The ability to calm your soul and wait before God is one of the most difficult things in the Christian life. Our old nature is restless. The world around us is frantically in a hurry. Even some of our Christian friends might suggest that we are “backslidden” because we are...
What a tragedy it would be to go through life and not be a blessing to anyone! Epaphroditus was a blessing to Paul. Epaphroditus stood with Paul in his prison experience and did not permit even his own sickness to hinder his service. What times he and Paul must have...
The believer who lives by faith will “go on unto perfection” (He brews 6:1). But the believer who lives by sight will “draw back unto perdition” (Hebrews 10:39). The Greek word translated “perdition” is used about twenty times in the New Testament and is translated by different words: “perish” (Acts...
The Word of God and prayer should go together. The Prophet Samuel told the people of Israel, “God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way” (1 Samuel 12:23). Peter said, “But we...
Materialism will enslave the heart, the mind, and the will. We can become shackled by the material things of life, but we ought to be liberated and controlled by the Spirit of God. If the heart loves material things and puts earthly gain above heavenly investments, the result can only...
Yes, nature determines appetite. The pig wants slop but the sheep desires green pastures. Nature also determines behavior. An eagle flies because it has an eagle’s nature, and a dolphin swims because that is the nature of the dolphin. Nature determines environment: squirrels climb trees, moles burrow underground, and trout...
The accounts of Paul’s conversion tell very little that parallels our salvation experience today. Certainly none of us has seen Christ in glory or actually heard Him speak from heaven. We are neither blinded by the light of heaven nor thrown to the ground. In what way, then, is Paul’s...
Trials are controlled by God. They do not last forever, they are “for a season.” When God permits His children to go through the furnace, He keeps His eye on the clock and His hand on the thermostat. If we rebel, He may have to reset the clock; but if...
What is grace? It is God’s provision for our every need when we need it. Someone has made an acrostic of the word grace: God’s Riches Available at Christ’s Expense. There is never a shortage of grace. God is sufficient for our spiritual ministries as well as for our material...
The word afflicted means “suffering in difficult circumstances.” The phrase in trouble is a good translation. The Apostle Paul used this word to describe the circumstances he was in as he suffered for the Gospel’s sake (2 Timothy 2:9). As God’s people going through life, we must often endure difficulties...