The word confidence literally means “freedom of speech, openness.” Believers can come boldly to the throne of grace with openness and freedom and not be afraid. We have this boldness because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Because we are too prone to fail, we should not have confidence...
God is omnipotent—all-powerful. The psalmist might have used God’s vast creation as an example of God’s great power, but instead he used the miracle of birth (Psalm 139:13-18). Conception, development, and birth are perpetual wonders that an under- standing of genetics, anatomy, and obstetrics cannot erase. It is tragic that...
“Give, and it shall be given unto you” (Luke 6:38) was our Lord’s promise. It still holds true. The “good measure” He gives back to us is not always money or material goods, but it is always worth far more than what we gave. If our giving is to bless...
We shall be judged “by the Law of liberty.” Why does James (1:25) use this title for God’s Law? When we obey God’s Law, it frees us from sin and enables us to walk in liberty (Psalm 119:45). Liberty does not mean license. License (doing whatever I want to do)...
If God sends a “fiery trial” to His own children, and they are saved “with difficulty,” what will happen to lost sinners when God’s fiery judgment fails? When a believer suffers, he experiences glory and knows that there will be greater glory in the future. But a sinner who causes...
One of the funniest cartoons I ever saw showed a pompous lawyer reading a client’s last will and testament to a group of greedy relatives. The caption read: “I, John Jones, being of sound mind and body, spent it all!” When Jesus Christ wrote His last will and testament for...
A congregation was singing the familiar song “For You I Am Praying,” as the closing hymn. The preacher turned to a man on the platform and asked quietly, “For whom are you praying?” The man was stunned. “Why, I guess I am not praying for anybody. Why do you ask?”...
When Charles Haddon Spurgeon was a young preacher, his father, the Rev. John Spurgeon, suggested that Charles go to college to gain prominence. It was arranged for him to meet Dr. Joseph Angus, the principal of Stepney College, London. They were to meet at Mr. Macmillan’s home in Cambridge, and...
There are two “living sacrifices” in the Bible, and they help us understand what a “living sacrifice” really is. The first is Isaac (Genesis 22); the second is our Lord Jesus Christ. Isaac willingly put himself on the altar and would have died in obedience to God’s will, but the...
Food and “covering” (clothing and shelter) are basic needs; if we lose them, we lose the ability to obtain other things. A miser without food would starve to death counting his money. I am reminded of the simple-living Quaker who was watching his new neighbor move in, with all the...