“And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.  And they shall go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.” Isiah 66:23-24.

“It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ ” Mark 9:47-48.

”If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy Read More »

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I leave you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”  John 14:27.  This passage was Jesus comforting His disciples right before he was to be crucified and leave them.  Not only was he leaving them “peace” but His peace that originates with Him.  It is a gift given to all Christians in any circumstances they may face and is sure unlike the peace the world promises which will ultimately fail.  Therefore, a Believer never has a reason to be troubled or afraid as God is sovereign over all the circumstances of his (her) life. “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have Read More »

“Abide in me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.  If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” John 15:4-6.

A vine provides the water and nutrients by which fruit is produced.  Without the vine, no fruit could ever result.  The key to living a fruitful Christian life is for the branches (Christians) to abide in Christ, the vine.  The word “abide” means Read More »

“That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” Hebrews 6:12.

There are many promises given to Believers in the Word of God.  Not the least of which is that, in the end, good will overcome evil and the wicked will be judged and punished.  “Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the wicked; for there will be no prospect for the evil man; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.”  Proverbs 20:22.  “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” Psalm 9:17.

With the great wickedness we see rising in our country Read More »

“Let his mind be changed from a man’s, and let a beast’s mind be given to him; and let seven periods of time pass over him.  The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets it over the lowliest (basest) of men.” Daniel 4: 16-17.

This passage from Daniel is the story of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream that Daniel interpreted.  The King had grown powerful, with his dominion extending to the ends of the earth, and along with it his pride had grown.  He came to believe that he had built his great kingdom by his own power.  The dream was God’s pronouncement Read More »

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Genesis 2:24.  When a Christian man finds his bride he is charged to “hold fast” to her and the wife likewise to her husband as they literally become one flesh in the eyes of God (very romantic if you think about it).  A good wife is a gift directly from the Lord.  “Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the LORD.” Proverbs 19:14.  A man is to treat his bride as his “Beloved” and always show her that she is loved and well taken care of while the wife is charged with the duty to respect and obey her husband.  “However, each one of you also must lov

e his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.”  Ephesians 5:33.  “Wives, obey your husbands as you obey the Lord.”  Ephesians 5:22.  

The reward for a couple following God’s commands is a satisfying

Read More »

“I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.” Psalm 16:7.  “My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night.” Psalm 63:5-6.

Many times I find myself waking up from sleep with a word from God or a praise to God in my mind.  I know it was not initiated by my own thinking because it is in my mind the moment I wake up before I have time to get oriented to get my mind working myself.  It has always been clear to me that this was placed there by the Holy Spirit Read More »

“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, be shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.” Psalm 37: 23-24.  “Blessed is the man who … delight(s) in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1: 1-2.

When we delight in the way of the Lord by mediating on and honoring His Word He promises to establish and protect us.  We will still have times of failures, due to our own fallen nature or other circumstances that come against us, but we will never be cast headlong, out of control, with the Sovereign God always in control of our lives.  “The Lord upholds Read More »

“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.” I Peter 3:8-9.  This passage is not suggesting approving of false doctrine or failing to stand for the Truth of God’s Word to maintain unity among Believers but have, as William MacDonald in the “Believer’s Bible Commentary” states, “in fundamentals, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in everything, love.”  Further, we are to always have love for and have sympathy with (“suffer with”) all persons while always maintaining a tender heart sensitive to the needs and feelings of others with a spirit of humility.

As Christians, we are not to revile anyone but rather be persons who bless others. This is not to bless someones sinful life or wrongful acts but “to speak well of” a person to the extent possible while desiring their well-being.  The old Read More »

“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him”. I John 5:14-15.

This passage in I John encourages Christians to make their requests known to God in confidence.  He promises to grant our requests that are made according to His will.  Our duty is to walk close to God
to be better able to better ascertain what God’s will is, with the help of

Read More »

“Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution … Live as people who are free not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God … Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.”  I Peter 2: 13-18.

We are called to be subject/submissive to the authorities that have been placed above us, such as government authorities and workplace bosses, whether they are just or not.  Further, we are not to rebel in our hearts against the authorities Read More »

I often become distressed these days when I watch the news.  Few people in Government or in the media seem concerned for the good of America but rather only want to promote their own agendas.  Combined with the moral decay of our country I sometimes find myself becoming discouraged and even angry.   The Holy Spirit has convicted me that this is an entirely wrong reaction for a Christian.  The Word of God gives us the proper way for a Christian to conduct themselves.  “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one Read More »

I recently finished reading “The Practice of the Presence of God” by Brother Lawrence.  It was a tremendous blessing.  Bother Lawrence was a very devout Christian who lived in the 17th Century and spent most of his life in a monastery to totally devote himself to God.   This book is considered a Christian classic.

The following are some points he made in the book related to the Christian walk that I thought particularly significant:

1.  He established himself in a sense of God’s Presence by continually conversing with Him and not letting trifles and fooleries distract him.  Prayer was not just Read More »

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Phil 2: 12-13.

We know salvation is of grace, the free gift of God, and not of works (Ephesians 2: 8-9).  So what does it mean to work out own salvation with fear and trembling?  The Greek verb rendered “work out” means “to continually work to bring something to fulfillment or completion.”  In Matthew 24: 11-13  we are told that “… many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.  And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.  But the one Read More »

In the “A Charlie Brown Christmas” television special Charlie Brown cannot get into the spirit of Christmas and eventually exclaims – “Can’t anyone tell me what Christmas is about?”  His little brother, Linus, says that he can tell him what Christmas is about.

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.  And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings

Read More »

“…because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us.”  Romans 5:5.

F. B. Meyer has said, “God does not fill with His Holy Spirit those who believe in the fullness of the Spirit, or those who desire Him, but those who obey Him.”  Corrie Ten Boom of Holland was imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp in Germany for hiding Jews and after surviving the war was led by God to travel the world to tell her story and help bring others to Christ.  One of the first places God led her was back to Germany, the one place Corrie asked God not to send her after she answered His call.  Corrie ultimately relented and went to Germany and was able to be a mighty witness there with her message Read More »

“For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief. ” Proverbs 24:16.  Although this verse is primarily speaking about a just man falling into trouble rather than sin, it still has an application to Christians which commit “acts” of sin but confess them and then get back up onto the straight and narrow path.  We know that if we confess our sins God with forgive and cleanse us. I John 1:9.

C.S. Lewis in “Mere Christianity” notes that perfect virtue will not be obtained by any merely human efforts but only with God’s help.  He goes on to say – “After each failure, ask forgiveness, pick yourself up, and try again.  Very often Read More »

^“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” Matthew 5:3.  “Poor in spirit” translated here literally means “to crouch or cower as one helpless.”  In Galatians 4:9 it is translated “beggarly.”  It is a humble spirit that all believers should have where they understand that only through God’s grace can they be saved and their lives have any meaning.  This verse calls on Christians to recognize that there is no room for pride in their lives or any faith in themselves to be good or otherwise worthy without God.

John McArthur has described poor in spirit as “The opposite of self-sufficiency.  This speaks of the deep humility of recognizing Read More »

“Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his Read More »

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4.

As I grow older, approaching my 60’s, my thoughts turn more and more to my mortality. It is comforting to note that, if one is a Believer, God has promised to never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).  In Psalm 23 this extends even to when we die as the Lord leads us through the “shadow of death” while comforting us with his rod and staff. The rod and staff were used by a shepherd as Read More »

We see in Matthew 20:1-16 the Parable of the Laborers. A landowner went out to hire workers for his vineyard. He first went out early in the morning, and then again at several different times during the day, including one hour before quitting time, and hired more laborers. At the end of the day he paid the last hired the same as the first hired even though the first hired worked longer and during the heat of the day. Matthew 20:13-16 describes the landowner’s Read More »

Revelation Chapters 2 and 3 contain God’s messages to the seven churches.  In those two chapters there is also a description given at the end of the message to each church of the benefits of being one who “overcomes”.  These include:

1. Allowed to eat from the tree of lifeRead More »

God calls us to be industrious in all we do in life. Romans 12:11 commands Christians to be “Not Slothful in business…”.  Colossians 3:23 states “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters…”.  Proverbs 14:23 states “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”   In addition, Proverbs 22:29 tells us that “Do you see a man skilled in his work?  He will stand before kings; He will not stand before obscure men”.

The phrase “skilled in his work” is better translated “prompt in his business” or in other words someone who is diligent/industrious.  The Proverbs promise Read More »