Submission to God and others is an act of faith. There is danger in submitting to others; they might take advantage of us. But we can trust God. His mighty hand that directs our lives can also direct the lives of others. God never exalts anyone until that person is...
When Jesus called Himself “the Living Bread,” He was not claiming to be exactly like manna. He was claiming to be even greater! The manna only sustained life for the Jews, but Jesus gives life to the whole world. The Jews ate the daily manna and eventually died; but when...
Wine was the normal drink of the people in New Testament days, but we must not use Jesus’ miracle of turning water into wine as an argument for the use of alcoholic beverages today. A man given to drink once said to me, “After all, Jesus turned water into wine!”...
We need to decide what kind of righteousness we are seeking, whether we are depending on good works and character, or trusting Christ alone for salvation. God does not save people on the basis of birth or behavior. He saves them “by grace, through faith” (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is not...
The material blessings of life come from God. The person who looks at himself and forgets God when blessings are abundant is only revealing his pride. David responded to God’s blessings by saying, “Who are I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that Thou hast brought me this...
It is an honor and a privilege to suffer with Christ and be treated by the world the way it treated Him. “The fellowship of His sufferings” is a gift from God. Not every believer grows to the point where God can trust him with this kind of experience, so...
Just a short drive from my former home is the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Years ago, the school had a life-saving squad that assisted passengers on the Lake Michigan boats. On September 8, 1860, a passenger boat, the Lady Elgin, floundered near Evanston, and a ministerial student,...
The person who fears God alone need never fear any person or group of people. The fear of God is the fear that cancels fear. God cares for His own. It did not cost much to purchase sparrows in the market. Yet the Father knows when a sparrow falls to...
In John 3, the Apostle John emphasizes a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is a living relationship that begins with the new birth, the birth from above. When we receive Jesus Christ into our lives, we share His very life and become children in the family of God. It...
Everybody lives to please somebody. Many people live to please themselves. They have no sensitivity to the needs of others. “The soul of a journey,” wrote William Hazlitt, “is liberty, perfect liberty, to think, feel, and do just as one pleases.” That advice may work for a vacation, but it...