The Praise of Zacharias

Zacharias was an elderly priest in Israel. While performing his priestly duties in the temple, the angel Gabriel announced unto him that his wife, Elisabeth (also, elderly), would give birth to a son. Because of his unbelief, Zacharias was dumb and unable to speak until the day the child was born. This child through hisContinue reading “The Praise of Zacharias”

His Name is Holy

“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isaiah 57:15). This verse teachesContinue reading “His Name is Holy”

God, Our Creator, Benefactor, and Savior

Nothing we own really belongs to us. The Scriptures teach “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1). Reflect for a moment on the sweeping implications of that truth. The ores and all minerals belong to the Lord and everything resulting from their development.  AllContinue reading “God, Our Creator, Benefactor, and Savior”

Exhort One Another

The writer of Hebrews admonishes his audience “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:12-13). The emphatic challenge ofContinue reading “Exhort One Another”

The Poor in Spirit

Both Matthew and Luke record what is popularly referred to as the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount. His teaching on this occasion was for the benefit of his disciples, those who had committed to following him expressly. “And seeing the multitudes, he [Jesus] went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciplesContinue reading “The Poor in Spirit”

Admonitions for Those Who Are and Would Be Rich

The Apostle Paul closed his first letter to Timothy with an admonition for those among us who we might categorize as wealthy. “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that theyContinue reading “Admonitions for Those Who Are and Would Be Rich”

The God of All Flesh…

In the latter days of Zedekiah, King of Judah, the armies of Babylon had besieged Jerusalem and were on the threshold of overtaking the city. Jeremiah, the prophet, had warned the inhabitants of Jerusalem and their leaders that God had delivered his people into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, because they broke hisContinue reading “The God of All Flesh…”

He Controls Human History

In 605 B.C. Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar became the dominant world empire. That is how the history books record it. God, however, pulls back the veil and tells the real story to the prophet, Jeremiah. “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel…I have made the earth, the man and the beast that areContinue reading “He Controls Human History”

Abandon Your Own Plans

The Northern Kingdom, Israel, was overcome by the Assyrians in 722 B.C. and many of its people were carried away captive at that time. (Israel was divided into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah, after the reign of Solomon over 200 years earlier.) Known for their fierceness, the Assyrian armies had defeated many nations and, hadContinue reading “Abandon Your Own Plans”

I Will Have Mercy

When Levi (Matthew) began to follow Jesus, the Scriptures record that he “made him [Jesus] a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, why do ye eat and drink withContinue reading “I Will Have Mercy”