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” (Romans 8:11) One of the greatest promises in all of Scripture is found in our...
The End of the Matter
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14) When...
Suffering Persecution
“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” (2 Timothy 3:12) From the point when darkness entered the world, Satan and his minions have been on a mission to seek out, persecute, and inevitably destroy the people of God....
The Protective Love of God
“God is jealous, and the LORD revenges; the LORD revenges, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserves wrath for his enemies.” (Nahum 1:2) God's deep love and commitment to justice ensure that He is a refuge for those who trust in...
Can We Weary God?
“And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?” (Isaiah 7:13) Is it really possible to weary a God who is Almighty… one who never “slumbers or sleeps?” (Ps. 21:3-4). According to the prophet Isaiah...
Embracing God’s Providences
“Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.” (1 Corinthians 10:10) The 40-year journey of faith the Israelites took from Egypt to the Promised Land is a detailed demonstration of the incredible way God guides and provides...
Engaging With The Word
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7) This text in Galatians is a powerful reminder of the importance of taking what God says seriously, knowing that how we respond to God’s Word determines the...
Responding to the Word
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7) Multiple biblical texts make it clear that the written Word of God is to be honored, accepted, and acted upon because it is God Himself speaking; his...
Praise His Blessedness
“And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying, ‘Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and...
The Consequences of Disobedience
“So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” (Genesis 3:24) The fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden was the original and primary instance of...
Deliverance Through Christ
“…even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thess. 1:10) As surely as night follows day, God’s wrath will most certainly and inevitably come upon sinners who choose to live and die in their sins. The reality of this truth ought to be of primary...
God’s Will, Your Sanctification
“For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God.” (1...
The Spirit of Christianity
“But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, ‘Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.’” (Luke 9:55) If we seek to define the character of Christianity, there is abundant documentation in Scripture to support what may be called the Christian spirit, the...
Sure Footing
“To me belongs vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.” (Deuteronomy 32:35) Deuteronomy 32 recounts the story of Israel’s early history and the...
Aligning and Abiding
“Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.” (1 John 4:15) There must be present in every believing soul the unshakeable faith that Jesus is who he says he is – the Son of God, one with the Father. And that...
The Entirety of the Spiritual Blessing in Christ
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3) When a bounteous, benevolent God establishes and secures an everlasting Covenant with his people, he...
The Majestic Greatness of the First and the Last
“And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last.” (Revelation 1:17) In John’s vision of the enthroned King of heaven and earth, the overpowering glory of Christ which outshone...
Incorruptible Seed Abides Forever
“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.”(1 Peter 1:23) In order to encourage those first century believers in Christ to a life of holiness and brotherly love, the Apostle Peter reminds...
The Living and Active Word
“For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not...
The Cross Ordained from Eternity
"Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world,but was manifest in these last times for you.”(1 Peter 1:20) The Lord Christ, God incarnate, Son of God and Son of Man encompasses and accomplished all that God the Father intended and all that a most...
Does God Change His Mind?
“And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.”(Isaiah 15:29) The many false gods of the pagans, according to the mythologies that surrounded them, commonly exhibited whimsical, undesirable human qualities. They...
Deliverance through Christ the King
“Hezekiah was sick unto death, then turned his face to the wall and said, ‘Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight.’” (Isaiah 38:1-3) As the Great King...
Seeing God
“And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.” (Job 19:26-27) The ultimate hope and expectation of the...