Recent Posts
Testify!August 14, 2010
Why does the song "Amazing Grace" resound so in our hearts? Because it is giving credit to where credit is due. He is the God of all grace. And we are the grateful recipients.
It Is Necessarily So!
July 24, 2010
The Bible has always had its detractors, but for the last hundred years there has been an unprecedented attack mounted against it. The death blow has failed, but not for lack of trying.
Be Careful Where You Sit
July 19, 2010
Reading scripture plops us down into a world of faith, of trust, and a miracle-working God. Can some of that faith rub off on us? Hope so.
But By My Spirit
July 16, 2010
Jesus told his disciples that they would be better off when he left, because then they would benefit from the presence of the Holy Spirit. We cannot overestimate this gift.
When Heartburn Is A Good Thing
July 14, 2010
For the Christian, the danger is when the mind understands, but the heart does not follow. Certain death will follow if the situation is not remedied. But there is a remedy.
After The Bread And Cup
July 5, 2010
Communion is a privilege for the believer that has no parallel. It is impossible to plumb the depths of its significance, and expressing appropriate gratitude is daunting. Lancelot Andrewes helps us, with his gift for words.
A True Hymn
June 25, 2010
Our words count for eternity. One of the readers of what we write is the Lord Himself. And we will give an account someday.
When Heartburn Is A Good Thing
July 14, 2010
For the Christian, the danger is when the mind understands, but the heart does not follow. Certain death will follow if the situation is not remedied. But there is a remedy.Wilbur Smith, the remarkable Bible teacher and professor from the middle part of the last century, had a hand in the founding of Fuller Seminary, and for a time his entire collection of books blessed the students who studied there.
In writing a preface to a collection of sermons by the English preacher G. Campbell Morgan, Smith remarks that for a period of forty years, beginning in the first decade of the Twentieth Century, Morgan was "the greatest Biblical expositor known in the pulpits of both England and America." (THE WESTMINSTER PULPIT, vol 1, page 7)
In a sermon from that same volume titled THE BURNING OF THE HEART, Morgan warns of a deadening process that can take place in our study of the scriptures....
The study of the Bible will curse us in the next ten years if we are not careful. Men will tabulate and analyze, and think they know everything.
Man, listen, for, unless as a result of your study of the Bible you hear the imperial tone, the voice of the living Christ talking in your inmost soul, your Bible knowledge is a mere technique that will burn you and ruin you within the next ten years.
Listen, listen for His voice. Cease petition sometimes, cease praise sometimes, cease your questioning every now and then, and listen. No man or woman, young man or young woman, youth or maiden, will cultivate the habit of waiting to listen for the direct message of the Christ and be disappointed. Then your Bible will be a new book. Then your organization will throb with the propulsion of a new power. Then the missionary fire will blaze and drive you out upon the path of service.
The Book Of Books
May 21, 2010
Sixty-six individual books, but one theme, really - God, and his purposes in history. The beginning is there, so is the ending, and everything inbetween. What's more, it's all true.Welcome, dear book, souls Joy, and food! The feast
Of Spirits, Heav'n extracted lyes in thee;
Thou art lifes Charter, The Doves spotless neast
Where souls are hatch'd unto Eternitie.
In the the hidden stone, the Manna lies,
Thou art the great Elixir, rare and Choice,
The Key that opens to all Mysteries,
The Word in Characters, God in the Voice.
O that I had deep Cut in my hard heart
Each line in thee! Then would I plead in groans
Of my Lords penning, and by sweetest Art
Return upon himself the Law, and Stones.
Read here, my faults are thine. This Book, and I
Will tell thee so; Sweet Saviour thou didst dye!
Henry Vaughn
1621-1695
Samuel Chadwick was one of those Methodist preachers of the late 1800's who lived and breathed Christ, in part because he was "sotted" with the Word of God.
"I have worked at the Bible, prayed over the Bible, lived by the Bible for more than sixty years, and I tell you there is no book like the Bible.
It is a miracle of literature, a perennial spring of wisdom, a wonder-book of surprises, a revelation of mystery, an infallible guide of conduct, and an unspeakable source of comfort.
Give no heed to people who discredit it, for they speak without knowledge. It is the Word of God in hte inspired speech of humanity.
Read it for yourself.
Read it through.
Study it according to its own directions.
Live by its principles.
Believe its message.
Follow its precepts.
No man is uneducated who knows the Bible, and no man is wise who is ignorant of its teaching. Every day is begun at its open page. It lies close at hand in all my work. I never go anywhere without it, and in it is my chief joy."
That, friends, is a "book review" to end all book reviews! Read the Bible, and it will make a believer out of you as well. Go ahead. I dare you. Better yet - God dares you!
The Greatest Of All Mysteries Revealed
April 24, 2010
What could be more mysterious than to stumble across something that is in the heart and mind and eternal purpose of God? And then have the privilege of telling the world about it? Consider the Apostle Paul.
Saturday Night Ritual
June 22, 2009
No question, Saturday evening is traditionally a "night-on-the-town" opportunity. But if we are to be sitting in church just 12 hours later for worship, just what steps can be taken to make that time as significant as possible?
The Kiss Of Death
June 2, 2009
God's grace can lead to not taking sin very seriously. Big mistake! Sin is toxic, to kiss it is to die. Its aim is to take us out, to render us harmless, ineffective, useless, or worse yet, turning us into bored, distracted and conflicted spectators.
Don't Worry! Be Happy!
May 15, 2009
In denial. Nero, who apparently fiddled while Rome burned, would be the classic example of it. Jesus faced it while here on earth. And the disease is still with us. What are its symptoms? Diagnosis is the first step to finding a cure.
The Best And Worst Of Times
May 11, 2009
In the opening sentences of A TALE OF TWO CITIES, the reader is immediately thrust into the turmoil. For Madame Elizabeth of France, that turmoil meant death by guillotine. She was faithful to the end, and went magnificently.
Richard Dawkins, Meet Blaise Pascal
April 17, 2009
Paul tells us that the god of this world blinds the hearts of unbelievers. So their conclusions about eternal things further Satan's cause. Others, like Pascal, see with God-given perception, and truth is advanced, for those who have ears to listen.
WISE GUYS - Richard Sibbes
April 13, 2009
Some people can't help themselves, and just think - profoundly, about eternal things. Richard Sibbes was one of those, a Puritan pastor who left the interested reader a wealth of rich thought on the wonder of God.
Restless? Join The Club
April 7, 2009
Why do we sit with a remote and just click away mindlessly? Why do we flit from interest to interest? Why is remaking ourselves a popular cultural passtime? Do you think God might have had anything to do with it?
Think About His Love
March 3, 2009
Meditating on the love of God is faith-energizing, hope-building, and the opposite of wasting time. Comprehending God is impossible, but the little we can know will be health and life to our soul.
Deserted, maybe. Forsaken, never!
February 24, 2009
Our walk with God has its high points, and its low ones. We have times when God seems intensely near, and other times when it seems our cry is ignored, and God is nowhere to be seen. Or so it seems. Bottom line - it is all for our good.
The Ass's Ears Of The Old Adam
February 9, 2009
How often do we pray, stopping "short of the "finish line"? The woman in Luke 18 is commended for her persistence. Consider the story of a missionary to India, one Samuel Hebich.
The Bible and Yadayadayada
February 4, 2009
There was a time in the Old Testament when, while cleaning out the Temple, a "book" was found. People began reading it, and before long, the city of Jerusalem was repenting! Only one book has such power - God's word, the Bible.
Rise And Shine!
February 4, 2009
Getting out of bed in the morning can be difficult. And making the time to be with God before the day demands our full attention is a challenge many of us struggle with. But the dividends are immeasurable.
Overheard From The Closet
January 28, 2009
The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16
Guys, A Potential Wife Is Watching
January 16, 2009
Remember how we used to ask that question, "If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you. In the case of John Paton's father James, his devotional life caught the attention of his eventual wife Mary.
Flawless
January 11, 2009
The Bible has come under intense scrutiny for more than a hundred years, and Satan has done all he can to discredit it. Consequently, it lies unopened and collecting dust on many a bookshelf. But it is a treasure of hope nonetheless.
The Only Authentic Truth Syrum
December 25, 2008
Your truth, my truth. That doesn't work very well, does it. God has a truth, and it is the word of God, scripture, the Bible, the holy book. No matter what you call it, it is his word to us. And we need it now more than ever.
God and Sinners Reconciled
November 29, 2008
The angels tried to convey what their excitement this little baby born in the town of Bethlehem. "To you is born a Savior who is Christ the Lord!" God was up to something - restoring a broken relationship.
Redeeming Time
November 12, 2008
Jesus may have participated in small talk ("Wow, it's way hot!) but given the nature of his mission and his short stay, he seems to have made every minute count for eternity. Every encounter seems to be in dead earnest. So what is our take away?
Walking Lumps Of Clay
November 8, 2008
In an age of self-esteem, when narcissism is a badge of honor, the spirit of another age might serve to give us a different perspective. What have we lost, and how might we get it back? To such a subject Francis Quarles spoke with eloquence.
Satisfaction Guaranteed
November 6, 2008
The mere presence of these two words on the packaging admits that the product may not deliver. With God, there is no risk. We are offered a relationship of the most magnificent possibility, with the absolute certainty that He will never disappoint.
A Pastor After God's Own Heart
October 22, 2008
The shift from pastor as shepherd to pastor as CEO has had devastating effects on the "sheep." They've wandered off. So what are the pastoral basics again, and how do we become "retro?"
Detecting Slippage
October 21, 2008
This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word. Isaiah 66:2
The Company We Keep
October 10, 2008
You've heard the phrase "in the world, but not of the world." How do we associate with unbelievers, without being molded by their perspective on life, and losing our zeal and spiritual fervor?
The Best Time Of The Day
October 8, 2008
Most of us struggle to have a quiet time at all, so to argue for the early morning hours as "most desirable" seems a bit unfair. What secret did Jesus know that we need to rediscover?
Anybody Seen My Bible?
October 3, 2008
We can read anything and everything before we sit down and read the one source of truth that doesn't lie - God's word, the Bible. Which is crazy, because only scripture gives us the spiritual nutrients we need to run the race of faith.
Why Worship?
September 28, 2008
“If you don’t worship, you’ll shrink.” Words of wisdom from the psychologist in Peter Shaffer’s play "Equus."
"Adam, Where Are You?"
September 28, 2008
The greatest tragedy in the world today is that God has made man in His image and made him...to play the harp of worship before the face of God day and night, but he has failed God and dropped his harp. It lies voiceless at man's feet. Tozer
