Freedom without authority is anarchy. Authority without freedom is slavery. True freedom is liberty under authority. It is a vain thing to think that man can be free without God. The history of man is the record of new “freedoms” that led only to new slavery. Every step man has...
It is not we who work for God; it is God who works in us and through us to produce the fruit of His grace. Christian service is the result of Christian devotion. The work that we do is the outflow of the life that we live. It is by...
Submission in the life of a believer is certainly not a popular topic in this day of lawlessness and the quest for “personal fulfillment,” but it is an important one. Peter applied the theme of submission to the life of a believer as a citizen, worker, marriage partner, and member...
God sees our hearts, but we do not always know what is there. God uses the Word to enable us to see the sin and unbelief in our own hearts. The Word exposes our hearts like a sharp scalpel. If we trust God, the Word then enables our hearts to...
Along with patience, we need long-suffering. This word means “self-restraint” and is the opposite of revenge. Patience has to do primarily with circumstances, while long-suffering has to do with people. God is long-suffering toward people because of His love and grace. Long-suffering is one fruit of the Spirit. It is...
The Word of God has in it the power to accomplish the will of God. “For nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37, NIV). It has well been said, “God’s commandments are God’s enablements.” Jesus commanded the crippled man to stretch out his hand—the very thing the man could not...
Our word conscience comes from two Latin words: con, meaning “with,” and scio, meaning “to know.” We “know with” the conscience. It is the internal judge that witnesses to us, that either approves our actions or accuses us. Conscience may be compared to a window that lets in the light...
God wants us to turn loose from the things of this world and stop depending on them. He wants us to center our attention on the world to come. This means that we “hang loose” as far as this world in concerned, and start living for the eternal values of...
In New Testament times, the national and religious pride of the Jews encouraged them to despise the “Gentile dogs” and have nothing to do with them. Paul used this judgmental attitude to prove the guilt of the seemingly pious; the very things they condemned in the Gentiles, they themselves were...
Patience is an important characteristic of the maturing Christian life. If we do not learn to be patient, we are not likely to learn anything else. As believers, we are able to rejoice even in our tribulations, because we know that tribulation brings about patience; and patience, experience; and experience,...